Vivien Anyaduba Agbakoba, Founder of Felicia's Fund
Felicia's Fund
By Rodney Wayne Branche Copa Style Magazine's Publisher/Editor-in-Chief |
All professional photographs in this article from the Fundraising Gala have been taken by Bernadette Dare of Dare Digital Photography |
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Copa: When did you establish Felicia's Fund?
Vivian: Felicia's Fund Inc. was incorporated in Nov 2018. The concept and the pre launch efforts started percolating when I started to seek the purpose of my life and the growing desire to give back and help the disadvantaged. The Foundation was named and launched in honor of my late mother Mrs Felicia Anyaduba , to continue her legacy as a powerful advocate of women's education and Health. Her passing and the need to uphold her esteemed legacy led me to the realization of my purpose in life. With my God given gift of design and sewing, I decided to use my platform as a success fashion designer to make an impact in the educational lives of girls around the world. Together with my siblings, we decided to establish Felicias Fund Foundation. |
Copa: Have you always wished to open a school and what was your encouragement?
Vivien: I have a great desire to open a fashion Academy to help young girls receive vocational education. But it is important for them to gain formal literacy and education that can help them develop any other skills or careers they choose to follow in life. The goal is to start from a young age, to support them in getting a primary and secondary education before they make their decisions about what career path to follow.
Ado girls Secondary school, Onitsha, Nigeria is our pilot beneficiary. Our accomplished projects here, will serve as a model for other schools and programs that we will reproduce around the world.
The mission of this Foundation is to change the gender and equality narrative. To make a change to the disheartening statistics of girl child education.
Globally, 131 million girls worldwide are out of school. At the current rate, by 2030, more than half of the world’s girls will not be on track to achieve basic literacy and numeracy skills at the secondary level.
Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world - 10.5 million, and about 60% are girls!
Together, we can and must change this.
Vivien: I have a great desire to open a fashion Academy to help young girls receive vocational education. But it is important for them to gain formal literacy and education that can help them develop any other skills or careers they choose to follow in life. The goal is to start from a young age, to support them in getting a primary and secondary education before they make their decisions about what career path to follow.
Ado girls Secondary school, Onitsha, Nigeria is our pilot beneficiary. Our accomplished projects here, will serve as a model for other schools and programs that we will reproduce around the world.
The mission of this Foundation is to change the gender and equality narrative. To make a change to the disheartening statistics of girl child education.
Globally, 131 million girls worldwide are out of school. At the current rate, by 2030, more than half of the world’s girls will not be on track to achieve basic literacy and numeracy skills at the secondary level.
Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world - 10.5 million, and about 60% are girls!
Together, we can and must change this.
Copa: What is the age group, age and curriculum for your students?
Vivien: Our students age group range from 11 to 17. Middle school to high school category and curriculum.
Vivien: Our students age group range from 11 to 17. Middle school to high school category and curriculum.
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Copa: You've recently returned from Nigeria to meet the students and faculty, what was the experience like for you to see your dream develop into a reality?
Vivien: It was such a surreal and and emotional experience for me to finally meet face-to-face with these beautiful young girls. They are very smart and full of dreams. I could see the prospects and the hope in their eyes. This visit filled me with so much inspiration, to want to do more. To help them to also achieve their own dreams. The faculty are doing amazing work with the very limited resources that they have. On another note, I was quite disturbed to see the condition of their dilapidated classrooms. It made me sad and afraid of their safety, to witness the hazard that they are exposed to. While they sit in the classroom studying, rain falls on down through the gaping holes on the roof and through the open windows that have no cover. They hurl up in one corner to wait for the rain to clear and then they would sweep away the flood in their classrooms, before continuing with their schedule. It was heart wrenching. Seeing the situation firsthand motivates me to go back and do more for these young girls. |
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Copa: We see that you've been conducting several fundraising drives to support the school, please share more information about it to our readers.
Vivien: We have been conducting a few fundraising events that had enabled us to sponsor the backpack and school supply project, as well as the Hygiene products and sanitary pad projects. We had a big fundraising event on December 06, 2019. It was the inaugural gala of the foundation. We will be raising funds to take care of the desperate infrastructural needs of the school. The roofs of the classrooms are collapsing. Broken wood and sharp objects are hanging precariously from the roof and endangering the lives of these young girls. We need to secure their safety 1st and then continue with other projects that we have outlined for the year 2020.
Vivien: We have been conducting a few fundraising events that had enabled us to sponsor the backpack and school supply project, as well as the Hygiene products and sanitary pad projects. We had a big fundraising event on December 06, 2019. It was the inaugural gala of the foundation. We will be raising funds to take care of the desperate infrastructural needs of the school. The roofs of the classrooms are collapsing. Broken wood and sharp objects are hanging precariously from the roof and endangering the lives of these young girls. We need to secure their safety 1st and then continue with other projects that we have outlined for the year 2020.
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~ Photos from the Fundraising Gala ~
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Copa: What does the future hold for Vivien, Felicia's Fund and the school?
Vivien: The future holds a lot of prospects for the work that we want to do for these young girls.
My ultimate dream, as I mentioned earlier (in addition to providing scholarships and educational resources), is to start a fashion Academy for these young girls and the community around them. This Academy will provide vocational training in fashion , Sketching, Business administration in fashion, Textile design and production. These trainings will go a long way to provide these girl's with everlasting skills that will help them take care of themselves their families and also train the younger generation to come. This Academy would also serve as an after school center where the girls can go to when they get out of school. It will help them stay out of trouble on the streets; preventing early or wanted pregnancies, rape, violence, Prostitution and idleness. This academy will provide them with sustainable Skills, earn a living, and take care of themselves and their families.
As we speak, Feliciasfund foundation has received a kind donation from a sponsor of 20 industrial sewing machines that will be used in the Academy. We Are blessed, and making so much progress . This Academy will be established way before our scheduled timeline.
We are also seeking partners or Sponsors for our Sanitary pads project.
Millions of girls are missing from classrooms while they’re on their period . This deprives them from getting quality education.”
Around the world, girls are less likely to graduate from secondary school than boys. In fact, according to UNESCO worldwide, 131 million girls are out of school — and 100 million of those are girls of high school age. And while there are many reasons for this, periods play a major role.
In some cases, girls simply don’t have access to sanitary products; in others, they face discrimination and stigma during their periods; in others still, they don’t have educational resources to inform them about safe, sanitary hygiene practices.
Felicias Fund is invested in this movement to breakdown all barriers that prevent every girl child from sitting in the classroom and receiving adequate education to equip them to become great and valuable citizens of the world
Vivien: The future holds a lot of prospects for the work that we want to do for these young girls.
My ultimate dream, as I mentioned earlier (in addition to providing scholarships and educational resources), is to start a fashion Academy for these young girls and the community around them. This Academy will provide vocational training in fashion , Sketching, Business administration in fashion, Textile design and production. These trainings will go a long way to provide these girl's with everlasting skills that will help them take care of themselves their families and also train the younger generation to come. This Academy would also serve as an after school center where the girls can go to when they get out of school. It will help them stay out of trouble on the streets; preventing early or wanted pregnancies, rape, violence, Prostitution and idleness. This academy will provide them with sustainable Skills, earn a living, and take care of themselves and their families.
As we speak, Feliciasfund foundation has received a kind donation from a sponsor of 20 industrial sewing machines that will be used in the Academy. We Are blessed, and making so much progress . This Academy will be established way before our scheduled timeline.
We are also seeking partners or Sponsors for our Sanitary pads project.
Millions of girls are missing from classrooms while they’re on their period . This deprives them from getting quality education.”
Around the world, girls are less likely to graduate from secondary school than boys. In fact, according to UNESCO worldwide, 131 million girls are out of school — and 100 million of those are girls of high school age. And while there are many reasons for this, periods play a major role.
In some cases, girls simply don’t have access to sanitary products; in others, they face discrimination and stigma during their periods; in others still, they don’t have educational resources to inform them about safe, sanitary hygiene practices.
Felicias Fund is invested in this movement to breakdown all barriers that prevent every girl child from sitting in the classroom and receiving adequate education to equip them to become great and valuable citizens of the world
Copa: How can others donate to help the wonderful cause?
Vivien: Donations can be made on our website www.feliciasfund.org
All donations are tax deductible -By our fiscal sponsors, pending our 501c3 application approval. (RABA Leadership Initiative 501c3)
Email us at [email protected] with questions.
Visit our headquarters at 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda MD 20814 To meet with our staff or board members.
Our phone no is : 1800 4105419.
We have been conducting a few fundraising events that had enabled us to sponsor the backpack and school supply project, as well as the Hygiene products and sanitary pad projects. We have a big fundraising event coming up on December 06, 2019. It is the inaugural gala of the foundation. We will be raising funds to take care of the desperate infrastructural needs of the school. The roofs of the classrooms are collapsing. Broken wood and sharp objects are hanging precariously from the roof and endangering the lives of these young girls. We need to secure their safety 1st and then continue with other projects that we have outlined for the year 2020.
Vivien: Donations can be made on our website www.feliciasfund.org
All donations are tax deductible -By our fiscal sponsors, pending our 501c3 application approval. (RABA Leadership Initiative 501c3)
Email us at [email protected] with questions.
Visit our headquarters at 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda MD 20814 To meet with our staff or board members.
Our phone no is : 1800 4105419.
We have been conducting a few fundraising events that had enabled us to sponsor the backpack and school supply project, as well as the Hygiene products and sanitary pad projects. We have a big fundraising event coming up on December 06, 2019. It is the inaugural gala of the foundation. We will be raising funds to take care of the desperate infrastructural needs of the school. The roofs of the classrooms are collapsing. Broken wood and sharp objects are hanging precariously from the roof and endangering the lives of these young girls. We need to secure their safety 1st and then continue with other projects that we have outlined for the year 2020.
