Bethesda Child Support Foundation
Pupils of The Bethesda Nursery and Primary School, Ikota, Lagos
The primary focus of the Bethesda Child Support Agency is to mobilize the efforts of the government, the private sector and other development agencies towards securing educational opportunities for children in disadvantaged families and deprived communities. Since inception, Bethesda, through the assistance of its partners and sponsors, has spearheaded efforts to provide free, qualitative education, school supplies, nutrition, and healthcare to over 2,000 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Lagos.
Core Programmes
• Schools-in-Poor Communities: This initiative aims to set up schools that offer free and qualitative education in poor communities. The Bethesda Nursery and Primary School in Ikota was established in 2004 and has grown from 34 children upon opening to over 180 pupils. In January 2010, a new Bethesda school was established in the Ilaje, Ago-Egun Community of Bariga to ensure Orphans and Vulnerable Children in the community gain access to free, and qualitative education.
• Community Service: Our Community Service team embarks on quarterly visits to communities around Lagos: Akodo, Epe, Magbon-Alade, Ikota, Oke-Aro, Matogun and Makoko. There, they train and offer support services in micro-credits, health and gender issues, entrepreneurial development, as well as, distribute food, educational and relief materials.
• Scholarship Program: The Bethesda Scholarship scheme offers educational scholarships to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in both primary and secondary schools in Lagos and its environs. Currently, we have three hundred and eighty seven 387 children of school age on scholarships in various schools offering qualitative education within Lagos State. Through this program, 4 of our secondary school graduates have gained admission into the University of Calabar and Imo State University respectively.
Mentoring Program: This interactive forum provides an opportunity for our beneficiaries to be mentored by experienced persons from diverse fields and creates an avenue for evaluating the academic performance of the children on the scholarship scheme. Under this initiative, we have developed a vocational and entrepreneurial skills acquisition program for the secondary school graduates of our Scholarship Program in partnership with organizations and individuals that offer such services.
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For more information, please visit our website at: http://www.bethesdaagency.org
