Match Up
The MatchUp is our signature project with a focus on matching out of school children’s profile to donor sponsors for educational funding in school for an agreed period of time up to higher education.
Ngunan during a “Women Win Elections” conference representing the Young Women’s Trust ( YWT), an organisation she volunteers at in the UK.
MatchUp
In 2003, after Ngunan lost her father, she feared for the future of her education as her mother now bore the sole financial responsibility for raising her and her siblings. With the responsibility of both their education and well-being, the weight on her mother’s shoulders became overwhelming.
However, someone stepped in to support. Ngunan reached out to her father’s friend, Anjah, and he was excited to sponsor her college education. Anjah, one of his close-knit friends, and her father – Samuel Ioron had a circle of friends that was so admirable and consistent in their love and support for each other that even in death, they supported Ngunan, and her family. At 11, Ngunan summoned courage and supported her mom to ensure she continued school. Her mom and dad believed in education and its power to challenge and change narratives, break barriers, and provide access to opportunities. It was her father’s utmost desire that she experience the world in such a transformative state, and her mom’s wish that her life becomes easier due to the knowledge education empowers her with. And how true this has been…
It takes a Village to raise a child, and it did take a close knit one to raise Ngunan, and she believes all children deserve the chance to experience education, and the outcomes of that. For her, she wouldn’t be nowhere near where she is now without support and the gift of education. It’s that same gift she hopes to deliver to other children.
Several years later, Ngunan is now a Master’s degree holder from the University of York, a Russell Group University in the United Kingdom, a human rights legal practitioner, and the founder of an organisation named after her father, which works to break educational barriers hindering access to education for women and girls.
In 2018, she began working to design a programme that matches up out-of-school children with prospective sponsors for educational support. In 2023, the idea for the MatchUp project was birthed. Between 2018 and March 2024, the project matched over 50 children with donors and enrolled children in school. To celebrate the life of her late father and the unwavering support from her mom (Mrs Yough), husband (Vanen), siblings (Msurshima, Aondofa, Iveren, Tavershima), her father’s close-knit friends (Anjah, Lt Uchin Jande, Mr Dhozo, Kwagzan Igbana, Mrs Nambe), Fr Mom, Mabel, Kunle, and other supporters who have supported and contributed to her growth, Ngunan, and the team at the Samuel Ioron Foundation (Mimi, Dooshima, Adewale, Hadasaah, Aondoaver, and Zion) have decided to redesign and relaunch this programme to support up to match up 650 children to donors for educational sponsorship.
What’s our strategic plan and approach for this programme?
None; we are banking on our hearts, people’s goodwill, and the evidence we show of what education can do to move people to match with children to ensure children in underserved communities, at least 650 of them, access and experience this gift of education through YOU. You can join our donor list to get matched up below.
Ngunan at the ONE office, where she works as the UK Communities Coordinator.
What happens next?
Once we have received your application to join our donor community, we will reach out regarding the terms and conditions, which include the duration of educational support details of the child matched. We will draw up a contract regarding the Match-Up, and the child goes to school viola.
Duration and plans can look like this:
Ioron
Annual support with agreeable renewal dates discussed to cover basic education ( prim and college
Yough
Term support with agreeable renewal dates discussed to cover prim or college on a case-to-case basis
Anjah
One-off support for a child’s fee