Auxano Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO), has taken the work of charity to the next level with their investment in human capital development.
This was achieved through their successful sponsorship of an indigent Nigerian, Jonathan Tumiyi, aiding him in the pursuit and actualization of his dream of having a university education.
Tumiyi, a Gbaggi indigene from Takalafia, a suburb community within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory, successfully passed out of the year-long National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mandatory assignment on Thursday, February 18, being the first graduate from his community, all through the support he got from Auxano Foundation.
During a news conference at the weekend in Abuja, Dr Grace Babajide, a director with the foundation, appreciated God on behalf of the organization for the inspiration and the possibility of successful completion of Tumiyi’s university education.
She said the foundation took the sponsorship of Jonathan right from his second year, or 200 level, as it is commonly called in Nigeria, when the indigent student at that time was being confronted with too many overwhelming challenges that clearly threatened to push him out of school, one of which was finance.
According to Babajide, when Tumiyi had almost completely giving up and was about dropping out from the university as a result of the challenges he faced, fate drew him to their charity, Auxano, during one of their outreach campaigns to distribute food items in Tumiyi’s community, when they heard about his plight and decided to take over the responsibility of sponsoring him up till the point of his graduation from the university.
She said that, as of today, Tumiyi is a graduate of educational administration and management from the prestigious University of Abuja.
According to Babajide, “the young man did not disappoint the foundation, neither did he disappoint himself.”
She also called on the government to support “the Takalafia community which lacks basic amenities,” adding that, “in the modern day 21st century, it is unfortunate that an entire community could only boast of the first graduate in 2021 without hope of producing any in the nearest future.”
The Auxano director urged the youth to borrow a leaf from Jonathan, who was focused and determined in choosing and pursuing his career to good completion. She also called on the Nigerian youth to be wary of human traffickers, adding that the dehumanizing crime of trafficking in persons to enslave people for profit was on the rise in the country.
Babajide further narrated that their foundation has been working with rescue organizations by carrying out the campaign against human trafficking to schools, both primary and secondary, to let young people know early enough about the dangers attached to the menace, and in order to help them escape the traps of predators.
According to her, most of the funds used in carrying out all the humanitarian assistance offered by Auxano were being raised from the pockets of members of the foundation, and called for partnership, sponsorship and any possible support from well-meaning Nigerians.
“Funding is our major challenge and structure is another one. Currently, we are still a group of volunteers, we don’t really have much, we do things from our pocket, there is no single backing from anywhere,” she said.
On his part, the beneficiary of Auxano charitable support, Tumiyi, was full of appreciation to the foundation and also used the opportunity to urge the government and other NGOs to come to the aid of the poor masses by supporting them, particularly the Takalafia community of the FCT.
It could also be recalled that Auxano Foundation for Empowerment and Development (AFED), a nongovernmental organization, had recently embarked on advocacy for greater global support for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The Foundation visited the Kuchingoro IDP camp in Abuja in commemoration of the 2020 World Refugees Day as a way of raising awareness about the plight of displaced persons in Nigeria.
The effort was in collaboration with Teach for Change Nigeria, Yudee Foundation and Healthy and Smart Children Foundation, and was supported by the United Nations, with the theme “Every Action Counts.”
Also, Auxano, whose aim is to empower and develop the girl-child is taking steps towards the changing or transformation of the girl child in Nigeria. The foundation had in the past, as part of its enlightenment campaign, organized career choice counseling sessions at Government Girls Secondary School Dutse, Abuja, to “support the girls to exploit their full potential.”
The activity at the college in Dutse was part of the charity organization’s annual school and college programmes since 2012, focusing on education activism to help students, especially girls, to fully develop mental resilience, self-confidence, and to maximize their individual potentials for success, which is in line with sustainable development goal (SDG) number 4.
