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A2S founder and executive director Andrew Lovedale feels a close kinship to the youth in Nigeria, where he was raised.
Planting Seeds for Change
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Davidson’s Access to Success opens youth center in Nigeria
by Renee Roberson | Photography provided by Access to Success
After 12 years of developing their primarily educational and entrepreneurial programs in Nigeria, this past summer A2S opened up a designated youth center facility.
Andrew Lovedale grew up one of eight children in Benin City, Nigeria, and his parents were both educated and held positions in public service. They firmly believed in the value of education for their children. But when Lovedale was 14 years old, his father unexpectedly passed away, and his world changed in an instant. He couldn’t understand why they had done everything right and yet, his mother had to sell all their possessions in order for them to survive.
His brothers rallied together and introduced him to the sport of basketball, where hard work and dedication to improving his skills resulted in him participating in the Amaechi Basketball Centre in Manchester, England. That’s when he met Davidson College men’s basketball coach Bob McKillop.
shoes for all
While playing alongside fellow Wildcat Stephen Curry, Lovedale noticed how many extra pairs of athletic sneakers he and teammates had access to, and it sparked an idea in his brain. He asked if he and the team could collect all of their worn shoes, which were still in great shape, so he could give them to the youth in Nigeria when he returned there that summer. In his final season they held the first annual Kicks from ‘Cats’ Shoe Drive during their Brackbuster game on ESPN. With help from Samaritan’s Feet, the drive collected more than 10,000 pairs of shoes and raised $15,000.
Lovedale says he returned from that trip to Nigeria thinking, “I just can’t give the kids less than I’ve been given.” He recognized that all the people that have put in his path have been there to move him from one point to the next. “Thinking through that, I came back, met with our co-founders, and we started Access to Success (A2S). We wanted to love on the people and be consistent. We wanted the people on the ground to let us know what they needed.”
The nonprofit’s mission is “to provide sustainable programs that generate positive change for Nigerian children and their communities.” In June 2011, their small team visited schools, led basketball clinics and volleyball clinics, and worked with a local church to create an afterschool enrichment program. They started with 50 children in the After School academy. There are now more than 240 students, and the nonprofit supports approximately 10,000 community members each year.
recognIzIng roadBlocks
Lovedale knew Access to Success (which is based in Davidson) could provide resources to support the school, but he also recognized the quality of the education was a roadblock. He says that in Nigeria, a family spends more than 56 percent of their income on food. The After School Academy provides a hot meal to the students, with foods purchased fresh from the local markets, often prepared by the students’ own mothers. The program offers the students activities such as sports, music lessons, technology exploration, and lessons in entrepreneurship. Their Scholars Program offers scholarships for primary, secondary, and university level education, ensuring that 100 percent of the children that attend the After School Academy are enrolled in formal schools; with many scholars traveling to the United States for educational opportunities.
This past summer, Access to Success continued to support Lovedale’s beloved Nigerian community by opening up a dedicated Youth Center facility. Their annual fundraiser, Soulful Supper, will take place on the Davidson College campus on Oct. 8. This event will celebrate the latest milestone in Nigeria and help fund the first year of operations.
faIThful parTners
Through it all, Lovedale, who now serves as executive director for Access to Success, pro bono, knows the community of Davidson has been a strong and faithful partner in helping him support his friends and family in Benin City.
“They gave me the resources to go do this—these people p who I’d never met before,” he says. “Davidson sent me on an errand, and it’s one that’s continued to shift our very existence. My purpose in life is well rooted in Davidson’s story.”
Visit www.a2sfoundation.org/soulful-supper-2022 to learn more.
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Photography by Lisa Crates One of the many egg dishes at The Neighborhood Cafe.
