PROJECT_INSPIRE INTERVIEW with Adepoju Deborah

A profound encounter with a slum community in Makoko forever altered Deborah's perspective on life. It was a transformative experience that led her to make a bold decision—to immerse herself in the slum to gain a deeper understanding of the children's struggles. Recognizing the urgency of their educational needs, Deborah resolved that their future couldn't be put on hold any longer. Thus, she embarked on a remarkable journey, founding a floating school initially catering to 17 children. Today, that humble initiative has blossomed into an educational haven, empowering and nurturing the minds of 269 young ones. In this exclusive interview with Project_Inspire, Deborah shares her inspiring story of compassion and resilience.

 PROJECT_INSPIRE: Can we meet you? 

Deborah: My name is Adepoju Adeola Deborah,a 26-year-old indigene of Ondo State,Nigeria

PROJECT_INSPIRE: Tell us briefly about your childhood?

Deborah:I grew up Alimosho/ Agege area of Lagos State in a middle-class family. I read a lot as a child because my father bought books every week. I was active in church and school and I lived a pretty childhood. 

PROJECT_INSPIRE:What is your educational background like? 

Deborah: I started my primary school education at Lusan International School, Alimosho in Lagos State, proceeded to Government Junior Secondary School, Agege in Lagos State and ended at Silver Child Model College,Ogun State for my Senior Secondary School 

PROJECT_INSPIRE: What are your contributions towards making Nigeria a better place? 

Deborah: To contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals, I founded the Hope and Support for the Slum Child Initiative, a nonprofit organization committed to eradicating hunger, providing mentorship, empowerment and education for children in slum areas. 

PROJECT_INSPIRE: What have your achievements been? 

Deborah: To cater for the education needs of children in slums, we started a free school in the floating slum of Makoko in Lagos State, Nigeria, which now provide free nursery and primary school education to 269 children. The numbers could have been more if we had the capacity in terms of space and funding to enroll more children. We run monthly feeding programs for slums,children’s day outreaches and yearly Christmas outreaches across the country. Our humanitarian interventions have reached 3,210 directly and we are doing more in 2023.

PROJECT_INSPIRE: What motivated you to do what you are doing?

Deborah: I saw a need and I felt that there is something I could do to meet that need. That’s why I am here and I have no intentions of looking back. 

PROJECT_INSPIRE: What has been your challenges since you began your non-profit? 

Deborah: Funding has been a major challenge. A lot more can be achieved in the communities we work in if we have the funding we need.

PROJECT_INSPIRE: How have you been able to raise funds to implement your ideas? 

Deborah: I have deployed several means to raise funds from advocacy, stakeholder’s engagements, networking, and seeking sponsorship from companies. We also have a culture of accountability. We judiciously use the monies we receive to do the work it was meant for without stories.

PROJECT_INSPIRE: What are your prospects in the next 5-10years?

Deborah: We want to build more schools in slums across Nigeria and equip them to function independently. 

PROJECT_INSPIRE: The final word for the Nigerian youth. 

Deborah:Together we can make Nigeria a great nation 

PROJECT_INSPIRE: Thank you for sharing your story with us. 

Deborah:Thank you too for having me