Clothing Makoko Pupils

Funke Olaode

House of Henri recently teamed-up with Leslie Contraria, a fashion and art academy intern from AIESEC, Spain to put smiles on the faces of underprivileged pupils of the Whanyinna Floating School, in Makoko area of Lagos, by making clothes for them using DaViva fabric.

The project involved making afro-centric kaftans for girls and tunics for boys. The floating school is exactly what it is called. It is a school in the middle of the Lagos lagoon built with wooden stilts for props and wooden planks for platform. The pupils of the school come from indigent backgrounds and have to school under challenging and sometimes discouraging conditions.

Mindful that education and information is the easiest way to break the cycle of poverty, House of Henri showed the children that they are appreciated and encouraged them on to stay in school with this gesture of kindness. It was a time of joy and excitement as the pupils were delighted to receive the clothes made by House of Henri with DaViva fabric.

The other goal of this project was to reduce the incidence of malaria sickness among the students, which results in absenteeism from school, because of their residing in a swampy environment. Insecticide treated mosquito nets were distributed to all the pupils on behalf of Malaria Foundation International.

The CEO of House of Henri, Henrietta Agboola, revealed that as an advocate of the Malaria Foundation International, she wanted to further the cause of the foundation.