11th Anniversary Greetings From Our Volunteer Executive Director

Happy New Year Everyone,

It is really incredible that Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation is celebrating 11 years! This year is quite different from our 10th year because there is a sense of building on the achievement of the last 10 years, making progress, looking forward and building a lasting legacy!

In the course of our 11-year journey, we are amazed at the support we have received from you and your belief in us. Some of you have been with us right from 2011 when we were still trying to find our way, while some of you joined us when we chose a definite path and others have helped to bring clarity to our journey. It does not matter at what point you joined us, the truth is that we are sincerely grateful we are not walking and working alone!

Also, our beneficiaries have assisted us in defining what our major goal; “Inspiring Change Through Learning”, really means to them. Therefore, over the years, we have realized that it means different things in different communities and that one size does not fit all. We have discovered that for our beneficiaries, effective learning means empowering opportunities that create a bright future for them. Thus, we have had to change our vision and mission to align with our major goal!

What a wonderful celebration – KIR Foundation’s 11th Anniversary! 11 years of remarkable service to vulnerable children, youth, persons with disabilities, prison inmates, women and our local communities. It began humbly, at the Red Cross Orphanage with 20 children, with our first project; Play and Learn, but with great hope that through play we could teach the children educational concepts and values that will inspire them to change and become responsible adults. 11 years later, we still run Play and Learn and more than 200 children have benefited from the project. We are happy that most of the children we started with have been adopted or reunited with their parents, the other children who call the orphanage their home are now in secondary school and are responsible young adults.

Your investment in providing learning opportunities for our beneficiaries has empowered Sarah, one of our first beneficiaries who we met as a 15-year-old in the slums of Ajegunle, to become a responsible young lady who currently works with us as a volunteer and runs her own initiative; ‘The Eagle Wings Club’, 13-year-old Noel in our Digital Club to build his first App, 16-year-old Rita in Mubi Hills in Adamawa State to be the first in her family of 6 to go to secondary school,  Ruth & Esther, 2 visually Impaired sisters to acquire digital skills, get into university and have educational assistance that helps them to study and stay in school, and for us to continue to advocate for a disability-inclusive society.

Indeed! You have been an integral part of our 11-year journey and with your investment, we have reached 53,946 people in 26 States, Abuja and Ghana, set up 46 Reading Corners, donated 38, 593 books and trained 831 youth in market-relevant skills. Currently, we are working with stakeholders in the public, corporate and social sectors to provide business linkages for persons with and without disabilities and donate books to those who do not have access to books. Thus, by 2023, we would have linked 1,200 youth to employment opportunities and put over 70,000 books in the hands of our underserved beneficiaries in public/community primary schools.

We look forward to walking and working with you to continue ‘Inspiring Change Through Learning’ and building a lasting legacy. Thank you so much for being there for us and making a positive difference!

Your Legacy Partner

Bitebo Gogo

Volunteer Executive Director and Chief Servant