The Makoko Dream Building Project

*Update 8-20-19*

With the money that has been raised, we have been able to complete an amazing renovation of the Makoko Dream Nursery School.  Many thanks to all of our generous donors who made this possible!  

This is a summary of The Makoko Dream Nursery School Renovation Project.

On May 22, 2019, The Makoko Dream (TMD) began a renovation of the Nursery School. At that time, the old building was literally crumbling away.  The roof was leaking, and every time it rained, water poured inside the building.  The waterlogged ceiling had huge holes in it, and was sagging in many places.  The windows and doors were rotting away, or were entirely nonexistent.  There was no lighting in the building…and never had been.  The ceiling fans were inoperable due to faulty wiring.The plaster would fall away to the touch, and there were large holes in many places.

Although funding was scarce, and there was very little money to start with, this project was initiated, with the idea that aggressive fund-raising efforts would be undertaken while the project was being done, in order to try to continue the work that needed to be done.  Simply replacing the roof and the ceiling would have been enough to alleviate the immediate problem. But as it turns out, much more than that was accomplished.

In the photos below, the “Before” and “After” images demonstrate the work that was done during this project, and the significant improvements that were made to improve the safety and welfare of the children.




First, the roof was replaced…and then the ceiling.




With additional funding that became available, the windows and doors were replaced. And then the building was totally re-plastered!



Things didn’t stop there.  Ceiling fans and lights were installed…



And then, the beautiful painting began…





And the exterior of the building was made beautiful as well.



On July 4, 2019, after six weeks of construction, a launching and dedication of the beautiful new building took place.  There was much celebration, and the children and community were very joyful!






“My passion spans advocating for children’s rights to education and mentoring youths in choosing their career path.”            
                                            Emmanuel Agunze, Founder, The Makoko Dream

The Makoko Dream is striving to raise $3,500 to be used to renovate the Nursery School section in an existing school building, which has become hazardous to continue to use.   Recent rains caused a downpour in the classroom, due to the large holes in the ceiling.  Teachers and volunteers were scooping water out of the classroom. Although the children were advised to go home, many of them wanted to stay, despite the rain; their desire to be in school outweighed the adversity they were facing. 

Children ages 2 thru 5 attend school in this area of the building, and it is essential that they have a safe, dry area.  It would be unacceptable for these children to be prevented from attending school, due to a lack of appropriate facilities.  Once renovated, the Nursery School will also accommodate 30 to 50 more children.

The area is badly in need of renovation.

This is an unsafe situation.



The long-term goal of the Makoko Dream is to build an additional new school building, and provide school equipment and supplies, in order to provide schooling for an additional 650 children in the slum community of Makoko.  While this is a big goal, there are more than 10,000 children who are not currently in school, because their parents are unable to afford it, and because there are insufficient schools available.  

The majority of Makoko children are not in school.  
           
The difference in a child’s life, being in school…

The Makoko Dream’s emphasis is that every child's dream to be educated is valid, and that every child should have the opportunity to be in school, regardless of family status, income, etc.  Your help in this project could mean the difference between a child being in school…or not.  It can make an indescribable difference in the life of a child, who would otherwise be relegated to the ranks of child labor. Every donation, no matter how small, helps us work toward making this difference.

Every child counts…                                                                   

My dream is valid.

Enabling a child to realize their full potential not only benefits that child and the community of Makoko; but conceivably, could have global impact. No one really knows what these children might go on to accomplish in their lives, when properly motivated and educated. These children are encouraged to dream and believe that all things are possible.  Many of us take for granted that we have been able to go to school.  However, for the children of Makoko, it is an opportunity that has, up to this point, only been available to a small minority.

To put this in perspective, a description of Makoko, also known as the “Venice of Africa”, might be helpful. Makoko is a slum community of approximately 250,000 people; roughly 120,000 of the people live on the water, in wooden shacks built on stilts in the blackish, thickly-polluted lagoon in the heart of Lagos, in Nigeria. Most of the houses lack public water, electricity, or waste disposal. Makoko Waterside settlers are exposed to water-borne diseases like Cholera, Dysentry, Malaria etc. Over-population and wooden houses can cause fire outbreak if generators are not carefully used. Travel is via canoe, along the vast maze of waterways throughout the community. 

The Makoko indigenes live on less than $1 per day. The Waterside residents are predominantly fishermen. Child labour is a major problem in Makoko community.  Many children's childhoods are taken away from them. At the same time, there is a high number of unemployed youth, who need a means of livelihood and decent work. 

Many Makoko children and youth have not been exposed to the world outside Makoko. These children have been confined to living on water most of their lives and have a phobia of land.  Due to the neglect of the Waterside children in Makoko, most of them are ignorant of happenings outside the community.

The water community of Makoko

Travel is via canoe in Makoko. 

The Makoko Dream was founded in 2016, with the goal of enabling children in the community of Makoko to dare to dream for greatness, via the means of education and literacy.  The mission of the organization is to grant the children of Makoko access to quality education, while empowering young girls to restrain teenage pregnancy, and improving maternal health towards the realization of a new Makoko community, worthy of habitation in the near future.  The organization has a vision to enable at least 1000 children to be in school.

To date, the number of children in school has increased from 105 to 355.  Approximately 200 of these students attend school at the existing school on water, and 155 attend at the newly established school on land.  As illustrated in the cover photo, in order to facilitate getting the children to the school on land, the Makoko Dream made the first 'School Bus' on water, which was a customized canoe offered free of charge to the students. With the addition of the new building that is planned, the goal of having 1000 children in school can be accommodated.

 

The children are excited to be starting school.

What is truly unique about The Makoko Dream is that they don’t just build buildings.  They make plans to address a student’s needs; they work diligently to overcome obstacles that families face; they focus on issues addressing women’s issues; they plan celebrations to spread love and excitement through the Makoko community, etc.  By perusing the List of Accomplishments at the following link, one can quickly see just how far-reaching their efforts are.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_WNY9yeDj3Zd0lFaks4NFNyb2tRdTQ1eVZabVdkVjhnb1E0/view?usp=drivesdk 

 
The Liter of Light Nigeria Gbagada Solar Street Light project

Additional photos, illustrating The Makoko Dream at work, can be found at the following link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.601595110278236&type=1&l=2f01c12bb6 

Here’s what people are saying about The Makoko Dream…

10-7-18
I have always known I was privileged, but there were things I believed were the responsibilities of my parents. We always had new uniforms, school bags and books every session. Sometimes, we would throw tantrums over whose bag was finer or whose "bata" sandal was basic....
I remember it just like yesterday, my parents’ wardrobe would house our new school supplies until the weekend before resumption.

When I heard about the work Emmanuel Agunze was doing in #Makoko, I felt like I should leave my footprints when I visit. I was not prepared for what hit me. I had visited slums but not in Lagos and none compared to this.
I was glad I was able to inspire the few who contributed but most especially put smiles on the face of forty children by giving them new school uniforms and school bags. For a lot of them, this was their first new items.

God bless you Emmanuel Agunze for your love to those children. 

10-17-18
MY MAKOKO EXPERIENCE - PART II
I remember writing my Makoko Experience Part I some days ago, where I wrote about my visit to the Makoko Dream School, I'm glad that today, the visit as emphasized became a reality.

Together with my secretary, CEJ, and having as our Guest Speaker Princess AAA in company of our dear MAA, we stormed the Makoko Dream School.

While I took my time to encourage the kids, making them understand that their backgrounds should never put their backs on the ground, I also emphasized on the importance of education to their personal, community and global developments!

Our Guest Speaker did justice to the topic by reminding the kids of how important they are as young leaders, she encouraged them to become responsible citizens of the Nation and worthy Ambassadors of the Makoko Community.

Dear Emmanuel Agunze, you and your team are doing a wonderful job with those over 160 kids. I love your zeal, passion and dedication to seeing your Makoko Dream becomes a reality!
May you be greatly blessed. Amen

After our talk, we donated our token of love in form of writing materials to the kids, after which we had a tour around the slum and ended the day with hot and tantalizing wraps of ÀMÀLÀ !

Indeed, such experience will linger forever!

I'm glad to have played my part together with my team in the Nation's development!

Letter from the BBC

Award nominee 

Additional feedback can be found in the comments section of the following Facebook post. Reading these comments will give you a feel for the impact The Makoko Dream is having on this community.


https://www.facebook.com/CIVICUS/posts/10155194105953315 

The Makoko Dream is incorporated and is a registered foundation with the Corporate Affairs Commission of the Government of Nigeria. They are the proud recipients of the Chris Ogunbanjo Foundation Gift of Light award for impact in a slum community in Africa. Founder Emmanuel Agunze was nominated for the prestigious Nelson Mandela Innovation Awards as a Youth Activist for his role in creating change in his local community.  For additional information, please visit our website athttps://makokodream.org.ng/ , or our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Makokodream/ .