The Louis Awode Foundation has announced the launch of the Cloth-A-Child Project, an initiative that will provide essential clothing kits to disadvantaged pupils in selected primary and secondary schools across Lagos and Ogun states, starting from May this year.
The Founder, Louis Awode, a graduate of Political Science of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, said the project was inspired by his childhood realities. “I grew up in an environment where lack was normal. There were days when something as basic as proper clothing could affect whether a child felt confident enough to go to school. I know what it means to carry dignity quietly despite hardship. Cloth-A-Child exists for children who are where I once was.”
The initiative will be implemented in partnership with Clovis Casual, one of Awode’s own brainchild ventures, a Nigerian apparel brand known for collaborations with entertainment figures such as Asake and Olamide, as well as influencers Yhemolee and MC Rhelax.
The partnership ensures local production of durable, culturally appropriate school clothing while supporting community tailors. The project will also be driven and actively collaborated by the foundation’s board members, including Mrs. Mojisola Abdulai, a seasoned marketing and CSR expert with Itel Mobile, and Mrs. Funmi Ajao, an experienced creative director for Funmi photography. Their combined expertise will guide strategy, outreach, and creative engagement for the initiative.
“For many children in rural Nigeria, the journey to school begins not with books or lessons, but with a quiet calculation: Do I have what it takes to belong in the classroom today? That question once defined my childhood. Growing up in Ogbere, a modest community in Ijebu East Local Council of Ogun State, poverty often meant facing school with inadequate clothing and diminished confidence.
“Yet, the boy from Ogbere refused to be defined by limitation. Through persistence and faith in education, I earned admission to the Obafemi Awolowo University, where I studied Political Science and rose to become Secretary-General of the Students’ Union, one of the institution’s most influential student leadership positions. Today, I have continued my academic journey as an MBA student at Georgia State University in the United States, having previously earned a degree in International Business and Marketing from a university in Scotland.”
He also serves as Co-Director of the Society for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Business at Georgia State University, championing inclusive leadership and equitable access to opportunity, values that underpin the Cloth-A-Child initiative.
Well done for giving back to the society.