Six indigent students benefit from Rotary Endowment Fund

Rotary District 9110 Educational and Welfare Endowment Fund (DEWEF) Rotary International, has awarded additional six scholarships to brilliant but indigent students of higher institutions of learning during the programme: “Presentation of DEWEF Scholarship to University Students for 2014-2015 Rotary Year” at the event that took place at Rotary Centre, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.

In his opening remarks, the District Governor, Rotary International, District 9110 comprising Lagos and Ogun States, Dr. Dele Balogun, lauded the effort of the DEWEF Board of Trustees to ensure the sustainability of the scheme.

He congratulated the beneficiaries and asked them to justify the award by coming out the best in their various schools and courses. The beneficiaries include Bolaji Adeoye, (300 level) Olabisi Onabanjo University, Victoria Ajibola, (200 level, Banking/Finance), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Oyeshina Oyelade, (300 level, Economics), University of Lagos, Bunmi Adaraloye, (200 Level, Geophysics), University of Lagos, Adeyemi Anjorin, (200 Survey & Geo Info.), University of Lagos and Olanrewaju Adeneye, (300 Level, Law), Olabisi Onabajo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

In his welcome address, the Chairman, DEWEF Board of Trustees, Past District Governor, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adewuyi described DEWEF as a subject very dear to him, which also gave him a sense of pride and nostalgia. Adelusi disclosed that DEWEF started as an idea in the Rotary year 1991/1992 by the then District Governor, Adekunle Kukoyi with the main objective of the District having an intervention fund that could be used to do good in its immediate community and beyond.

“Today, DEWEF has on record, activities in the areas of education (scholarships), health, disaster relief, as well as economic and welfare projects,” Adelusi said. He congratulated the beneficiaries whom he asked to make the best use of the privilege of benefiting from the scheme by coming out in flying colour at the end of their various courses.

A member of the Board of Trustees, Past District Governor, Adeniji Raji said the value of the scholarship stands at N100,000.00 per year and that not less than 22 students only from public higher institutions of learning have benefited from the scheme. He revealed that best candidates are picked at the club level from their various communities, who are also screened at the District level.

“We also reach out to Universities to get us brilliant but indigent students and we got recommendations from some of the Universities last year while we also advertised on the pages of newspapers.

The incoming District Governor, Otunba Bola Onabadejo said the District was looking forward to when as many as fifteen or twenty would be benefitting from the scheme at the same time as opposed to the present number of six. “Rotary International is the only organization that spends less than five per cent of what we generate on administration.

And that is why UNICEF respects us and Bill Gate could partner with us. “In my own year, we would keep on doing it and probably increase the number of beneficiaries.

We are looking into the future when we can put in a big sum of money in the bank for the project and would just be spending the interest,” he said.