The Dream School Foundation: 

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• • Provides guidance and counseling services
• • Provides academic support
• • Provides mentorship programs 
• • Conducts field trips
• • Runs book groups
• • Prepares graduating students for university tests (WAEC, NECO, JAMB, UTME)
• • Guides students through university selection and application process
• • Accompanies students to university locations and assists in settling them in: registration, accommodations, support services and tutoring. 
• • Monitors student progress
• • Designs and implements seminars/workshops for SSS students (developing inter/intra-personal skills, problem-solving, goal setting, leadership skills, exploring career options)
• • Additional Workshops including Environmental Literacy Workshops, Adult Literacy, and Professional Development for Teachers

Nigeria Facts 

The more we understand about the state of education in Nigeria, the better able we are to focus on solutions. Here are the facts: 

Worldwide 36 million girls are out of school; 6 million of them are Nigerian.

Nigeria faces the biggest shortage of teachers in the world accounting for 12% of the global total.

Only 6% of the Nigerian national budget is allocated to the educational sector, compared to the 26% recommended by UNESCO.

There is an average of 49 pupils per primary school teacher. 

Only 29% of students graduate from secondary school on time, if at all. 

In the classroom, 58.3% of pupils are not learning.  

In Nigeria, 10.5 million school age children are out of school. 

Nearly 60% of primary pupils cannot read at all.

The Nigerian School Project Built Two Schools on Tomaro

In 2009, the Nigerian School Project built the first junior/secondary school on Tomaro Island, a river community of over 350,000 residents. This public school, adopted by the Lagos State government, now has an enrollment of over 700 students, nearly half of whom are girls. The building of this school caught the attention of the United States Embassy and medical teams began conducting health clinics. In 2011, a permanent medical facility was built, funded by the US Embassy. 

In 2014, a senior secondary school was built as well as a teacher residence in 2015, and a security wall surrounding the entire school compound in 2016.

In 2013 and 2014, this school received distinguished awards for scoring among the highest of all junior/secondary schools in Lagos State (competing against 3,000 schools), a remarkable achievement for those teachers and students. The school was rewarded with computers initially powered by electrical generators. In 2015, the government installed solar batteries and panels. 

One year later, Tomaro was honored with a visit from the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle who said, “Tomaro is another example of how much is accomplished through personal ties and relationships between Americans and Nigerian communities.”

In 2019, the Nigerian School Project graduated its first class of 23 high school seniors, 6 of whom are currently enrolled in the university. 

New School building in Tohon 

The Dream School Foundation is currently building two new secondary schools in the Rivervine community of Tohon set to open in 2020.

These new schools fill an enormous need.

While there is a primary school in Tohon, there are no secondary schools. Those students who want to continue beyond elementary school are required to walk 15 kilometres to the nearest secondary school. For this reason, Tohon is a perfect community for a new junior and senior secondary school. Best of all, the contractor in charge of the school building project is Ojo Suru David, the first recipient of the Nigerian School Project’s university scholarship. He also happens to be from the area, knows the people well, and speaks the local dialect.

With its second floor administrative offices and inner courtyard, the design of the school by Suru and a local architect is very unique. We plan to use this design as a prototype. This new school will serve 300 – 400 students from ten communities. It will also provide jobs for teachers and other school workers and help boost the local economy. As with Tomoro, we will develop the educational programming and then turn the school over to the government. That’s our first step. “The cool part is that the new school is being built by Suru, a student I met when he was 14-years-old,” says Dena Grushkin, DSF’s founder.

Establishment of Dream School Foundation
Headquarters in Nigeria

The Dream School Foundation has been operating from the United States for 15 years, but we felt it was vital to establish a headquarters on the ground in Nigeria. In 2017, we filed paperwork with the Lagos government and became a registered NGO. The Nigerian office is being run by Ojo Suru David, Ruth Odey and Rachael Odey, three graduates of The Nigerian School Project, who are responsible for carrying out the mission of DSF. This work includes supporting our graduates and upcoming graduates, visiting with students, creating book clubs and other workshops, building a network of organizations, and creating relationships with other people in the educational sector. They are also instituting a tutoring program in the office and plan to invite students into the building to use the computers for research and other educational activities. 

GREEN FOOTPRINT PROJECT

In November 2019, the Dream School Foundation partnered with Africa Clean Up and Nigeria’s FABE International Foundation for a day of workshops which included a presentation of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals and a discussion of the importance of maintaining a clean and healthy environment. The students also participated in a school and community wide clean up and watched a demonstration of how recycled materials can be used in construction projects. Teaching these practices at school, it is our hope that this consciousness will spread to the home and the community at large.

Every child deserves to see their face reflected back at them from the pages    of a book. Relatable images combined with culturally relevant content engage the child and help them make stronger connections between what they are reading and their own life and culture. It validates who they are and their importance in the world.

The Dream School Foundation strongly advocates for culturally relevant literature. We have devoted ourselves to the cause and in doing so have found a gem of  a storyteller in Emmanuel Agunze. Inspired by the Nigerian schoolchildren he surrounds himself with every day, Emmanuel has begun to write sweet and funny stories. And now with Dena on-board co-authoring, we are very excited to share the first of many wonderful stories to come.

Two Friends from Makoko by Emmanuel Agunze

Angela’s Makoko Angels by Emmanuel Agunze & Dena Grushkin

Emmanuel’s School Uniform by Emmanuel Agunze & Dena Grushkin