Bridge the Gap Scholarship Scheme

What are you raising money for?

The Reading to Enhance Excellence in Learning (REEL) Foundation is a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring equitable access to quality education for children in underserved communities. We believe education is a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of poverty and work to bridge learning gaps through access to books, digital literacy programs, and scholarships. Through our work in communities, we discovered that many children face irregular school attendance or dropout due to financial challenges and we paid tuition for some children on a needs basis. The Bridge the Gap is a transformative initiative launched to support children in underserved communities. It provides financial assistance to help students overcome barriers to completing their education. The program focuses on two key objectives: 1. Re-enrolling out-of-school children and giving them a pathway back into formal education. 2. Supporting in-school students who face financial challenges that threaten their ability to stay enrolled.

Why are you raising the funds?

We are raising these funds to address the growing education crisis affecting vulnerable children in underserved communities. Every year, thousands of children drop out of school not because they lack the desire to learn, but because their families cannot afford basic tuition and school-related expenses. Many others who are eager to stay in school face constant disruptions due to financial hardship. Through the Bridge the Gap Scholarship Initiative, we aim to remove these barriers by providing direct tuition support to children who are either out of school or at risk of dropping out. Our goal is to ensure that every child, regardless of background or circumstance, has the opportunity to access quality education and pursue a brighter future. By contributing to this fund, you help restore hope to children who might otherwise be left behind. Together, we can keep more children in school, break the cycle of poverty, and strengthen the future of our communities.

What will the funds raised help achieve?

On average, it costs N60,000 to sponsor a child for one school term and N180,000 to support a child for a full academic year. With your support, we aim to provide tuition assistance for 100 children in 2026, helping out-of-school children return to the classroom and ensuring that financially vulnerable students can remain in school without interruption. Nigeria currently has over 18 million out-of-school children, the highest number in the world. Among those in school, 40% are not gaining basic literacy and numeracy skills needed for future productivity. With Africa projected to account for over 40% of the world’s youth population by 2030, this crisis threatens not just Nigeria’s future, but the continent’s stability, economic growth, and global competitiveness. If even 50% of these children can return to quality education at an average cost of $100 per child per year, millions of lives could be transformed and one of the root causes of poverty in Africa could be addressed. Bridge the Gap is our response to this urgent challenge. It is a transformative initiative designed to support indigent children in underserved communities through two core interventions: Re-enrolling out-of-school children and giving them a pathway back into formal education. Supporting in-school children whose education is at risk due to financial hardship, ensuring they can complete their studies.