There was excitement at Ajegunle, on Wednesday, 14 September 2022, as MTN Foundation visited the community to provide school supplies to the students of Adeolu Secondary School, through the Back2School initiative, and free medical services, through the Y’ello Doctor, for members of the community.

The Back2School initiative is part of the Foundation’s support to bridge the gap in the education sector in Nigeria. According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), one in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria, and even though primary education is officially free and compulsory, about 10.5 million of the country’s children aged 5-14 years are not in school.

Speaking to the student’s at Adeolu Secondary School and members of the community, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, highlighted the importance of education, she said “At the MTN Foundation, we are passionate about education, because we understand that education is very important, and that is why we continue to partner with like-minded organisations to support education.”

“In the same vein, we realise that health is an economic issue, many people cannot go to the hospital because they cannot afford it, therefore we take the burden off them by providing free access to healthcare through our Y’ello Doctor initiative.” she added

In the past, the MTN Foundation through the Back-To-School Initiative has supported over 5,000 Nigerian students with school stationery and supplies. This year, the Foundation will be visiting schools and communities across Kano, Abuja, Ogun, Delta and Rivers states. This will run concurrently with the Y’ello Doctor Initiative, tailored to reach communities where access to primary healthcare continues to be a challenge