Creating a Safer Place to Learn, One Classroom at a Time

Sometimes change begins with one school, one classroom, and one decision not to look away.
Anglican Grammar School in Agbirigidi, Moniya, Oyo State, serves students from a rural community where access to safe and decent learning spaces had become a serious challenge. When Empower To Thrive Development Initiative first visited the school, the learning environment was in a deeply unsafe condition. Classroom roofs and walls were broken, only one classroom was functional, and even that room had a ceiling that was close to collapse. Students and teachers were trying to continue learning in conditions no child should have to endure.

The Agbirigidi Classroom Renovation Project began as a practical response to this urgent need. The original goal was to build a new classroom block before the rainy season, but when the first fundraising target could not be fully met, the project was redesigned to focus on renovating an existing classroom block. This decision allowed available funds to be used quickly and responsibly while keeping the same goal in view: giving students a safer, more dignified learning space.
Through public crowdfunding, supporters helped raise funds to repair the classroom block. The first campaign exceeded its revised target, raising ₦963,860 against a funding goal of ₦953,000, with support from 25 donors. These funds helped address urgent structural needs, including work on the classroom block’s lintel, roof, ceiling, walls, and floor. The project also relied on local artisans to keep costs low and ensure that resources went directly into improving the school environment.
The work did not end with the first phase. A follow-up campaign documented the progress already made: foundation cracks had been repaired, a new roof installed, and a new ceiling put in place. Most importantly, the children were able to begin using the classroom without the immediate threat of a leaking roof and broken walls. The remaining work included replastering the internal and external walls, replastering the floor, installing windows and a door, and painting the classroom.

What Happened Next
One of the most powerful outcomes of the Agbirigidi Classroom Renovation Project was the attention it brought to the urgent need for investment in the school. After Empower To Thrive commenced the renovation of one classroom block and helped draw public attention to the condition of the school, the Oyo State Government, through UBEC/SUBEB, later undertook major construction of new classroom blocks in the school.
This government intervention transformed the learning environment for children in the community. What began as a modest effort to make one block safe became part of a much larger story of change. The new buildings created a more decent, encouraging, and child-friendly environment for learning, and school enrolment increased by more than four times as families gained renewed confidence in the school.
Empower To Thrive is proud that its initial action helped shine a light on a neglected need and contributed to momentum for wider public investment. The project shows that community-led action can do more than repair a classroom. It can raise awareness, mobilize stakeholders, influence government response, and unlock lasting benefits for children and families.

Why This Project Matters
A safe classroom is more than a structure. It is a place where children can concentrate, teachers can teach, and communities can believe again in the promise of education. For students in Agbirigidi, renovating the classroom block meant reducing exposure to rain, unsafe walls, and deteriorating facilities — and creating a learning space that better reflected their worth and potential.
The later government construction demonstrated the value of advocacy through action. By stepping in first, Empower To Thrive helped make the school’s needs visible. By responding at scale, the government helped ensure that many more children could study in a decent environment.