The UBA Foundation is donating books and organizing reading sessions across Africa in commemoration of the International Day of the African Child
In commemoration of the International Day of the African Child 2022, the UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group, joined the rest of the world on Thursday in celebrating African children by organizing reading sessions for school children across the African continent and donating thousands of books as part of a special “Read Africa” initiative.
The UBA Foundation’s Read Africa initiative was born almost two decades ago with the aim of ensuring that African school children continue to read while pursuing their studies. Read Africa also supports African authors in different languages (English, French, Portuguese, Swahili) through the selection and purchase of books by African authors from different countries on the continent.
To celebrate the African child on the Day of the African Child, the UBA Foundation visited schools and orphanages across Africa donating thousands of books, schoolbags, food and other gifts while highlighting the importance of education and the expansion of knowledge.
During one of the lecture sessions held at Joef Dynamic College, Obalende, Lagos, the Foundation, led by its Managing Director/CEO, Bola Atta, spoke to school children on topics ranging from financial literacy to importance of immersing yourself in a good culture to develop business acumen and follow with passion.
During his interaction with the schoolchildren, Bola Atta emphasized that every child deserves the right to learn. She told them, “The pursuit of knowledge should be a lifelong pursuit that begins at a very young age. You need to cultivate an interest in reading not just textbooks, but different types of books that will allow you to explore cultures and worlds outside of your immediate surroundings so that you can expand your knowledge and your mind,” Atta said. .
While answering questions from the students, the CEO of the Foundation stressed that one of the main objectives of the UBA Foundation is to improve lives and communities on the African continent by creating dynamic educational platforms for future generations and future leaders.
June 16 each year has been designated by the United Nations as the International Day of the African Child to celebrate children in Africa and recognize the courage of students who marched for their right to a better education in Soweto, South Africa. South.
Vice-Principal of Joef Dynamic College, Danladi Ladan, in his appreciation of the UBA Foundation’s visit to the school and the donations of books and other educational items, said, “Our school will continue to instill the habit of reading to students because we believe that a knowledge society is a panacea for development. He called on other companies to emulate the initiatives of the UBA Foundation, especially in the area of education development.
The UBA Foundation remains committed to its three key pillars of education, empowerment and the environment. The Foundation has been actively involved in facilitating educational projects and bridging the literacy gap across Africa for almost two decades.
