In its quest to invest in human capital development, Dream Rite, a non-profit organisation, has empowered over 3,000 young Nigerians through the provision of scholarship opportunities in tertiary institutions across the country and mentorship programmes aimed at helping them transform their lives and secure their future.
Registered in both the United States and Nigeria, the organisation has organised educational and leadership programmes that have also impacted the lives of secondary school students since its inception in 2015.
At a conference to mark its 10th anniversary on Saturday in Lagos, the foundation called on people of goodwill and corporate organisations to support its programmes by funding the scholarship.
Speaking at the event, the founder and executive director of Dream Rite, Mr Olu Efunwoye, highlighted the impact of the NGO’s programmes in accelerating the education and empowerment of young students who have participated in the last 10 years.
Efunwoye said the organisation provides scholarships to young people through Dreamers College Fund (DCF) and mentorship through the MentorMe initiative that not only equips the students with necessary practical tips for success in life but also connects them with professionals to guide their academic and career growth.
He said the organisation combines both scholarship and mentorship to give the young ones a well-rounded empowerment, emphasising that “money moves fastest when paired with coaching.”
“Our scholarship programme is not merely a source of funds; it comes with a complete package of guided assistance throughout the engagement,” he stated.
According to him, the DCF offers an ₦1 million scholarship grant to each successful student annually till they finish their studies.
In an interview with newsmen, the executive director revealed that his ugly experience while schooling informed his decision to set up the foundation to help transform the lives of young Africans through education.
He said the foundation spends not less than N50 million every year on giving scholarship grants to students through the DCF.
He said the foundation has criteria for students to be eligible for the scholarship. These include being a young high school graduate or first-year university student in every discipline and undergoing a five-stage application process.
“The scholarship fund is for universities. We have done programmes for secondary schools before, but this one, we are focusing on just those in the university. They have to meet the criteria. I must also say that they have to be less than 25 years old because we want to scale that to the young people,” Efunwoye explained.
The five-stage application process includes submission of application, review stage, testing (when the foundation conducts an online scholarship test for candidates), research stage (applicants are given a research project to do), and the final stage, which is a physical interview.
“After passing through this stage, those found worthy are admitted into the scheme,” he added.
From three beneficiaries when the foundation instituted the DCF in 2021, the number of college scholarships awarded has grown to 50 as of 2024. The organisation has raised over $80,000 since 2015 for the execution of various social-impact projects. Some of them include organising after-school tutorials for high school students and those preparing for the tertiary matriculation examination and distribution of educational materials to indigent students.
The executive director said that while they were yet to determine the number of beneficiaries this year, they hope to exceed the number awarded in the previous year.
According to him, almost 4,000 people registered online this year for the scholarship from across the country and are currently undergoing the application process. The winners will be announced in the second week of December, he added.
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He expressed gratitude to all donors (corporate organisations and individuals) and called for support by either becoming a partner and sponsoring the scholarship fund or serving as a mentor to provide an excellent guide to students on meeting their academic and career needs.
“We are attracting people who believe in the work we are doing because we are not doing this for ourselves. We continue to call for funding because we need to move this wheel with funds. The more we have, the more we are able to do.”
For support, he called on people to visit the website for more information on making donations.
He explained that the organisation has a structured platform and publishes its financial reports on its website every year for transparency.
He hinted that the organisation is making plans to extend the programme to other African countries, starting from next year, in line with its long-term vision. According to him, the countries will be announced later this year.
“We are going to be expanding and replicating everything that we have done in Nigeria in the last 10 years.”
Some of the Dream Rite scholars who spoke to newsmen at the event expressed gratitude to the organisation for the scholarship and mentorship programmes that have significantly transformed their lives.
One of them, Daniel Okoye, a 100-level student of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Ibadan, said he got the scholarship in 2024 after applying for two consecutive times. “Dream Rite has been an integral part of my development. It has helped me a lot, especially the MentorMe programme of Dream Rite,” Okoye stated.
He said the programme equally equips students with leadership skills to make positive impacts in society.
Miss Balqees Abubakar, a 400-level student of economics at the University of Ilorin, said the organisation not only provides scholarship funds but also focuses on the career growth and personal development of students.
Miss Abubakar, who aspires to become a financial analyst, pledged to deploy her skills in helping to uplift people in society.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist, scholar and analyst of socioeconomic issues in Nigeria and Africa. He is skilled in energy reporting, business and economy, and holds a master's degree in mass communication.
Benedict
September 7, 2025This is a nice gesture, a great way to impact human lives, especially youths who are leaders of tomorrow.