The Co-founder and Head of Strategy & Growth, Dukiya Investments, Mr Babatunde Bayo Lawal has hinted that his quest to inspire vulnerable children in the society made him start his Bayo Lawal Foundation.

Lawal made this known while supplying backpacks to over 200 children in the Iwaya community in Lagos State under the fulfillment of the Bridging Education Gap Africa (BE-GA) on Wednesday.

According to the real estate developer, his foundation is driven by the sole mission of inspiring hope and the chance of a better life for the bright stars in underserved communities.

Speaking, he said, “What inspired me to establish my foundation is the desire to give back to society, especially the vulnerable people in the society. I believe that everyone can be great regardless of where they are coming from if they are presented with the opportunity and resources they need to dream and hope again.

“The foundation focused on children in slum areas due to the fact that they are usually placed at the far end of the totem pole.

Fielding question on why his foundation chose Iwaya community for the outreach, Lawal noted, “One of the major challenges we encountered was dealing with the transport system in the community which was canoeing. The place was mostly water, the houses were built on water, and even moving from one shack to the other involved the use of a canoe to cover the distance.

“Nevertheless, the team and I had to adjust to the situation and the joys of delivering the outreach materials soon outweighed the inconveniences we encountered.

“The foundation identifies the needs of the target community by interacting with its stakeholders in a bid to be able to step in with appropriate relief programs,” he maintained.

Lawal stressed that children in the communities we serve are quite vulnerable, hence, we prioritize their safety so no harm comes to them during our outreaches, adding, “Our volunteers and partners also understand the place of child protection and safeguarding, in preventing potential risks and maintaining the well-being and safety of the children we serve.”

He further solicited supports from individuals or organisations on their forthcoming outreaches