Every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, but this dream can only be realized with the right blend of education and nutrition. Recognizing this crucial need, Tonic Technologies (Cardtonic) partnered with the Lagos Food Bank Initiative on Friday August 23, 2024, to host a vibrant career fair and meal distribution for school children in the Agege community on the platform of the Education Enhancement for Food Insecure School Children (EDUFOOD).

The aim of EDUFOOD is to boost cognitive performance and to increase school attendance rates among food-insecure school children. However, EDUFOOD is not just about feeding school children but also about igniting aspirations. Therefore, by pairing nutrition with career orientation, the program helps shape the futures of these young learners, guiding them toward their dreams and the paths needed to achieve them.

Addressing attendees of the program, the Chief Operating Officer of Cardtonic, Vivian Mbene, appreciated the food bank for another successful partnership to foster community development. She also highlighted the importance of the career fair as a way of shaping the minds of children to become productive in their respective communities.

Also briefing attendees which included the Cardtonic team and food bank volunteers, the EDUFOOD program officer of the food bank, Mopelola Oladapo, expressed a heartwarming gratitude to the partners of the day for their impactful initiative and recurring partnership,  encouraging the children to key into the knowledge to be shared in readiness for a brighter future to alleviate poverty and illiteracy affecting households in low-income communities.

On this memorable day, children eagerly absorbed insights from practicing professionals as they spoke on various career topics such as medical, entrepreneurship, HR (human resources) and tech, gaining valuable knowledge about these careers and how to pursue them. As they enjoyed their meals, their faces glowed with the joy and excitement of new possibilities, reflecting the bright future that lies ahead.

The speakers were fascinated by the responses some of the children provided to their questions to demonstrate how much they learned. This resulted in some of the children going home with memorable gifts in appreciation for their participation in the Cardtonic Career Fair.