What began as a simple effort to spend time with vulnerable children has grown into an ambitious education project providing free boarding secondary education to children from underserved communities.
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At the centre of the story is Damilola Feyide, founder of Let It Shine Academy, an initiative that has evolved from a small creative programme into a free boarding school in Lagos.
Feyide’s journey began after a visit to a Lagos remand home on Valentine’s Day.
The encounter changed the way she viewed the challenges facing children who lacked access to stable educational opportunities.
What started as a creative academy that met on Saturdays gradually developed into a free secondary school.
The initiative eventually took another major step when it became a boarding school in September 2025.
Today, the academy provides education and accommodation for children who might otherwise struggle to remain in school because of economic and social challenges.
The scale of the operation is significant.
The school provides students with accommodation, meals, learning materials, uniforms, healthcare, security and other basic needs required for a stable educational environment.
Feyide has said the decision to establish a boarding school was driven by the realisation that simply removing tuition fees was not enough for some vulnerable children.
Many families still struggle with the costs of uniforms, textbooks, transportation and other school-related expenses.
For some children, unstable home environments can also make consistent schooling difficult.
The academy therefore seeks to remove as many barriers as possible between children and education.
Its model depends heavily on partnerships and community support.
Donations, corporate partnerships, grants and contributions from local businesses help sustain the school and provide the resources required to keep students in class.
The academy has also expanded beyond conventional classroom learning, with an emphasis on creative and practical skills.
Feyide rejects the idea that the institution should be viewed simply as charity.
Instead, she presents it as an investment in children whose circumstances should not determine the quality of education they receive.
The story of Let It Shine Academy has attracted attention because of the scale of its ambition.
Providing completely free boarding education requires more than classrooms and teachers.
It requires feeding students every day, maintaining accommodation, paying staff, providing healthcare and ensuring that children are safe.
Despite the challenges, the project continues to grow.
For Feyide, the ultimate objective is straightforward: to ensure that children from underserved communities have the opportunity to learn, develop their talents and imagine a different future.
What began with a small outreach has therefore become a much larger educational vision.
And at the heart of that vision is a simple belief: a child’s background should not determine how far education can take them.
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