AREAi empowers 400 girls with digital skills


The Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi) has empowered more than 400 girls to enhance their digital literacy skills through its Digital Skills Accelerator Programme.

The organisation’s Executive Director, Mr Gideon Olanrewaju, made this known at the unveiling of AREAi’s 2023 Annual Report, on Friday in Abuja.

The event is themed ‘Transforming Education for Lifelong Learning’.

Olanrewaju stated that more than 6,000 children benefited from AREAi’s foundational skills development programme across 13 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.

He highlighted the organisation’s efforts to transform education across Nigeria, contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four – Quality Education.

Olanrewaju said AREAi partnered with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and IDPs and other stakeholders to implement foundational learning in IDP camps.

He also said that the organisation focused on the impact of its FASTRACK programme, which reached more than 120 comm
unities nationwide.

Olanrewaju said, ‘Our 2023 report, ‘Transforming Education for Lifelong Learning’, reflects our mission to translate our actions into meaningful learning for all.

‘Strategic collaborations enabled us to support beneficiaries through community-based learning and innovative access to alternative education.’

He added that AREAi contributed significantly to bridging learning gaps, promoting digital inclusion, and providing work-readiness skills development opportunities for children and at-risk youth from low-income homes.

Ms Edidiong Simeon, Director of Programmes, AREAi, said the organisation leveraged collaboration with the government and partners to transform refugees’ literacy capacity.

‘A pilot programme delivered foundational and digital skills to 4,000 learners across eight IDP camps in Abuja and Nasarawa states.’

Ms Funmilola Bamidele, Senior Programme Manager, AREAi, said the FASTRACK programme, focusing on literacy and numeracy, reached over 25,000 beneficiaries, recording a 6
5 per cent improvement in literacy and numeracy among participants.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria