Фонд Beyond Borders обучил более 300 детей из малообеспеченных семей программированию и предпринимательству

The Beyond Borders Foundation says it has trained more than 300 children in coding, graphic design, content creation and other vocational skills as part of efforts to bridge the opportunity gap among children in underserved communities. The foundation’s board member, Tobi Durosinmi-Etti, disclosed this during a three-day children’s bootcamp organised by the non-governmental organisation in Isheri-Olofin, Ogun State. According to a statement made available to The PUNCH on Thursday, the programme exposed the children to practical skills, including coding, graphic design, content creation, food making, baking and hair creation. Durosinmi-Etti said the initiative was designed to ensure that children in less privileged communities had access to opportunities and quality learning experiences similar to those available to children in affluent neighbourhoods. He said, “Whenever you think about bootcamp for children, you see bootcamp for children happening in the higher class of society. Maybe bootcamp happening in Lekki, in Abuja, in Ikoyi, very high class. “What we have decided to do in Beyond Borders is to bring that same level of excellence to communities that don’t have that same opportunities.” According to him, the three-day programme was the foundation’s inaugural bootcamp, although the organisation had previously implemented several interventions for children in different communities. He explained that the decision to organise a longer and more structured programme was driven by the need to make a deeper impact on the children. “This bootcamp is inaugural bootcamp. We have been doing a lot of things in the past, in silos. We have had kids’ parties, we have had clubs for children, and we have had different things in a community like this and different communities. “But this time, we decided to do something that was much longer and much impactful. That’s why we’re organising a three-day intentional bootcamp for children,” he said. Durosinmi-Etti said the foundation’s intervention went beyond skills acquisition, noting that it was committed to the overall welfare, education and development of children. He said the organisation was established to empower children across Nigeria and Africa by providing them with opportunities to develop their potential and contribute meaningfully to society. “Empowering children is not just limited to their education, also their welfare. Basically, we are concerned about the total wellbeing of the African child, the total wellbeing of the Nigerian child,” he stated. He said the organisation planned to replicate the programme in other communities, adding that Lagos would serve as a launchpad for expanding the initiative. “It’s not limited to Lagos. As you are aware, we have a lot of children that are out of school in Nigeria. In addition to that, we have a lot of children that don’t get to do anything with their long break. “So this is just the starting point. What we want to do here is to start here, show partners what can be possible, and we want to take this to other areas in Lagos. Lagos is really big, and other areas in Nigeria,” he said. The statement noted that a representative of ProvidusUnity Bank Plc, Amaka Igwe, emphasised the importance of introducing financial literacy to children at an early age. Igwe, who spoke during a financial literacy session at the bootcamp, said the children were taught the importance of money management, savings and responsible financial behaviour. She said, “We are here today for Beyond Borders Children’s Bootcamp to educate them on financial literacy, the importance of finance and why it is important for them to save. It is also important for them to learn these things early now that they are children.” She said the bank was pleased to support programmes aimed at equipping children with useful knowledge and skills, describing them as the future of the country. Also speaking, a creative entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of The Yellow Lorry, Eniola Makinde, urged the children to view entrepreneurship as a means of solving problems, creating jobs and contributing to national development. Makinde explained that entrepreneurship was not simply about starting a business but involved identifying problems within one’s community, developing solutions and creating value that could generate financial returns. She said, “Entrepreneurship is about value creation and value exchange. It means that you are able to find the problem in your vicinity, in your community, create a product or create a service to solve that problem and then get value in exchange for it.” The entrepreneur concluded by advocating practical skills training and mentorship for young people, stressing the importance of exposing children to practitioners who could guide them and provide real-world knowledge.