our history

… it started small,

In December of 2011, Sa'id Haruna shared his idea to organise annual one-off outreach programs and received overwhelming support from friends and family. A few weeks later, over 10 volunteers met several times, organised the first program under the name "I am differNT Project" and put together a humble amount of supplies to donate to a local school. The event was very well organised and a success - It inspired him to start a non-profit organisation. 

By 2012, The Ideal Aid & Development Initiative (IAD) was born, with a team of dedicated young adults, and through self-funding, hard work, dedication and creativity, it began hosting fund-raisers, charity sports matches, orphanage visIts and summer school programs. The organisation received a steady stream of support and helped create an atmosphere for community development amongst young adults throughout its area of operations. 

By 2016, IAD hosted over 15 events and reached out to a combined total of over 200 students, orphans and other almajiris*, successfully providing one such beneficiary a scholarship. Even though the organisation hosted a number of programs and events, the summer school program stood out because it highlighted a problem which needed immediate attention; good education is crucial in ensuring long-term development in any community. With this realisation, IAD refocused itself to providing equal learning opportunities for all. 

Throughout 2017, IAD worked hard to re-strategise and refocus itself to work on improving access to education, starting from a local community and eventually expanding to more places in the future, the organisation officially moved and Incorporated as the Initiative For Aid & Educational Development, with the mandate of contributing its quota to making education better and more accessible to all. So, here we are today...