By Ebele Orakpo

In further demonstration of its commitment and mission to help develop the North-East communities through literacy, the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, Adamawa State, started a literacy scheme called the Feed and Read (F&R) Program for girls; a program meant for disadvantaged young girls in the Yola-Jimeta community.

F&R recently received a boost from Vicki Marsha Uniforms, a US-based school uniforms company. In a statement made available to Vanguard, AUN took delivery of the school uniforms worth $48,000 in wholesale value.

The uniforms which include new high-quality trousers, short pants, skirts, sweaters, shirts and dresses, were freighted free of charge by FedEx International Couriers. FedEx’s in-kind donation is valued at $11,000.

“We appreciate being included in this incredible effort to help fellow humans and to make our world a better place for those so in need,” said Mrs. Diane Cologne, wife of Tim, co-owner of the California-based clothier. The uniforms will be available for use in other AUN programs.

While thanking the donors, AUN’s President Margee Ensign said: “This generous gift from the other side of the world will make such a huge difference to the children we are seeking to educate here in Nigeria. All of us, and particularly the girls and their families, are enormously grateful to the Colognes.”

The program, launched on February 11 with a financial donation by the Irish Government, targets at-risk, out-of-school girls and orphans between 6 and 17 years. Some of the beneficiaries were orphaned by the Boko Haram insurgency. It kicked off with 70 girls but the number has doubled.

Coordinator of F&R and Executive Director of AUN Schools, Mrs. Nkem Uzowulu, reported that the number increases daily as parents are encouraged by their children’s improved performance and tell their neighbors about it.

F&R program provides  basic literacy  and  numeracy skills  to  the  girls,  with  a  feeding component  that  provides one meal  per day  cooked  by  local  vendors. Besides education, the program is a source of livelihood for community women serving as volunteers or facilitators in the program, as well as food vendors.

Dr. Ensign stressed the need for Nigeria to educate girls, noting that when girls are educated, everything in the country changes, from infant mortality to decline in infectious diseases and family size.

AUN also has a literacy program that targets Almajiri boys. Both programs follow the same fundamental pedagogy and include a free meal for participants. The new uniforms are also available for the boys.