By Peter Oyedele, Abuja

ABUJA — The Browncon Foundation, a subsidiary of Browncon Group, has awarded scholarships to 100 children in Abuja under its Back2School initiative aimed at supporting vulnerable pupils and helping out-of-school children return to the classroom.

The beneficiaries were drawn from five schools and their surrounding communities: Junior Secondary School, Maitama; Junior Secondary School, Wuse Zone 2; Junior Secondary School, Jabi 2; Junior Secondary School, Kado Kuchi; and Junior Secondary School, Aleita.

The initiative is designed to ease the burden of education on families facing financial difficulties while providing children who are out of school with an opportunity to reconnect with formal education.

Speaking during an engagement with beneficiaries at Junior Secondary School, Jabi 2, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Browncon Foundation and Browncon Group, Dr Samuel Ndubuisi-Brown, said the programme was conceived to support families struggling with the cost of sending their children to school.

Ndubuisi-Brown said the beginning of a new academic session often placed significant financial demands on families, particularly those already facing economic challenges.

He said the foundation was committed to ensuring that children had the opportunity and support needed to pursue their education.

“Every child deserves the chance to look ahead and believe that their future can be different. Sometimes, that belief begins with something as simple as having what you need to go to school.

“For a child who is already in school, we want to help them stay on that path. For a child who is out of school, we want them to know that the door to education is still open,” he said.

The foundation’s founder described the beneficiaries as more than recipients of assistance, saying they represented “young lives, young dreams and futures that deserve to be given a chance.”

He added: “If our support can make that journey a little easier for even one child, then it is worth doing. We are supporting these children because we believe their future matters.”

The foundation said some of the beneficiaries were already enrolled in school but required assistance to begin the new academic session, while others were out of school and needed support to return to the classroom.

It said its decision to work with schools and communities in Abuja was aimed at taking the intervention closer to children and families who needed support.

The foundation added that the Back2School initiative formed part of its broader commitment to supporting young people and contributing to their educational development through practical interventions.

Reacting to the gesture, the Principal of Junior Secondary School, Jabi 2, Mrs Mary Akudegbe, said the intervention was timely, particularly as many families were struggling to keep their children in school.

Akudegbe said the school would ensure that the materials provided were properly utilised, adding that the gesture would help ease the financial burden on parents of the beneficiaries.

One of the parents, Mr Rollings Shawaina, commended the foundation for the initiative, describing it as a demonstration of genuine concern for vulnerable members of society.

“This is not something that anybody can just wake up and do. For taking this kind of initiative in order to make sure that the vulnerable in society are able to go to school, I want to really appreciate the organisation,” he said.

Shawaina noted that many wealthy individuals and organisations had the resources to support vulnerable children but had not taken similar steps.

He said the foundation was demonstrating concern for less-privileged children through the initiative and prayed for continued success for the organisation.

“They are doing it out of zeal and concern for the poor. I pray that the Almighty God replenishes the foundation,” he said.

The foundation said the 100 beneficiaries would either be able to continue their education with reduced financial pressure or use the intervention as an opportunity to reconnect with formal learning.

It added that it would continue to support initiatives aimed at providing children with the resources and opportunities needed to remain in school and pursue their aspirations.