New Horizons Empowers Visually Impaired Students With Digital Skills, Scholarships

In a significant move to bridge the digital divide, New Horizons Nigeria has fully adopted the Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind school in Oshodi, Lagos, launching a comprehensive initiative to equip over one hundred visually impaired students with modern technology and education.

The company has donated high-performance computers, provided internet connectivity, and awarded full scholarships to every student in the school.

The scholarships cover extensive training in high-demand fields such as Microsoft Office, Data Science, Web Development, and Software Development.

The Managing Director of New Horizons, Tim Akano, personally delivered the computers and addressed the students, urging them not to let their disability hinder their progress.

He emphasised that the students require empowerment through skills, not pity, to become meaningful contributors to society.

Demonstrating a deep personal commitment, Akano has also provided life-changing opportunities for two individuals.

A student, Olayinka, who has been under New Horizons ICT training for one year, has been transferred to the school as a permanent ICT teacher while remaining on a lifetime employment payroll with New Horizons.

Additionally, a Vocational Training Centre instructor at the school, Mr Philips Oluwole Hassan, has been granted an overseas scholarship through the Tim Akano Foundation to study at a university in Australia.

“This intervention, part of New Horizons’ corporate social responsibility, is designed to provide the students with the tools for financial independence and meaningful lives, moving away from a reliance on begging.

This initiative reinforces New Horizons’ commitment to creating inclusive platforms where every individual can thrive.”

Akano further pledged to make philanthropic support a tradition, vowing to dedicate his birthday annually to the school and provide ongoing technical assistance.

The Principal of the school, Mrs Kayode Ajala, expressed profound gratitude for the gesture, praising the transfer of Olayinka as a teacher and the overall investment in the students’ futures.