In 2005, Tolulope sangosanya started an after school
club for kids in a slum area built on trash in rural Lagos. This slum
was later named "DUSTBIN ESTATE" by the kids of the community; it is
located in the Ajegunle area in Lagos state. The idea to start the after
school club stemmed from a national fact in Nigeria; many children in
public primary and secondary schools can neither read nor write.
Everyone knows of the makoko slum but very little is known about the
DUSTBIN ESTATE slum where hundreds of thousands of children inhabitable
conditions and are susceptible to high Malaria and Diarrhea rates and
other health challenges. These challenges are direct implications of
health and welfare challenges; a problem which is a national issue in
Nigeria.
These problems are even more common in rural areas, particularly in the slum areas. The after-school club was meant to be about literacy improvement for poor children, however, other factors which affect literacy became apparent and as such shaped the framework of our programs and projects. Tolu, along with others began the difficult process to rebuild this slum with many of its projects and boast access to education for poor children of DUSTBIN ESTATE.
These process uncovered the challenges of lack of nutrition, health challenges, access to sanitation and clean water. We discovered that, in a majority of these cases, a child had contracted one of the many illnesses caused by lack of food, access to clean water and sanitation had a direct impact on school attendance. Through further research we have begun to understand that unsafe water effects more than just education. Health concerns place a disproportionate amount of pressure on a government whose resources are already limited when dealing with such problems. If development is about people, and it is, then Nigeria can no longer afford to overlook the welfare of our society's poorest and most vulnerable children, as it will have a huge impact on our future as a nation.
These problems are even more common in rural areas, particularly in the slum areas. The after-school club was meant to be about literacy improvement for poor children, however, other factors which affect literacy became apparent and as such shaped the framework of our programs and projects. Tolu, along with others began the difficult process to rebuild this slum with many of its projects and boast access to education for poor children of DUSTBIN ESTATE.
These process uncovered the challenges of lack of nutrition, health challenges, access to sanitation and clean water. We discovered that, in a majority of these cases, a child had contracted one of the many illnesses caused by lack of food, access to clean water and sanitation had a direct impact on school attendance. Through further research we have begun to understand that unsafe water effects more than just education. Health concerns place a disproportionate amount of pressure on a government whose resources are already limited when dealing with such problems. If development is about people, and it is, then Nigeria can no longer afford to overlook the welfare of our society's poorest and most vulnerable children, as it will have a huge impact on our future as a nation.

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