The Give Back Project (GBP) is an initiative aimed at getting well established members of the society who have benefited directly from the public education system of the country to contribute directly to raising the standards of the schools they attended.
A participant in the project is expected to donate or give part of his/her zakat to the primary or secondary school he attended or to a school of thier choice, specifically for the purpose of promoting quality education in the school. The donations from this initiative is used for academic purposes only. These include: Furnishing classrooms, Purchase of text books, Renovation of staff rooms, Purchase of teaching aids for schools, in-house summer re-training of school teachers, and any other academic purpose that is identified in the school.
The project participant are also expected to introduce the GBP to five other potential donors. This part of the initiative is crucial in creating the required critical mass effect for the project to be successful.
REPORT ON GIVE BACK PROJECT AT QUEEN AMINA COLLEGE SUPPORTED BY HON MULIKAT AKANDE-ADEOLA
In pursuant of fulfilling one of our objectives of creating a generation of confident and responsible young adults who can set examples and mentor their peers, GCC organizes an annual camp every year for beneficiaries of the Female Students Scholarship Scheme and invites role models who have made significant achievements in their lives to talk to the girls as an inspiration. These women spend time with the girls and help answer some of their questions, issues and concerns that parents may not answer or the girls cannot ask. This interaction also serves to address some concerns that parents may have have regarding the loss of identity, religion and culture that is often mistakenly associated with formal schooling.
During the 2014 Annual camp which was supported by Ford Foundation and took place at Queen Amina College, one of the role models that was invited to interact with the girls was the majority leader House of Representatives Honorable Mulikat Akande-Adeola who is a friend of GCC. Coincidently she is also an old student of the school and after her session with the girls she was taken round the school and shown the state of disrepair of infrastructure including toilets which moved her to donate N2M (Two million naira only) for renovation through the GCC Give Back Project for repair of toilets.
Hon Mulikat Akande-Adeola is representing Ogbomosho North/ South/Orire constituency in the Federal House of Representatives. An astute lawyer by training, Hon, Mulikat has been representing her constituency since the 6th assembly 2007-2011 and as a result of her exceptional performance ,service to her people, responsibility for the masses and needy, passion for education and dedication she was re-elected into the 7th assembly and elected The Majority Leader House of Representatives.
Hon, Mulikat has lived a major part of her life in Kaduna where she attended st.annes primary school and was at Queen Amina College where she graduated from in 1976, from where she proceeded to College of Arts and science Zaria and later Ahmadu Bello University Zaria where she graduated with a bachelor of Law in 1982. She was at Law School Lagos where she was called to the Bar in 1983 and proceeded to University of Lagos 1984-1985 where she bagged her Masters in Law.
A consummate lawyer and dynamic leader, Hon Mulikats’ intimidating track record as a member of the parliament has raised the stake for women in the political arena. Her passion for Education which is witnessed through her Give Back effort in QAC has also empowered many in her community with scholarships and employment.
However after series of meetings with the management of the school and understanding that other funds had been earmarked for toilets improvement and infact work had even started and based on a clause of the GBP which indicates that;
“The donor is free to choose any area he/she wants the donation to be used for but GCC also offers advice based on the actual needs of individual schools”, we advised her on the need to improve facilities of the dining hall which she agreed.
The funds were therefore used to renovate the dining hall and equip it with furniture..
JUSTIFICATION AND PURPOSE OF WORK
Prior to GCC intervention, any visitor to Queen Amina especially during lunch, dinner or breakfast period, will have witnessed the dehumanizing way girls are made to line up or squat for food for hours and eat under un-conducive and unhygienic atmosphere on the floor, under trees, in classes, behind buildings etc. In all seasons and Under all conditions, either the dusty and hazy harmatan with winds, which could carry bacteria and all forms of infectious particles or under the glaring sun, the girls endure this untold hardship three times daily in order to have their meals and this is very improper. That was why GCC together with the school authorities agreed that the renovation of the dining hall and chairs was something of great importance that needed urgent attention.
After going through the old metals that were used to construct the former tables and chairs, most of which had become rusted and scrapped, we then called different carpenters and welders who did their assessment and gave us quotations, from which we selected the least to work with.