Thank you for standing with us, carrying our mantle from month to month, and helping us meet our goals. Your generosity, commitment, and shared vision have empowered us to support hundreds of children in need, secure justice for the vulnerable, and create brighter futures together.

Together, we have achieved so much this year, and it’s all thanks to your unwavering support. As we look ahead, we are inspired by the collective impact we can continue to make. For our new supporters, you can read about our activities in 2024 and previous years at https://tokanfoundation.com/blog/ and on social media. Thank you for being an essential part of this journey with us.

The journey ahead is filled with possibilities, and with your continued support, we will keep making a lasting difference in the lives of children who need it the most. You can support our activities with donations to the foundation’s Zenith Bank Account No. 1015972986 or paystack. We also welcome partnerships from individuals, businesses, religious organisations, and the government.

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For many girls in Nigeria and around the world, their dreams of a bright future are too often overshadowed by challenges such as limited access to education, violence, child marriage, and unequal opportunities. These barriers prevent girls from fully realizing their vision for themselves and their communities.

At TOKAN Foundation, we recognize that investing in girls’ education, rights, and well-being today will unlock a brighter, more equitable tomorrow. Girls are not merely beneficiaries of change; they are its catalysts. That’s why we continue to prioritize programs that empower girls to take ownership of their futures. Through financial, educational, and social wellness support to vulnerable children and young people across Nigeria, and legal aid provided by CRJJC, we are committed to making girls’ visions for the future a reality.

A Call for Collective Action

As we celebrate the strength and vision of girls, we call on governments, organisations, communities, and individuals to join us in removing the barriers that stand in their way. Let’s work together to create environments where girls’ voices are amplified, their rights are protected, and their visions for the future are realized.

Let’s commit to empowering every girl to dream big and achieve even more.

***

You can support TOKAN Foundation and CRJJC with donations to the foundation’s bank account No. 1015972986 (Zenith Bank Plc) or via Paystack. We also welcome partnerships from individuals, businesses, religious organizations, and the government.

For more information about TOKAN Foundation, CRJJC, or to discuss ways you can support our work, please reach out to us at hello@tokanfoundation.com, and engage with us on social media.

The post International Day of the Girl Child 2024: Girls’ Vision for the Future appeared first on TOKAN Foundation.

Today, we celebrate your dedication and recognize the profound difference you make in every student’s life. May you continue to be a guiding light and a source of inspiration.

Happy Teachers’ Day!

#TOKANFoundation #charity #Nigeria #education #scholarship #equity #donations #NGO #nonprofit #students

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In ensuring that our beneficiaries continue to have access to quality education and welfare, we provided the following support valued at ₦2,950,454 (Two Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty-Four Naira) in the 3rd Term and Long Vacation of the 2023/2024 Academic Year:

• Tuition scholarships and Textbooks – 8 students

• Daily lunch stipends – 26 students

• School bags, shoes, and other supplies – 40 students

• School lessons – 5 students

• Graduation fees and school party clothes – 16 students

• UTME fees – 2 students

• Medical support – 3 students

• Secondary school class teachers – Monthly Salary, teachers at SCC Girls and SCC Boys

• Legal support – 9 child offenders

Other activities:

• Donation of essential drugs and supplies to the Special Correctional Centre for Girls, Idi Araba (“SCCG”), and the Correctional Centre for Girls, Idi Araba (“CCG”) in partnership with Drug Aid Africa.

• Donation of TV to Correctional Center for Junior Boys in Birrel, Yaba (“CCJB”).

• Purchase of CRJJC t-shirts and roll up banners for the Know Your Rights Initiative.

• Celebration of graduates at the Correctional Center for Junior Boys in Birrel, Yaba (“CCJB”), and the Correctional Center for Senior Boys in Isheri (“CCSB”).

• Purchase of anniversary t-shirts for 6th Anniversary benefit sale.

Social and Other Support:

We continued our weekly social visits to both CCJB and CCSB. In addition, we purchased a smart television for CCJB with the support of an anonymous donor. For the older boys in CCSB, we worked with the center to ensure that the older children obtained NIN, BVN, and bank accounts. We also secured phones for 4 boys who recently turned eighteen. These phones were donated by our sponsors and is part of our mission to adequately empower our beneficiaries to become self-sufficient and positively-impacting members of their communities. We have also committed to support the older girls at CCG with similar provisions.

6th Anniversary Celebrations and Benefit Sale

To celebrate our 6th Anniversary on 14 June, we commissioned two paintings by Victoria Oniosun, titled Mother, Provider (2024) and Graduation (2024). Proceeds from this auction will go directly into our work, funding the welfare of more children in Nigeria. The auction is managed by June Creative Art Advisory(JCAA). To place a bid, kindly contact Seun Alli at +2348179830800, hq@jcaalagos.com, or jcaalagos@gmail.com.

Our commemorative t-shirts of “Mother, Provider” (2024) and “Graduation” (2024) are also available for sale at ₦20,000 each.

Legal Support through the Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (“CRJJC”)

Court Representation

Between April and August, CRJJC’s volunteer lawyers represented 9 children in Court for various offences and secured the release of 2 children (a boy and a girl). We also secured bail for 2 other children ensuring that they returned to their families and were able to resume their education during the trial. In this period, our volunteer lawyers appeared in court 19 times, expending dozens of pro bono hours on behalf of our clients whose parents only have to pay for filing fees. Filing and other court fees are paid for by TOKAN Foundation for children whose parents are unable to afford same.

Know Your Rights Initiative 

In June and July 2024, CRJJC hosted the Know Your Rights Initiative across five correctional centres for children in Lagos. The first event was held on 15 June 2024 at the Special Correctional Centre for Junior Boys, Oregun (“SCCB”); a combined event was held on 22 June 2024 for the Special Correctional Centre for Girls, Idi Araba (“SCCG”) and Correctional Centre for Girls, Idi Araba (“CCG”); another combined event was held on 13 July 2024 for CCJB and CCSB. The events were coordinated by a team of experienced lawyers, law students, and other volunteers. The lawyer-speakers discussed Child Rights (under the Nigerian Constitution and laws) and Child Justice Administration.

Tope Tokan-Lawal receives the Distinguished Merit Award

Our founder and Chair was, on Tuesday, 30 July 2024, presented with the Distinguished Merit Award by the National Association of Northern Nigerian Students (“NANNS”) for her work at TOKAN Foundation. She was inducted to the NANNS 2024 Hall of Fame as an Icon of Hope in recognition of my immense contribution towards national development, educational upliftment, youth engagement, and relentless service to humanity.

Donation of Essential Drugs and Medical Supplies with Drug Aid Africa

On Saturday, 17 August 2024, we again joined Drug Aid Africa to donate essential drugs and medical supplies, including items like paracetamol, dewormers, antimalarials, antibiotics, and sanitary pads to Special Correctional Centre for Girls, Idi Araba (“SCCG”) and Correctional Centre for Girls, Idi Araba (“CCG”). This is the second round of donations made in partnership with Drug Aid Africa, the first of which was done in March 2024.

Fundraiser: 2024/2025 Academic Year

For the 2024/2025 Academic Year, we hope to continue our impact and ensure that our beneficiaries can thrive in and out of school. Your donations remain crucial to our work, and we hope you will continue to work with us to bridge the gap and ensure that every child and young person has a future filled with opportunities and growth.

You can support our activities with donations to the foundation’s Account No. 1015972986 (Zenith Bank Plc) or https://paystack.com/pay/tokanfoundation. We also welcome partnerships from individuals, businesses, religious organisations, and the government.

About Us

TOKAN Foundation for Children and Young People is a registered charity dedicated to providing financial, educational, and social wellness support to vulnerable children and young people across Nigeria, and legal support through the Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (“CRJJC”). We believe that every child and young person deserves a future filled with opportunities and growth. Through our various programs, we strive to one day create a world where no child or young person is denied a future of possibilities.

For more information about TOKAN Foundation or to discuss other ways you can support our work, please reach out to us at hello@tokanfoundation.com, and engage with us on social media.

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We are happy with this recognition and celebrate with her and our team at TOKAN Foundation, as well as our donors, volunteers, supporters, well wishers and partners. This award celebrates us all!

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Promoting Healthy Development

We recognize the importance of play in children’s healthy development. That’s why we organize group activities and excursions that benefit their growth and well-being, ensuring that every child has the chance to thrive.

Advocacy and Juvenile Justice

Child rights advocacy and juvenile justice remains a critical, yet often overlooked, issue in Nigeria. As a result, many children fall through the cracks, with hundreds stuck in correctional institutions without legal representation. In November 2022, TOKAN Foundation launched the Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Centre (CRJJC). Since then, we have secured the release of six children from various reform centers across Nigeria, and more children are now receiving legal representation from our Foundation.

Heartfelt Gratitude

Our achievements would not be possible without the support of YOU, our dedicated supporters. Your belief in our mission—that  no child or young person should be denied a future of possibilities—fuels our efforts. Your ongoing support and donations make this challenging work easier and more impactful.

We also extend our gratitude to our trustees, executives, volunteers, donors, and partners. Special thanks go to caregivers, social workers, teachers, proprietors, magistrates, and judges for their tireless commitment to prioritizing children’s welfare.

6th Anniversary Special Benefit Sale

To celebrate our 6th Anniversary, we commissioned two paintings by Victoria Oniosun, titled Mother, Provider (2024) and Graduation (2024). Proceeds from this auction will go directly into our work, funding the welfare of more children in Nigeria. The auction is managed by June Creative Art Advisory (JCAA), and proceeds will support the Foundation’s mission and various outreaches slated for the year. To place a bid, kindly contact Seun Alli at +2348179830800, hq@jcaalagos.com, or jcaalagos@gmail.com.

Can’t bid? No problem!

You can also buy our commemorative t-shirts of “Mother, Provider” (2024) and “Graduation” (2024) for  ₦20,000. Place an order by sending an email to hello@tokanfoundation.com or tokanfoundation@gmail.com.

Support Our Mission

TOKAN Foundation for Children and Young People is a registered charity dedicated to providing financial, educational, and social wellness support to vulnerable children and young people across Nigeria, and legal support through the Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (CRJJC). Through our various programs, we strive to one day create a world where no child or young person is denied a future of possibilities.

How You Can Help

Donations remain crucial to our work and you can support our activities with donations to the foundation’s bank account No. 1015972986 (Zenith Bank Plc) or https://paystack.com/pay/tokanfoundation (for Nigerian and International donations).

The post Celebrating Six Years of Impact appeared first on TOKAN Foundation.

In this vein, we provided the following support valued at over ₦3,045,110 (Three Million, Forty-Five Thousand, One Hundred and Ten Naira) in the 2nd Term of the 2023/2024 Academic Year:

• Tuition scholarships, PTA, and Textbooks – 18 students
• Daily lunch stipends – 24 students
• School bags, shoes, and other supplies – 54 students
• JSS3 Junior WAEC preparatory lessons – 2 students
• Medical support (by Drug Aid Africa, DOOA) – 100+ children
• Legal support (CRJJC) – 6 children
• Secondary school class teachers – Monthly Salary, teachers at SCC Girls and SCC Boys

During the 2nd Term, TOKAN Foundation maintained its close relationship with four Correctional Centers for children in Lagos, i.e., Special Correctional Center for Girls, Idi Araba (SCC Girls), the Special Correctional Center for Boys, Oregun (SCC Boys), Birrel Center, and Isheri Center. Students in Birrel and Isheri Centers received educational scholarships, supplies, stipends, and social support (weekly visits). We provided pro bono legal services to 6 children in SCC Girls and SCC Boys through the Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (CRJJC). During this period, we secured the release of one girl and the 5 other cases are ongoing. We also continued the secondary school facility in both centers and paid salaries for 7 teachers who taught a range of subjects including Mathematics, English, Literature, Economics, Government, and Business Studies.

On 8 March, we partnered with Offeriing to donate hair and beauty supplies to SCC Girls for International Women’s Day. On the 9th and 23rd of March 2024, we also partnered with Drug Aid Africa to donate essential drugs and medical supplies to the four Correctional Centers. The donation of essential drugs and medical supplies included items like paracetamol, dewormers, antimalarials, antibiotics, mosquito nets, and sanitary pads. Intended as a continuing collaboration, follow-up donations will be made throughout the year. TOKAN Foundation also partnered with Dr Oluwaseun Ayotola of DOOA Health Services Limited to provide free medical consultancy services to the children at SCC Boys and Isheri Center.

Your donations steer the magnitude of our activities, and thanks to you, we escalated our impact in the 2nd Term by providing additional support compared to the previous term.

Fundraiser: 3rd Term (April – July 2024)

For the 3rd Term, which commenced on 22 April 2024, we hope to continue our impact and ensure that our beneficiaries can thrive in and out of school. Your donations remain crucial to our work, and we hope you will continue to work with us to bridge the gap and ensure that every child and young person has a future filled with opportunities and growth. You can support our activities with donations to the foundation’s Account No. 1015972986 (Zenith Bank Plc) or https://paystack.com/pay/tokanfoundation. We also welcome partnerships from individuals, businesses, religious organisations, and the government.

The post 2nd Term (January – April 2024) Impact Report appeared first on TOKAN Foundation.

TOKAN Foundation also partnered with Dr Oluwaseun Ayotola of DOOA Health Services Limited to provide free medical consultancy services to the children at the correctional centers in Birrel and Isheri. DOOA Health Services is a health care service provider dedicated to delivering prompt and effective health care to clients at home. At the centers, Dr. Ayotola reviewed and evaluated each child’s health status and formulated effective treatment plans. The prescribed medicines were then provided through the collaborative effort of TOKAN Foundation and Drug Aid Africa, thus further ensuring that the children have access to the necessary medications. Dr. Ayotola also engaged with the children on proper hygiene by educating them on the importance of maintaining good health practices. Additionally, he committed to providing monthly routine health checks and on-call services. This holistic approach to healthcare not only addresses the immediate medical needs of the children but also empowers them with knowledge and resources to take charge of their health in the long term.

The partnerships align closely with TOKAN Foundation’s commitment to providing medical and social wellness support to vulnerable children and young people. By collaborating with organizations like Drug Aid Africa and individuals like Dr. Ayotola, the foundation is able to fulfill its mission of empowering children to become self-sufficient and positively impacting members of their communities.

Through these partnerships, we are not only addressing the immediate medical needs of the children but also working towards their long-term well-being and development. By providing essential medical services, including consultancy, treatment, and follow-up care, we are ensuring that the children receive the support they need to thrive physically and emotionally. Furthermore, by focusing on empowerment, the foundation is helping to break the cycle of vulnerability and dependence, equipping the children with the tools and resources they need to build better futures for themselves. This approach reflects a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of health, education, and social support in enabling individuals to reach their full potential.

Overall, TOKAN Foundation’s commitment to partnerships and holistic support underscores our dedication to making a lasting and positive impact on the lives of vulnerable children and young people.

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Recently, I saw a post go as far as chastise the growing number of girl child foundations. So, I decided to speak about my 8 plus years of working with teenage boys in Lagos. I started out by helping a group of kids at an orphanage with their homework every Saturday. One day, in March 2018, I showed up and found out 3 boys had been taken to “prison.” Upon further investigation, I found out that they had been taken to the Special Correctional Center for Boys in Oregun for actions that could have been properly dealt with in the orphanage, but the principal seemed to be hell bent on sending every boy to the Center.

So, I followed these boys to the Center and this started my journey through the Correctional Centers across Lagos. I started spending each Sunday visiting them in Oregun until they were released to an “open” Center in Yaba. Since then, I have had to work with the officers at these centers (boys in Oregun, Yaba, and Isheri, and girls in Idi Araba) and provide support to dozens of teenage boys (and girls).

No doubt, these institutions are poorly funded and rely heavily on NGOs and individuals for support. TOKAN Foundation supports with school fees, supplies, and mentoring. For the girls in Idi Araba, we also pay senior secondary class teachers (Lagos only pays for primary teachers).

As such, in my experience, there are sooooo many ways to support the boy child and it not by complaining. First and foremost, they need “big brothers” to talk to. These boys are always going through something, and they call me regularly to talk. If you can, find a boy and commit to being his “big bro.” Check in on them, talk to them about anything, let them know they can call when they need to talk or when they have any issues. Other ways:

– Pay private school fees (many are enrolled in public schools),

– Buy supplies for school,

– Provide daily stipends for lunch/snacks,

– Donate clothing and shoes: these boys always need underwear, people donate clothes but forget these. Buy plenty briefs/boxers and share,

– Play sports with them,

– Play video games with them,

– Give your time,

– Teach them about what you do, they may be interested,

– Pay for a vocational training or commit to teaching them a vocational skill,

– Start a boy foundation dedicated to erasing ills that you faced as a boy,

– Leverage on connections to the government and push for better funding and amenities for these child institutions,

Whatever you do, be consistent!

If you have any other ideas, please share.

__________

These insights were first published by Tope on Twitter and LinkedIn in September 2023.

__________

TOKAN Foundation maintains a close relationship with Centers for children across Lagos which house children in conflict with the law and those in need of care, protection, and/or supervision. We provide tuition scholarships, daily lunch stipends, school supplies, after school and national exams preparatory lessons, social support, and legal representation in court through our Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (CRJJC). We also established the Special Approved School in January 2023 for secondary school aged girls within the Special Correctional Center for Girls in Idi Araba, Lagos.

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On the 27 January 2024, I was opportune to join her on her weekly visit to some of the centers for children she plays the role of a mother at. With no exaggeration believe me that I have never witnessed such level of humanity since my existence.

The first shock I had was how free and comfortable these kids were around her, which led me to asking and learning she has known some of them for over 8 years and has bonded with them so much. One of another shocking experience was seeing that the kids know the passwords to her devices, could explore the outside world through these devices with no fear of being questioned.

Throughout this period of knowing these kids, she has through the help of TOKAN Foundation given them access to good education, beautiful childhood to remember and many more amazing things. Beyond this, I learned that through the Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (CRJJC) any kid with court needs gets represented in court, at no charge. This, according to Tope, is to ensure that these children who have been disadvantaged receive opportunities to enable them grow into self-sufficient and positively-impacting members of their communities.

My curiosity led me into being inspired to be a better human, the life of Tope is more than inspiring to me. It is the paragon of love and humanity.

Thank you so much Tope for the opportunity.

__________

Levi Oluka, professionally known as Levithegrapher, is a Nigeria based travel documentary photographer. He explores photography as a medium of documenting the everyday lives and social issues of places he finds himself. His motto is DOCUMENTING TODAY FOR TOMORROW

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