Zuriel Oduwole launches her foundation in Lagos

ZURIEL Oduwole, the 13-year-old Nigerian girl, who has spent the last four years telling Africa’s story via compelling documentaries and making the case for educating Africa’s girl child, has formally launched her foundation in Lagos.

The event at the Westwood Hotel in Ikoyi was a simple, colorful, but a profound beginning of what she sees as her ability to begin to make even more difference in the lives of children across Africa, starting with Nigeria.

Asked why she launched the foundation, she says ‘we always have to wait for sponsors to support before we can start some projects, but now that we have a foundation, we can begin to partner with organizations for some of our projects, and in some cases, we can fund them ourselves’. We had the idea a year ago in 2014 because sometimes, people asked how could they help and sometimes offered us money, but we could not receive anything because we were not properly set up for it’. So one of the partners at Aluko Oyebode & Co agreed to set up our foundation for free – they called it pro bono, so now, we can do things properly’.

The event was attended by a wide range of people from across society, including the president of Dangote Foundation, who represented Aliko Dangote, Special Advisor Fred Omo-Osagie who represented the wife of Edo State, and Frank Sellin from the US Embassy, who represented the US Ambassador to Nigeria. Others were Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Kay Ovia (wife of Zenith Bank Chairman), Nollywood actress Genevieve Nnaji, Zuriel’s proud 81-year-old grandfather, Dr. Michael Olatunde Oduwole and dozens of school children, who came to witness one of their own make even more history.

Her DUSUSU Foundation launch as one of her goals, is firmly in line with her “Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up” motto and adage of making a difference in the lives of children.