Send Out-of-School Children in Lagos, to School

She had been out of school for nearly three years. In October, she received a school bag, a uniform, and a pair of shoes. At her week-six check-in, her mother told our community tracker: "She wakes before everyone else and packs her bag the night before. She has found something that belongs to her." She has not missed a single day.

That is what your donation did.

This term, 100 girls across five communities in Lagos, Ikorodu, Yaba, Somolu, Kosofe, and Oshodi, returned to school through the Access to School Project. We are proud to report that 90 of those 100 girls (90%) met our attendance target of attending at least 80% of school days across all three monitoring checkpoints: week two, week six, and week twelve. They did not just enrol. They stayed.

Behind that number is a network of School-Based Management Committee volunteers conducting household visits, mothers forming voluntary walk-to-school groups in their neighbourhoods, and community trackers responding individually to every girl whose attendance showed early warning signs. Where we found barriers, financial pressure, domestic responsibilities, a placement that did not fit, we responded. No girl has formally withdrawn from school this term.

Our work does not end at enrolment. In April 2026, we will conduct our six-month retention assessment. We are aiming for at least 75 of the 100 girls to still be in school and attending consistently. Based on what we have seen this term, we believe we can exceed that.

There is more to do. Ten girls are still not attending as consistently as they should, and we are working with their families. Two safeguarding cases remain open and are being actively tracked. We are building a formal referral system with Lagos State government so that when a child needs protection, the response is faster and more accountable.

• A2S_2025_Retention_Report.pdf (PDF)