Towards securing the future of Nigeria throughquality education and environmental sustainability

27th March 2019 – FlexiSAF Foundation and W.A.S.T.E AFRICA signed a broad agreement to simultaneously tackle the alarming rates of out of school children and the rising rates of plastic waste threatening the future of Nigeria and the world at large. This partnership is in line with sustainable development goals Sdg4, sdg13, sdg15 and sdg17; with the pledge to reach those targets ahead of 2030.

According to national geographic, 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic has become waste, polluting our habitat and our oceans. Of that, only nine percent has been recycled. The vast majority—79 percent—is accumulating in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter.

While according to UNESCO statistics, About 262 million children and youth are out of school worldwide, with Nigeria accounting for a whopping 10 million according to the Ministry of Education.

The BOTTLESFORBOOKS initiative seeks to provide a solution to both rising issues by converting recyclable waste into funds geared towards tuition, books, and uniforms for out of school children who do not have the resources to afford to school.

W.A.S.T.E AFRICA CEO Funto Boroffice stated that she was excited with the partnership “Our commitment to the environment was the catalyst that led to the launch of the BOTTLESFORBOOKS initiative. We recognize the need to partner with organizations that are dedicated to reducing the number of out of school children. It is my pleasure to partner with FlexiSAF Foundation and I believe it is a step in the right direction.” She also added that the goal of W.A.S.T.E Africa is to reach marginalized communities and ensuring waste clean-up while providing access to quality education for out of school children in those communities.

Ahmad Salihijo, Chair of FlexiSAF Foundation also expressed his commitment to the initiative during the MOU signing; “We have undertaken to curb the menace of out of school children in Nigeria, and have taken bold steps in achieving this goal. To buttress that, we are Partnering with W.A.S.T.E Africa on the BOTTLESFORBOOKS initiative to ensure that no child is left behind. We will provide W.A.S.T.E Africa with all necessary support in identifying out of school and tracking the educational progress of all children enrolled through this partnership.”

FlexiSAF Foundation and WASTE Africa are set to enroll 100 out of school children before the end of 2019. 

ABOUT FLEXISAF FOUNDATION

FlexiSAF foundation was launched in 2018 by FlexiSAF out of the innate passion to solve educational challenges in Nigeria. One of the most unfortunate challenges being the massive number of children and youth out of school without hope of ever getting empowered with a good education.

FlexiSAF foundation, therefore, is committed to reducing these numbers by identifying inquisitive out of schoolchildren and equipping them with quality education (including guidance and counseling).

ABOUT W.A.S.T.E AFRICA

Initiative for the Advancement of Waste Management in Africa (aka W.A.S.T.E Africa ), is a non-profit arm of Chanja Datti Ltd.  W.A.S.T.E Africa is contributing assiduously towards the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) specifically geared at tackling climate change, ending extreme poverty, promoting clean water and sanitation, responsible consumption & production and fighting inequality.