BrainSquad wins zonal 2019 Technovation challenge

Another team of young Nigerian girls have won the junior category Zonal Pitch Technovation challenge held at the Lagos Business School (LBS), which takes them to the semi-final round. This is coming barely a year after a team of young Nigerian girls won the Junior Division Global 2018 Technovation Challenge.

The zonal pitch winners are aged 10-11 years from Standard Bearers School (SBS), Lekki, Lagos, comprise Ivana Mordi, Munachi Chigbo, Jadesola Kassim, Ayomikun Ariyo, and Pandora Onyedire.

The team, known as the BrainSquad conceptualised the idea of building a fund-raising app called Handsout to help the less-privileged children go to school and get a good education.

According to them, over 10 million children are out of school in Nigeria, mainly from poverty. Hence, this inspired the app, including the collapse of Itafaji School in Lagos, and the online news of Success Adegho, who was sent out of school because her parents could not pay her school fees.

The BrainSquad team emerged winner, and is now waiting for the final selection of teams in Africa. While waiting, they have improved on their app following their judges’ advice to finalise the launch of Handsout.

BrainSquad team leaders, Munachi Chigbo and Jadesola Kassim said: “The aim of Handsout is to create a way for organisations, and well-meaning people all over the world to donate funds for the purpose of paying the school fees of less privileged Nigerian children who cannot afford to.

“Also, people who want to support by donating school shoes, school bags, stationery and books, can do so through the app.”

SBS Proprietress, Modupe Adeyinka-Oni, lauded the pupils’ effort and said that the school has embraced the 21st century learning with technology being the cornerstone.

“The children have shown that they can stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers worldwide and tackle global problems heads on. This is an integral trait for developing the leaders of tomorrow as emphasised in SBS. We look forward to the team representing Africa and winning the challenge,” she added.

Adeyinka-Oni noted that “BrainSquad is partnering with Stanbic IBTC Bank Trustees to open a trust that handles all cash donations and are looking to partner with organisations and foundations to select the recipients and logistics companies that could distribute non-cash donations to designated communities.

“Handsout is a hub for children by children where donors’ funds can be directed to the children who need it, using charities like International Women’s Society (IWS) and Slum2School. Credible NGOs who work directly with children and orphanages around Nigeria are expected to apply on behalf of the children so people who need the funds are reached. Handsout will be readily available shortly on Google Playstore to be downloaded for free and the process to sync the App with the bank’s account to enable it receives funds is on.”