The Louis Awode Foundation has unveiled a five-year initiative aimed at nurturing a generation of schoolchildren who see themselves not as future job seekers, but as future job creators. The programme will train 500 children across Lagos and Ogun states in fashion design and allied entrepreneurial skills, equipping them with practical business knowledge while still in school.
Founder Louis Awode described the initiative as more than vocational training, calling it an early entrepreneurship pipeline designed to instill creativity, enterprise development, value creation, and financial independence from a young age.
“We are not training children to be dependent on jobs that may never arrive. We are building the hands and minds that will create those jobs for others. Entrepreneurship must begin in the classroom, not after graduation,” Awode said.
Currently completing an MBA at Georgia State University, Awode explained that the programme is a deeply personal intervention shaped by his upbringing in Ogbere, Ijebu East. “I grew up in an environment where lack was normal. Children need to feel capable of building something of their own. That belief is what drives entrepreneurship,” he said.
The Foundation’s training model combines fashion production skills with lessons in business planning, customer engagement, branding, and financial literacy. Participants will learn not only how to make garments, but also how to operate micro-enterprises — pricing products, managing clients, marketing, and reinvesting profits.
Recognising the high rate of youth unemployment and limited absorption by the formal economy, Awode said the creative sector offers one of the few accessible pathways for young entrepreneurs with limited start-up capital.
In tandem with the training programme, the Foundation will roll out Cloth-A-Child in May across selected primary and secondary schools in Lagos and Ogun. The initiative will provide essential clothing kits to disadvantaged pupils, while reinforcing confidence, identity, and a sense of belonging as the foundation for future entrepreneurial thinking.
“Clothing a child is not charity. It is restoration of confidence, identity, and the right to belong in a classroom. Once a child feels they belong, they can begin to imagine themselves as creators, innovators, and business owners,” Awode said.
The Cloth-A-Child initiative will be implemented in partnership with ClovisCasuals, Awode’s apparel brand known for collaborations with music stars Asake and Olamide, as well as influencers Yhemolee and MC Rhelax.
“We want children to leave school understanding that they can create value with their skills. Entrepreneurship is not something they should discover out of desperation later in life. It should be something they grow into with confidence,” Awode added.
The Louis Awode Foundation has unveiled a five-year initiative aimed at nurturing a generation of schoolchildren who see themselves not as future job seekers, but as future job creators. The programme will train 500 children across Lagos and Ogun states in fashion design and allied entrepreneurial skills, equipping them with practical business knowledge while still in school.
Founder Louis Awode described the initiative as more than vocational training, calling it an early entrepreneurship pipeline designed to instill creativity, enterprise development, value creation, and financial independence from a young age.
“We are not training children to be dependent on jobs that may never arrive. We are building the hands and minds that will create those jobs for others. Entrepreneurship must begin in the classroom, not after graduation,” Awode said.
Currently completing an MBA at Georgia State University, Awode explained that the programme is a deeply personal intervention shaped by his upbringing in Ogbere, Ijebu East. “I grew up in an environment where lack was normal. Children need to feel capable of building something of their own. That belief is what drives entrepreneurship,” he said.
The Foundation’s training model combines fashion production skills with lessons in business planning, customer engagement, branding, and financial literacy. Participants will learn not only how to make garments, but also how to operate micro-enterprises — pricing products, managing clients, marketing, and reinvesting profits.
Recognising the high rate of youth unemployment and limited absorption by the formal economy, Awode said the creative sector offers one of the few accessible pathways for young entrepreneurs with limited start-up capital.
In tandem with the training programme, the Foundation will roll out Cloth-A-Child in May across selected primary and secondary schools in Lagos and Ogun. The initiative will provide essential clothing kits to disadvantaged pupils, while reinforcing confidence, identity, and a sense of belonging as the foundation for future entrepreneurial thinking.
“Clothing a child is not charity. It is restoration of confidence, identity, and the right to belong in a classroom. Once a child feels they belong, they can begin to imagine themselves as creators, innovators, and business owners,” Awode said.
The Cloth-A-Child initiative will be implemented in partnership with ClovisCasuals, Awode’s apparel brand known for collaborations with music stars Asake and Olamide, as well as influencers Yhemolee and MC Rhelax.
“We want children to leave school understanding that they can create value with their skills. Entrepreneurship is not something they should discover out of desperation later in life. It should be something they grow into with confidence,” Awode added.
The project follows the Foundation’s recent Changing Lives.01 recognition of women sanitation workers in Lagos, reflecting a broader commitment to restoring dignity across underserved communities. The first phase of Cloth-A-Child will reach hundreds of pupils in Lagos and Ogun, with plans to expand to additional disadvantaged states nationwide.
