Mujanatu Musa, a single mother living in a slum in Lagos, Nigeria, struggles to make ends meet and send her three children to school. Facing financial difficulties, she relies on a privately run school that allows parents to pay tuition with plastic bottles. The school, Morit International School, was established by Patrick Mbamarah, a former drug addict who was determined to provide education to underprivileged children. The plastic-for-tuition initiative has been a lifeline for many families like Musa’s, but logistical challenges and costs threaten the school’s sustainability.
Currently, the school is struggling to store and transport the plastic bottles collected for tuition payments, putting the entire project at risk of closure. With outstanding loans and limited resources, Mbamarah fears the school may shut down, leaving many children without access to education. Despite promises of support from non-profits and government officials, the school is still in need of financial assistance to continue its operations and help the environment by reducing plastic waste.
For parents like Musa, the potential closure of the school would be devastating, as it would leave their children with limited options for education. With an estimated 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, the impact of losing Morit International School would be significant. As the school struggles to stay afloat, community members, non-profits, and corporate partners are encouraged to support the initiative to ensure that children like Musa’s can continue to receive an education and have hope for a better future.
Source
Photo credit www.aljazeera.com