Oando Foundation has launched a support fund, the Ebola Education Support Fund, to support the education of Nigerian children who have lost one or both parents to the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

“We appreciate that the loss of a parent or both parents to EVD can be very daunting and seriously affect the future of a child, said Tokunboh Durosaro, Director, Oando Foundation.

Durosaro stressed the importance of education, which was why Oando Foundation has launched the Fund to mitigate the effect of the tragedy caused by EVD.

According to her, “the fund will ensure that all affected children complete their education to university level.”

The foundation noted that the loss of a parent or both parents as a result of the disease could have a huge impact on the ability of children to continue schooling thereby invariably affecting the future of our country. The Fund is however ready to ensure it lessens the effects of the tragedy.

With 10.5 million Nigerian children out-of-school, according to the UNESCO Education for All Report 2013/14, the Foundation is poised to ensure that the devastation caused by the EVD does not increase the number of Out-of-School Children in Nigeria.

Oando Foundation has also donated over 5,000 protective suits, gloves, protective glasses and boot covers to support the Ebola Containment Trust Fund in preventing further spread of the disease.

Ebola is a contagious and highly infectious hemorrhagic fever sweeping through West Africa; in Nigeria there have been five reported fatalities in Lagos and Rivers States.

The virus has led to the death of 1,552 peoplein West Africa as August 26, 2014.