SUCCESS STORIES
- The successful completion of Damilare Ishola’s (Visually Impaired) Tertiary Education under the sponsorship of the Educational Support Agency.
Damilare Yusuf Ishola is one man who never let the difficulties life threw at him overweigh him into fulfilling of dreams. Damilare, being a victim of circumstance unlike many other people, did not give up on life or himself. Instead of allowing the unfortunate events that happened to him to weigh him down, he turned them to catalysts that fuelled his determination and made him who he is today. The Foundation granted him full scholarship and has successfully completed his university education. He is a second class upper graduate of guidance and counseling from the University of Lagos with the help of the Foundation’s Education program. He graduated with the 2016/2017 set.
- Admission of the Foundation’s Beneficiaries into Tertiary Institution.
Six out of the orphans in the Foundation were admitted into Kwara State Polytechnic and University of Lagos last year to study various courses. Their names and courses respectively are:
Bose Adekanle: Accounting (Kwara State Polytechnic)
Yetunde Ajayi: Science and Lab Technology (Kwara State Polytechnic)
Florence Udoh: Mass Communication (Kwara State Polytechnic)
Joy Osiki: Mass Communication (Kwara State Polytechnic)
Jamiu Adegbiji: Mass Communication (Kwara State Polytechnic)
Miracle Esonwune: Law (University of Lagos)
They are fully sponsored by the Foundation educationally and are doing well in their studies.
- Empowerment of Widows
i) Mrs Abiodun Adekanle
As part of the activities of the Empowerment Agency, one of the goals is to set up small scale businesses for beneficiaries. On the 24th of April, 2017, a widow, Mrs. Abiodun Adekanle with six children benefitted from this program. She requested that a shop be gotten for her and as a result, Joyful Smiles Foundation purchased a container which was placed around where she lives. Apart from getting her a shop, goods to be sold were also bought and given to her. Right now, she is a proud owner of a cloth store and is doing very well for herself and her children.
ii) Mrs Funke Adekoya
Her husband died on August 2004 in a car accident on his way to Oye, Ondo State and left her with five (5) children. Her youngest child of fourteen years is the only one staying with her as the others stay with guardians while one is married. Before the demise of her husband, she owned a shop where she sold clothes. After her husband’s death, she had to make ends meet and as such did petty jobs like washing clothes, sweeping compounds and pounding yam for events. She paid a visit to the foundation office on 20th February, 2017 where she requested funds for her to start her cloth business again and also for the foundation to help her with her child’s education. The Empowerment Agency under JSF has now established her and she is doing well.
- Educational Support
i) Adeyemi Abidemi
The publication of Punch Daily newspaper on 23rd November, 2010 about Adeyemi Abidemi, a visually impaired student, caught the attention of Mrs. Funke Kayode, the Joyful Smiles Foundation Coordinator. This prompted the educational adoption of Adeyemi Abidemi on 22nd July, 2012 after an approval was given by the JSF Board of Trustee. The occasion took place at the conference hall of Queen’s college, Yaba, where Bidemi schooled. The event was witnessed by the principle, Queen’s College, a representative of Joyful Smiles Foundation Board of Trustee, the media and the Queen’s College community. As at the time, Bidemi was just in JSS 1 and she was sixteen years old. In 2013, during Bidemi’s long vacation, she proposed to study computer. The Foundation sent her to a school of Computer Studies for the visually impaired located in Abeokuta. Bidemi was successful in her studies and afterwards, the Foundation presented her with a brand new laptop that was loaded with screen reader application software for ease of usage. Later in September 2015, Bidemi was admitted into Model Senior College, Agbowa. So far, Bidemi has been doing really well academically and morally as she will be resuming her last session in the secondary school by September 2017.
ii) Yetunde Ajayi
Yetunde is one of the children of JSF’s beneficiary (a widower). She was brought to the foundation office by her father for educational assistance. According to the policy of the foundation to take one of the children of the beneficiaries, Yetunde was adopted educationally by the foundation since she met the requirements. With the support of the proprietor of Bluefield Academy, Yetunde became a student of the school and was admitted into SS2. She has now written her WAEC as well as JAMB. She is presently pursuing her admission into Yabatech.
- Community projects
i) Community High School
It was discovered that most of the seats were broken and it could cause domestic accidents and be detrimental to the safety of the students. The foundation as part of her intervention program embarked on a school reformation and provided desks and seats for the students.
ii) Bluefield Academy
Bluefield Academy is one school that also benefitted from the Foundation’s intervention program. JSF donated computer systems to the school.
