Thanks to your support, more students in Nigeria are getting the opportunity to get the education they need.  You are helping build successful future leaders.  One of the future leaders that you have helped is John.  John is from a very large family who did not have the financial ability to send him to college. 

Through our partner organization in Nigeria, S.M.I.L.E, we are supporting a student called John. John tells us in his own words how he was able to attend college thanks to the financial support he received. 

“My name is John. I come from a large family constituting of 13 children and my parents are farmers living in a village. Out of 13 children, I am the only person to pass out of high school. High school was free because I went to a public school but when I got admission to college, there was no money to pay my school fees. I went around looking for funds but there was nobody to help me. There was a time I was hawking on the streets just to raise money, but I couldn't make it. It looked as if my dream of getting a college education was going to die and that was when I came to S.M.I.L.E.

I shared my challenges with them and they helped me to pay my school fees and accommodation and ever since then S.M.I.L.E has continued to give me strong support educationally. Today I am so happy that I am one of the best students in my department, Banking and Finance. I am now close to realizing my dream of becoming a banker. I want to say a big thank you to S.M.I.L.E because they did not allow my dreams to die. There are many young people out there also that need to be helped to transform their dreams into reality. I believe that if S.M.I.L.E will go a long way to transform the lives of young people and make their dreams come true, just like they've done for me.”

Thank you again for helping future leaders like John go to school.