Tayo Leslie Foundation’s Education Lifelines for Underprivileged Pupils Unveiled at Egbe

Tayo Leslie Foundation (TLF), a non-profit, nongovernmental, organisation at the weekend, offered educational lifelines to underprivileged primary school pupils in Egbe, Yagba West Local Council, Kogi State.

The pupils, numbering 10, are amongst the first phase of the education support programme that will see the Foundation assume the responsibility of the payment of school fees of the undeserved children from the cradle to tertiary institutions.

Upon the engagement of their parents who consented to the philantopic offers, the Foundation has paid the school fees of the 10 children for the third term of the 2023/2024 session.

Names, age, and sex of the beneficiaries are as follows:

1) Ezeanoche Angel/ Y /West/Class 1/5 years old/Female; (2)Sunday Timi/Y/West/Class 1/7 years/Male; (3)Fogbonjaiye Motunrayo/Y/west/Class 2/6 years/Female; (4)Ajayi Janet/Y/West/Class 3/7years/Female;(5)Omotayo Semilore/Y/West/Class 4/8 years/Male;(6)Idowu Aduragbemi/Y/West/Class 3/7 years/Female;(7)Ezeanoche Samuel/Y/West/Class 4/12 years/Male;(8)Sunday Iyanu/Y/West/Class 5 /13 years/Male;(9) Sunday Odunayo/Y/west/Class 5 /13 years/Female; (10)Ojo Destiny/Y/West/Class 5/13 years/Male.

Addressing the parents and beneficiary pupils in her residence in Egbe on Saturday, Ms Tayo Leslie, founder of TLF, said: “The foundation has been in existence for many years. We did our best during the Covid-19 pandemic and economic recession, we touched widows and local government workers by providing essential food supplies; we gave out cash, bags of rice and other essential commodities like groundnut oil and maggi, to ameliorate the effects of covid-19 and the economic recession. Our footprints are not only felt here in Egbe but in all of my footholds- across Okunland, Abuja where I reside, and abroad, including amongst white people in all the countries I travel to, I do this as the Lord directs me. But this time, God directed us to extend our support to the less privileged children of school age, especially primary school education. The inspiration came to me when I received a call from one of the parents that her children had been sent out of school due to her inability meet up with school fees up-to-date payment. I immediately got in touch with the school’s headmistress and appealed to her to bring the affected children back to their classes. That’s how the idea came to my mind. I asked the headmistress to identify other parents who might find themselves in similar situation. So, we decided to meet with the parents to seek their consent first. To the parents, I appreciate you all for your co-operation by giving us the go-ahead to take over the upbringing of your children from where you started from and I assure you that you will not regret you did. Our mission in TLF is to provide education access to underprivileged children; to protect the children from abuse, exploitation and neglect; to help feed hungry children and secure a better future for them. I assure you that among these 10 children, if well trained, we have future governors, senators, ministers and presidents; they are the future of tomorrow. I believe these are the plans God has for them and our mission is to see that God’s plans for them come to past in Jesus name”.

She added, “I am tot doing this to impress anyone or to display wealth, I am not doing this for any political interest; i am doing this because it is my calling and I derive my strength from God and God only. We have been doing this for years without giving it any publicity, if people outside are reading this in the media, it is because some people close to me felt that putting it out in the public will inspire other well placed citizens in the society to follow suit and start giving back to the society.

“This journey that has begun today is a journey I am embarking upon together with these children and their parents. I will train them exactly like the training I received from my own parents. At some stage in the future, I do not rule out the prospect of taking the kids on vacations, periodically. This will enable them gain more exposure, going futher in their studies”.

Headmistress of ECWA Primary School (1), Oke-Egbe, Mrs Comfort Olufunke Ajayi expressed gratitude to the founder of TLF for her uncommon gesture to pupils and parents. She narrated the story of how two kids had been driven out of her school for failure to pay school fees and few hours later, how she received a call from Ms Leslie who demanded that the kids be brought back to their classes, with a promise to offset their outstanding school fees. She said she had to drive to the homes of the two pupils to bring them back to the school. According to the headmistress, the founder did not stop at the two kids alone, but told her to compile the names of other kids in similar situation, for assistance.

She prayed for the Founder and the progress of the TLF while also thanking the parents for giving their consent, when she sought for it.

One after the other, the parents expressed their gratitude for the financial and moral contributions TLF has made in support of their wards’ education. One of the parents said: “Without your help my child may not have been able to complete her studies.Your generosity has been an inspiration. Thank you for your encouragement and financial support. God bless Tayo Leslie Foundation”.