By Bilesanmi Abayomi
A non-governmental organisation, Ta’awun Organisation, has celebrated its 10th anniversary with ambitious plans to expand its humanitarian initiatives in health, education and empowerment for less-privileged communities.
The President of the organisation, Taiwo Lasisi, disclosed this during the anniversary celebration held in Ojota, Lagos, on Thursday.
Lasisi said the organisation plans to establish its own health facility and educational institutions in the coming years to support vulnerable populations across communities in the state.
According to him, Ta’awun has already conducted several medical outreach programmes over the past decade and now intends to institutionalise its interventions.
“In the next 10 years, we want to have a full-fledged hospital in the state to partner with the government in rendering health services,” he said.
He added that the organisation also plans to expand its empowerment initiatives into a larger programme while working towards establishing a school that will operate alongside its other humanitarian interventions.
Lasisi identified lack of awareness, limited human resources and transportation challenges as some of the key obstacles the organisation faced over the last decade. He noted that Ta’awun is now seeking stronger partnerships with government institutions to improve service delivery.
“Ta’awun as an NGO is seeking government partnership and material support,” he said.
He emphasised that despite the organisation’s decade-long humanitarian work, it has received little direct government support.
“For the last 10 years we have never had government patronage and no government official has participated in our programmes. Now we are ripe to ask for their partnership, sponsorship and material support,” Lasisi added.
Also speaking at the event, Babatunde Biliru, Coordinator of the Ta’awun Health Initiative, called on the government to support the organisation’s activities to enable it to reach more vulnerable people.
Similarly, Bolarinwa Olamilekan, the NGO’s Student Coordinator, described the 10th anniversary as a major milestone, noting that many people within and outside the state have benefited from the organisation’s humanitarian efforts.
Olamilekan urged the government to support various phases of the NGO’s programmes, particularly its educational initiatives, which include providing free WAEC and GCE forms for students.
According to him, government support could also come through empowerment programmes such as job opportunities, scholarships and sponsorship for students.
The anniversary celebration served as an opportunity for the organisation to recognise the contributions of its members and reflect on its achievements over the past decade while setting new goals for the future.