Lost to poverty, rescued by hope: Giving Osun’s out-of-school children second chance

By Chioma Obinna
In one community of Osun State, a free vocational centre is pulling vulnerable girls from the brink of child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and street life while giving hundreds of out-of-school youths a second chance at life.
At 18, Yemisi Ayoola should have been preparing for her senior secondary school examinations. Instead, she was sitting at home, watching her dreams slowly slip away.

Each morning, she watched other children leave for school while she remained behind, trapped by circumstances beyond her control. Poverty had forced her out of the classroom after Junior Secondary School Two (JSS11).
Her parents could no longer afford the cost of keeping her in...