BEAT THE STREETS
A new project of LLEM International
Her Story:
Meet Chika
Chika is 8 and lives in the community of Asa, one of the communities in Nigeria that LLEM supports. Chika spends most of her day on the streets selling gum and other small trinkets to support her family. Chika is a lot like other Nigerian kids who spend their days on the street instead of in school. In fact, according to a recent 2019 Unicef report:
“One in every five of the
world’s out-of-school
children is in Nigeria”
Chika needs to be in school so the cycle of poverty her family is currently experiencing will be broken. Chika wish to become a nurse if she would have the opportunity of acquiring the needed education. She hopes to be able to take care of the sick people in her community. Education is Chika’s best chance of bettering her life and the life of her family.
The backstory
Recently on a trip to Nigeria, LLEM staff observed too many children like Chika (ages 5–14) on the streets and not in school. These street children are not properly dressed and do not have clothes in decent condition. Sadly, they spend their days without proper adult supervision and are at-risk for child prostitution or forced labor. This is simply unacceptable and intervention from international partners such as LLEM is immediately needed.
The Solution
LLEM is starting a new program to get kids off the street and in school. There are two components to this new program.
- Renovate the existing school in Asa to accommodate 40 more children. We will do this by renovating the existing school and by building a new classroom. We will also install desks and build a new concrete floor for the entire school.
- Reach out to parents whose kids are on the streets via a “outreach worker”. The outreach worker will meet with parents, and help them understand the risks their kids face while working the streets and discuss barriers to regular school attendance.
Research shows that sometimes parents need additional incentives to send their children to school. Several incentives have been developed to appeal to parents and to their families. The main incentive LLEM will be providing is a supplemental feeding program. If parents agree to send their children to school regularly, they will be provided extra rice and beans each month to supplement their meager food budgets. The supplemental feeding program has been shown to work in other African countries and is anticipated to be a highly effective incentive to boost school participation. Other incentives include basic literacy classes for parents who can assure regular school attendance.
Program budget
LLEM anticipates that it will cost $50,000 to renovate the existing school and to implement the supplemental feeding program for a year. We’re asking our partners to help these children beat the street.
Sponsorship Opportunities
$20- Brick sponsorship- Give us 25 blocks to build the new classroom! We need 10,000 blocks.
$60- Purchases two new desks for the existing school. We need 25! Will you help?
$150- Assists the supplemental feeding program. $100 provides rice and beans for a student and their family for an entire month.
$350- Provides ¼ of the cement needed for the new flooring throughout the school.
$2,500- Name sponsorship of the new classroom.
We value your partnership. We value your commitment. We hope you will help these children who cannot help themselves. Remember, God has made us the solution to the problems as the LIGHTS. We are ALL lights, and with your help, we can encourage school attendance for these poverty-stricken children.
Donate now
- Online- https://lleminternational.com/donate-now/ (Select “Beat the Street” on the drop down)
- By check- Make checks payable to LLEM International (Beat the streets). Mail your check to: LLEM International, P.O. Box 3692 North Myrtle Beach SC 29582.
- Call in your donation via credit card. Our office can be reached at (888) LLEM-INT [553-6468]
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