Mary Akpobome: Alibaba's wife launches Purple Girl Foundation to support girl-child education in Nigeria

With poverty being a major impediment to accessing education in Nigeria especially for girls, the Purple Girl Foundation has been established to bridge the gap for young girls.

Mary Akpobome and several Board of Trustees of The Purple Girl Foundation has officially launched the foundation on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

With poverty being a major impediment to accessing education in Nigeria especially for girls, the Purple Girl Foundation has been established to bridge the gap for young girls who lack the means to further their education by reason of their family background, location, or social status.

According to the board of trustees, the launch of the Purple Girl Foundation is intended to bring together key stakeholders in the education and social development space from both the private and public sector to provide more insight around the issues around girl-child education in Nigeria. One of the major goals of the foundation is to proffer conceivable resolutions to these issues that will significantly assuage the plight of indigent young girls in Nigeria who face obvious challenges in pursuing their education.

The event featured a fundraiser aimed at eliciting support from well-meaning individuals and organizations who are committed to promoting growth and lasting development in our nation. 

 

The theme for the event was “Girl-Child Education for Nation Building” and it gathered together industry experts and professionals in various aspects of social development and education. Mrs. Toyin Saraki, Founder and President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa delivered the keynote address and Mary Akpobome addressed guests on major reasons why the foundation has come alive. The panel discussion session involved Professor Yomi Fawehinmi, Advisor, Horizons & Pathways, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Dr. Abosede Lewu, Founder, Girlsaide Initiative; Mr. Mohammed Ahmed, Director, Schools, Education & Society, British Council; and Mrs. Chinedum Oluwadamilola, Head of School, Corona Secondary School.

 

Other guests in attendance include ace comedian Alibaba, DayStar Pastor Sam Adeyemi, Nike Adeyemi, representative of the Lagos state deputy governor, former deputy governor of Lagos, Mrs Sarah Sosan, retired AIG of police Tunji Alapini, Richard Mofe Damijo, amongst others.

For more about the event, visit www.purplegirlfoundation.org or write to info@purplegirlfoundation.org

About the Purple Girl Foundation

The Purple Girl Foundation was borne out of a desire to provide opportunities for enhancing education for the girl-child amid obvious disadvantages like coming from a low family income background, physical disabilities, living in remote or underserved locations, or belonging to a minority group. Our main emphasis is on providing educational support to female children from indigent families at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

The efforts of the foundation are geared towards contributing significantly to shaping the prospects of young girls while improving their future opportunities through education.