Impact Report: 2nd Term (January – April 2025)

Equity is so much more than a word — it is what drives us. At TOKAN Foundation, we believe that access to quality education is a basic human right, and no child should be denied because of their socio-economic status, disability, gender, health status, religious beliefs, or any other factor.

Equity demands that children also receive the essential items they need for a wholesome educational experience: shoes, school bags, uniforms, supplies, textbooks, lunch stipends, after-school lessons, payments for national exams, and, where necessary, medical and legal support to ensure that they can gain meaningfully from their education.

For the 2nd Term, we continued our mission of providing meaningful support to our beneficiaries. Donations received enabled us to provide ₦4,609,700 (Four Million, Six Hundred and Nine Thousand, Seven Hundred Naira) in educational scholarships, social, medical, and legal support to beneficiaries as follows:

We paid tuition scholarships and PTA fees for 16 students, purchased textbooks for 39 students, daily lunch stipends for 15 students, school bags, shoes, and other supplies for 96 students, national exams preparatory lessons for 3 students, after school lessons for 8 students, medical support through Drug Aid Africa for 30+ children, legal support through CRJJC for  6 children, and payment of monthly salaries for secondary school class teachers at the Special Correctional Center for Girls in Idi-Araba (SCCG).

It’s been a busy term! To help us do even more work to support marginalized children, click the button below, make a bank transfer to account No. 1015972986 (Zenith Bank Plc) or https://paystack.com/pay/tokanfoundation.

Educational, Social and Legal Support 

Students in five centers–Children’s Correctional Center for Girls in Idi-Araba (CCCG), Special Correctional Center for Girls in Idi-Araba (SCCG), Children’s Correctional Center for Junior Boys in Yaba (CCJB), Children’s Correctional Center for Senior Boys in Isheri (CCSB), and Special Correctional Center for Boys in Ikeja (SCCB)–received school supplies at the beginning of the term. Students in CCCG, CCJB, and CCSB also received educational scholarships, stipends, and social support through bi-weekly visits. We provided pro bono legal services to 6 children in SCCG and SCCB through the Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (CRJJC). During this period, we secured the release of two boys while four other cases are ongoing. We also continued the Special Approved School for secondary school students in SCCG, paying salaries for teachers who taught various subjects.

CRJJC: Know Your Rights Initiative

On Saturday, 18 January 2025, CRJJC partnered with Drug Aid Africa to host its Know Your Rights Initiative for the girls and residents of the Mosafejo community of Oworonshoki, Lagos.

The Initiative educated participants on Child Rights, Child Justice Administration, and recognising and leveraging these rights. A core goal was empowering children to advocate for themselves and their peers against rights violations and to seek legal support when necessary.

The event included interactive discussions on child rights and laws, as well as giveaways, icebreakers, and other fun activities that enabled the children to be creative, but most importantly, have fun.

Drug Aid Africa also provided sanitary pads to the women and girls, accompanied by an educational session on proper use and menstrual hygiene. We couldn’t have pulled this off without Drug Aid Africa and our awesome team of CRJJC lawyers and volunteers, including Tope Tokan-Lawal, Akorede Adelupe, Lolade Ayeni, Oyeyosola Diya, Raphael Irenen, Niyi Olawale, Sharon Ogunjiofor, and Olanrewaju Ali.

Partnership: Donation of Medicines and Supplies

In March, we partnered with our friends over at Drug Aid Africa to donate essential drugs and medical supplies to CCJB, including painkillers, dewormers, antimalarials, and antibiotics. This is part of our continuing collaboration with Drug Aid, with follow-up donations to be made throughout the year.

Fundraiser: 3rd Term (April – July 2025)

Your donations helped us achieve so much. Thanks to you, we touched more lives in the 2nd Term compared to previous terms.

The 3rd Term will commence on Monday, 28 April 2025, and 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 every child has a future filled with boundless opportunities and growth. You can support our activities with donations to the foundation’s Account No. 1015972986 (Zenith Bank Plc), by clicking the donate button, or copying and pasting this link in your browser: https://paystack.com/pay/tokanfoundation. We also welcome partnerships from individuals, businesses, organisations, and the government.

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, CRJJC, or to discuss ways you can support our work, please reach out to us at hello@tokanfoundation.com or on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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At TOKAN Foundation and the Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (CRJJC, we see firsthand the power of a mother’s love—the unwavering dedication to nurturing, protecting, and empowering children. From biological mothers to caregivers, foster mothers, social workers, and community champions, every act of love and support shapes a brighter future for our children.

To all the incredible mothers raising the next generation with love and resilience—we honour you!

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The boys had spent their 2024 long vacation learning skills from a neighbourhood artisan. During this time, the artisan occasionally instructed them to collect and deliver metal parts to buyers. Unknown to the children, some of these items were stolen. As a result, they were arrested in July 2024. CRJJC was immediately contacted to represent them in court.

CRJJC stepped in to represent them, securing their bail so they could remain with their families throughout the proceedings. Our legal team tirelessly argued that the children had merely followed an adult’s instructions and should not be scapegoated while the actual perpetrator remained unprosecuted.

After seven months of advocacy, the complainant finally agreed to drop the charges in 17 February 2025, following a ₦200,000 settlement facilitated by a generous donor. It was also agreed that the adult responsible would face prosecution.

The case against the two children was therefore successfully dismissed on 17 February 2025. Another victory for justice-involved children.

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This IWD 2025, let’s go beyond celebration—let’s ACT for the next generation. Change won’t wait, and neither should we. Together, we can make a difference.

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From the Courtrooms: An Unfair Allegation and a Happy Resolution

In January, CRJJC volunteer lawyers represented five children in court for various offences.

Two of the children had spent their 2024 long vacation learning skills from a neighbourhood artisan. During this time, the artisan occasionally instructed them to collect and deliver metal parts to buyers. Unknown to the children, some of these items were stolen. As a result, they were arrested and placed at the Special Correctional Centre for Boys in Oregun. CRJJC was contacted in July 2024 to represent them in court.

Upon taking up their case, we secured their release on bail and ensured they remained with their families throughout the proceedings. Despite our efforts to reach an out-of-court settlement, the complainant was initially unwilling to settle. In court, our legal team argued that the children had acted under the instruction of an adult and our legal team highlighted the unfairness of scapegoating two innocent children while the complainant and prosecution neglected to prosecute the adult who had given them stolen items.

On 17 February 2025, after eight months of dedicated legal representation, the complainant eventually agreed to drop the charges after a generous donor facilitated a ₦200,000 payment to the complainant. It was also agreed that the prosecution would present the adult involved in court.

The case against the two children was therefore successfully struck out.

To the Classrooms: Educational Support

In January 2025, our student beneficiaries returned to school for the 2^nd Term of the 2024/2025 Academic Year. As part of our back-to-school drive, we purchased and delivered school bags, school shoes and sandals, stationary, and other supplies to students in Children’s Centers across Lagos.

Payment of academic tuition for all students are ongoing, and we appreciate your continued support in ensuring that no child is left behind.

To the Communities: Know Your Rights Initiative 

On Saturday, 18 January 2025, CRJJC hosted its Know Your Rights Initiative at the Mosafejo community of Oworonshoki, Lagos in partnership with Drug Aid Africa.

The Initiative educated participants on Child Rights, Child Justice Administration, and what these rights mean to them. A core goal was empowering children to advocate for themselves and their peers against rights violations. The event also increased awareness of CRJJC’s mission and services, encouraging children to seek legal support when necessary.

The event included interactive discussions and giveaways, fun icebreakers, and game sessions such as the “Be My Lawyer” game – an interactive activity where the audience is provided with a set of facts and invited to provide their analysis based on their newly gained knowledge of Child Rights and Child Justice Administration – and “Picasso Me” – where each child was asked to draw an item and the best drawings received prizes. These games fostered learning through creative and engaging formats and also ensured that children had access to play and recreation.

Drug Aid Africa also provided sanitary pads to the women and girls, accompanied by an educational session on proper use and menstrual hygiene.

This impactful event was a success thanks to Drug Aid Africa representatives and the efforts of a dedicated team of CRJJC lawyers and volunteers, including Tope Tokan-Lawal, Akorede Adelupe, Lolade Ayeni, Oyeyosola Diya, Raphael Irenen, Niyi Olawale, Sharon Ogunjiofor, and Olanrewaju Ali.

Support Our Mission

The Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (“CRJJC”) is the legal aid arm of TOKAN Foundation for Children and Young People. We provide legal support to children and juveniles in Nigeria, many of whom would otherwise be unrepresented.

Since 2018, we have ensured that hundreds of marginalised children have access to quality education by providing 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 (@CR_JJC).

But the milestone we’re proudest of is the establishment of the Special Approved School in January 2023 for secondary school-aged girls within the Special Correctional Center for Girls (SCCG) in Idi-Araba, Lagos. This means that girls in the custody of the justice system can receive quality education from our team of qualified tutors/teachers, because we believe children should have access to education, regardless of their custody status.

For legal assistance, contact us at crjjc@tokanfoundation.com or on social media: Twitter/IG/FB: @cr_jjc and LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/crjjc

Fundraiser

Help us continue our crucial work in ensuring no child is left behind by donating to TOKAN Foundation and CRJJC via:

TOKAN Foundation

Account No. 1015972986 

Zenith Bank Plc

or via https://paystack.com/pay/tokanfoundation

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1^st Term (September – December 2024) Report

With your help, in the 1^st Term of the 2024/2025 Academic Year, we provided educational, social, medical, and legal support through the Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Centre (“CRJJC”). We also  partnered with We Run the World Girls (WRTWG) for Painting Smiles 2.0; celebrated CRJJC’s 2^nd Anniversary which also hosted phase II of its Know Your Rights Initiative for over 200 children in three correctional centres across Lagos.

At TOKAN Foundation, we believe that access to quality education is a basic human right, and no child should be so denied because of their or their parent’s socio-economic status, disability, gender, amongst other factors. Further, education can only be impactful when a child is fully supported in all the ways that they need. Since 2018, we have ensured that hundreds of marginalised children have access to quality education by providing tuition scholarships, daily lunch stipends, school supplies, after-school and national examination preparatory lessons, social support, and legal representation in court through our Child Rights and Juvenile Justice Center (@CR_JJC). We also established the Special Approved School in January 2023 for secondary school-aged girls within the Special Correctional Center for Girls (SCCG) in Idi-Araba, Lagos.

To continue our important work to fullfil our goal of  providing children everywhere with access to quality education and welfare, we provided the following support valued at ₦5,762,200 (Five Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand, Two Hundred Naira):

• Tuition scholarships and Textbooks – 43 children
• Daily lunch stipends – 43 children
• School bags, shoes, and other supplies – 102 children
• Monthly Salaries for Secondary School Class Teachers – 4 teachers at Special Correctional Center for Girls (SCCG)
• Legal support – 6 children

We also ran and sponsored other activities for hundreds of children across Lagos:

• Painting Smiles 2.0 collaboration with We Run the World Girls foundation in December 2024 to provide catering and baking training to 50 girls
• Donation of Signposts/banners to the Children’s Correctional Center for Girls, Idi-Araba (CCCG)
• Skills Acquisitions trainings for Children’s Correctional Center for Girls, Idi-Araba
• Payments for school end-of-year parties, because every child has a right to play!

Social and Other Support:

We continued our regular social visits to all the Children’s Correctional Center across Lagos. We also purchased phones for our first University beneficiaries who recently graduated Secondary School. This support is part of our mission to adequately empower our beneficiaries to become self-sufficient and positively-impacting members of their communities.

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

Court Representation

Between September and December, CRJJC’s network of volunteer lawyers represented 6 children in a total of 14 court appearances for various offences, expending dozens of pro bono hours on behalf of our clients. 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 November 2024, CRJJC hosted Phase II of the Know Your Rights Initiative across three correctional centres for children in Lagos. The first event was held on 16 November 2024 at the Special Correctional Centre for Junior Boys, Oregun (“SCCB”); a combined event was held on 23 November 2024 for the Special Correctional Centre for Girls, Idi Araba (“SCCG”) and Children’s Correctional Centre for Girls, Idi Araba (“CCCG”). The events were coordinated by a volunteer team of experienced lawyers, law students, and other volunteers. The lawyer-speakers explained Child Rights and Child Justice Administration laws to keep them informed and protected as they continue to pass through the Nigerian justice system.

Back to School – 2^nd Term

 School Supplies for School Children

The 2nd Term of the 2024/2025 Academic Year commenced on 6 January 2025 for millions of students across Nigeria. It was no different for the children we support. Within the first 2 weeks, TOKAN Foundation purchased and delivered school bags, school shoes and sandals, stationary, and other supplies to students in four Children’s Centers across Lagos. Supplies were made based on specific requests from the children and their guardians, who have a greater understanding of their needs.

Tuition Scholarships and Fundraiser for 2^nd Term

The new term has commenced and so has payment for school fees for our beneficiaries. This is where you, our loyal donor, come in. We were able to do so much with your help last year. We would like to help even more children until our goal of ensuring every child has access to education, regardless of their socio-economic status, is realised.

As always we appreciate your support via donations to the TOKAN Foundation’s Zenith Bank Account No. 1015972986. If you prefer to pay online, you can donate through https://paystack.com/pay/tokanfoundation. We also welcome partnerships and collaborations from individuals, businesses, religious organisations, and the government. Anyone who shares our dream of educating young minds is welcome.

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 ways you can support our work, please reach out to us at hello@tokanfoundation.com or on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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

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Thank you for being part of our journey to create a brighter future for every child. Here’s wishing you a year filled with joy, peace, and new opportunities to make a difference!

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Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas. Thank you for being part of our journey to protect and empower children everywhere!

#TOKANFoundation #CRJJC #ChildrenofNigeria #Christmas #2024 #children #child #rights #Nigeria

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