British-Nigerian Hollywood actor David
Oyelowo is ready to give back to his fatherland, Nigeria through a
foundation he is funding alongside other celebrities to bring succor to
marginalized females in Nigeria.
Oyelowo is giving back through a new
foundation, the GEANCO Foundation, which is creating special
scholarships for female victims of acts of terror and victims of gender
inequality.
Speaking with Broadway World Nigeria’s Afam Onyema, the GEANCO Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, said: “Through
these scholarships, we will bring fresh hope to Nigeria’s most precious
and vulnerable souls. This is a powerful, heartwarming response to an
urgent, challenging crisis.”
According to a statement shared by
Yahoo, the foundation focuses mostly on the girls who escaped or were
rescued from terrorist groups and have been put through psychological
torture, which include isolation by their families and communities,
disrupted education, and more.
Read excerpt of the statement as published on Yahoo:
GEANCO’s special scholarship will
benefit this vulnerable group of girls, in addition to girls severely
disadvantaged by Nigeria’s pervasive gender inequality. It is named in
honor of acclaimed British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo (Selma, A United Kingdom, Disney’s Queen of Katwe),
a strong GEANCO supporter who encouraged the scholarship’s creation and
plays an active role in its funding, administration and promotion. Last
year, David received GEANCO’s “Global Promise” Award at the
foundation’s annual Hollywood gala in recognition of his commitment to
providing better educational opportunities for Nigeria’s youth.
Speaking on the foundation coming to Nigeria, Oyelowo said: “We
cannot stand idly by while thousands of innocent girls remain under
serious threat. With our help, these bright and resilient girls can
blossom into Nigeria’s most inspiring leaders in government, education,
business, entertainment, and so much more. The way to combat oppression
and injustice is to be intentional in calling it out and then seeking to
affect sustainable and long-term change. That is what these Leadership
scholarships are all about. We seek to nurture a generation of strong
female trailblazers whose positive impact will be felt across Nigeria
and around the world.”
Three scholarships will be awarded for
the 2016-2017 school year. The number offered in subsequent years will
depend on capacity and available funding. This year’s recipients will
attend the Anglican Girls Grammar School (AGGS), a secondary school for
students aged 10-15, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city. AGGS is an
academic center of excellence known for its emphasis on science and
math. Future scholarship recipients will be placed at other
high-achieving schools in Nigeria.
David and Jessica Oyelowo, Oprah
Winfrey, Janus Funds, Participant Media and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback
Warren Moon provided the seed funding for this scholarship. GEANCO’s
leadership actively seeks additional major gifts to increase the
scholarship’s reach and impact.
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