We are here to support children and youths
The African Children Talent Discovery Foundation (ACTDF) is a United Nations Grade C non-governmental organisation made up of dynamic individuals who have come together from all strata of society with the primary purpose of empowering the less privileged children and youths of Africa.
Born out of a need to provide a better life for African children who have gone through the trauma of abuse, live in poverty or have been abandoned by family, our organisation identifies, nurtures and develops the talents and gifts of these children, empowering them to achieve their full potential and have access to better opportunities. We provide a safe and healthy environment for these children to heal, learn, thrive and grow into well-developed adults and eventually, leaders in all facets of their society.
Over the years, we have been able to support at least 10,000 beneficiaries through scholarships and financial aids, skills acquisition programmes, foster care and family placement programmes, community development activities, young widow’s empowerment initiatives, infrastructural development and partnerships around the world. In addition to that, the ACTDF currently provides support to programs that address the health, safety, well-being and education of foster children, initiatives that advocate for children’s issues and community-based organisations that assist children in need.
Mission
Our mission at ACTDF is to provide a safe environment and better opportunities to help African children discover their talents and actualize their full potentials.
Vision
Our vision is to empower more African children to identify, develop and harness their talents, skills and gifts, providing better opportunities for them and equipping them to achieve their full potential and take on leadership roles in all facets of their society.
Over 400,000 children each year are unable to live with their families as a result of the trauma of physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and abandonment. According to the World Health Organisation, 12% of children were physically abused in the past year (2019). Over 60 million primary-school-aged children attend classes hungry and 23 million of these children are from Africa.
According to UIS, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest out-of-school rates (UIS, 2019). While school enrolment has been rising, one in five children of primary school age are out of school, rising to almost one-third of lower-secondary-age children, and over half of upper-secondary age. Across the three age levels, there are 7.5 million more girls out of school than boys, with the gender gap becoming progressively wider at each stage (UIS, 2018). Even without taking into consideration the quality of the education received by children who are in school, the out-of-school numbers indicate that sub-Saharan Africa has been left far behind in progress towards the SDG goal of universal secondary learning. Some of the risk factors contributing to these statistics include Low income, poor parenting practices, family disfunction and separation, reduced opportunities for learning, poverty, high population density, etc. (WHO).
The needs of these children surpass the capacity of public funding, and this is where the ACTDF steps in. We identify, access, and harness resources from multiple sources to enable children who have been victims of trauma, abuse, poverty, neglect, or abandonment to lead healthy, expressive, and productive lives. To this effect, we provide support for foster care, adoption, residential treatment, mental health, and community-based programs of the highest quality to the children.
OUR AIMS & OBJECTIVES
What we intend to achieve
The aims and objectives of our foundation are:
- To provide support for and empower African children who have been disadvantaged, particularly;
- Children who have suffered the trauma of physical, emotional and sexual abuse
- Children living in poverty
- Children who have been denied access to education
- Children who have been neglected or abandoned by family
- Children facing health challenges with limited access to proper
healthcare.
- To organise events and benefits to solicit and raise funds to enable the provision of scholarships, financial aids, free healthcare, support for foster care and family placement programmes, etc to the less privileged children and youths.
- To discover, develop and harness the giftings and talents of African Children, leveraging on it to create a medium of unity amongst them regardless of their pace, tribe, color or country of origin and to actualise their full potential and empower them to contribute their quota to building their nation.
- To provide a safe environment for children to grow and learn, having access to better opportunities as well as guidance counselling and mentorship, personal development prospects, skills acquisition programs, seminars and workshops.
- To equip youths and children with educational materials and teaching aids to equip them with marketable Information and Communication Technology skills, preparing them for the challenge of the 21st century.
- To support community-based organisations and offer partnerships within the community.
- To advocate for children’s issues on local and global platforms.
- To provide support for programmes that address the health, safety, well-being and education of foster children.
What we have done
Originally, the ACTD Foundation supported only the programs of Trinity Youth services, but we have since expanded our activities to include more projects that positively impact children and youths. Some of our activities include:
- Community development initiatives.
- Provision of Scholarships and financial aids.
- Talent Hunts & Discovery Programmes.
- Partnerships with local and international organizations to advocate for the issues faced by disadvantaged children in Africa.
- Organizing conferences and symposia to draw global attention to the plight of African children and youths.
The Foundation has helped a lot of children discover their talents, become computer literate, build marketable skills, and access better opportunities. We have also provided supplies for foster and adoptive children to create “Life Books” to document their happiest experiences as they grow and create better futures for themselves.
93%
of funds raised directly benefit children
2800+
children supported yearly
590+
volunteers on average per year
10K+
holiday gifts each year for children in foster care
Community Development
As part of our objective to improve the living standards of the less privileged in Africa, the Foundation is actively involved in community outreach and grassroots talent discovery programmes in rural areas. These activities connect us to the members of the community, as well as neighboring areas, giving us the access we need to make the changes that would ameliorate the quality of life for children and youths in that community.
