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.
