Tosin Ibrahim is the founder of Re Gen Development Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on regenerating communities, people, and systems.
In this interview with Lukmon Akintola, she speaks on the mission and vision of the foundation, and working with Eagle Wings Nursery and Primary School, Araromi, Ilaje, Bariga, Lagos State.
Eagle Wings Nursery and Primary School is an ongoing concern, from the last time you were here till date, what have you been up to?
I know that in December 2022, we had a Christmas party in this same place and at that time, we were very worried about the structure of the school. It was in a very dangerous situation and since then, Hands at Work, the Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) that founded this school has renovated the school and it is now safe.
A cross-section of representatives of Re Gen Development Foundation and students of Eagle Wings School, Araromi, Ilaje, Bariga, Lagos.
Your foundation is Re Gen Development Foundation, tell us about your contributions to the school
Re Gen Development Foundation has been supporting the school in several ways. After it was renovated, we supported them by getting chairs and tables for the children. We are very happy that they are here today, the structure is no longer hazardous for the children, there is cross ventilation, the classes have been demarcated, the children are very happy, and we are celebrating Valentine’s Day with them with so much love.
Tosin Ibrahim flanked by representatives of Re Gen Development Foundation
How do you sustain their attendance because most of them don’t want to come to school?
That is where the Hands at Work team and the teachers come in. So, they go around, they still go into the communities to bring children into school and there has been progress even since last year. Some of the children from primary school have now gotten scholarships to go to secondary school, so it’s a really good job that Hands at Work is doing because they keep going to the communities to help them.
What is Re Gen Development Foundation all about?
We are a not-for-profit organization that supports three main areas as it pertains to children. We are focused on children’s mental health, we also support their education and personal development. We want to make sure that we support children especially those that are less privileged to be able to have an education. We know that even if we say education is important, the condition in their community is also important, and their families too. So we pay a lot of attention to the mental health of the children, creating happiness, making sure that they feel loved and that they continue to advance in their careers. We have an initiative called ‘Adopt A School Initiative’ and it is under that umbrella that we have adopted Eagle Wings Nursery and Primary School. We also have an initiative called ‘Awakening The Next Generation’ which is a club for children to help them in their personal growth, spiritual development, and mental health as well.
There is no doubt that you have done a lot here, do you intend to keep doing this work alone or is there room for partnership?
We are here today to show the world what can happen when people come together to support the less privileged, and especially this sort of community. We want people to come and help Hands at Work, and the teachers in this community. We are currently in Ilaje community Bariga and the school still needs help. We are appealing to both the state government and corporate organisations to assist us with solar power lights because there is presently no electricity in the school, we also need to floor the compound because there is gravel on the floor and it is dangerous because sometimes, the children trip. We also want to do the fence because currently there is no fence and this environment is a very volatile area, there are thugs in the area who come into the school to come and steal. We need security, we need to fix the fence and we also need to fix the bathroom for the children so that it can be more conducive. We need organisations and individuals to help us. Please support Hands at Work and Re Gen Development Foundation in helping Eagle Wings Nursery and Primary School.
What is the end mission for Ren Gen and Eagle Wings School?
Honestly, what we want to do is to bridge the gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged children. The dream is to see a Bariga community where the children here are exposed as those in other parts of Lagos and other parts of Nigeria. We want to make sure that these children are exposed and that they see beyond this community. We don’t want them to be limited by their environment, there is so much more that they can see. So, we want to expose them to some of these things. Last year, we took them to an art gallery so that they could build their creativity, that is what we are looking at. Opportunities where the children in the community can be exposed and they can start to dream big because sometimes when you speak to them, they don’t see themselves becoming more than tailors and artists. So, that is the dream, a dream whereby you talk to a child from Eagle Wings and you talk to a child from a private school in Lagos and you can see that they are dreaming well. That is the vision that we see for the children here.
Earlier you said that some of the children here have gained admission to secondary schools, would you compare what is churned out here to the products of an average primary school?
To be honest, in this place, we have a lot of people with talent, the children here are so talented even if they don’t have the same opportunities. But you know, life always makes up for areas where you have limitations. So, what has happened in this community is that even if they don’t have the same opportunities as others in more established schools, they are very talented. They are very intelligent people who can still pass their Common Entrance exam and go on to other places.
What are the challenges that you are facing with the children?
The challenge is in the area of exposure, do they want to go to secondary school from here? We hear that some of them leave here and are hawking fish, we don’t want to see that, and so we still have a lot of work to do in enlightening them so that they too would want to go further in their education.
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