The Hannis Institute for Development Studies (HIDS), a Non-Governmental Organisation has concluded arrangements to host secondary school students in Kwara State, who are mostly from rural communities, on a camping fellowship.

The programme, tagged Countryside Emerging Leadership Fellowship (CELF) would be a two-week long camping fellowship of outstanding secondary school students who are randomly selected across all the sixteen local government areas of Kwara State for mentorship, self-development, community development and entrepreneurship trainings.

In a statement signed by the CELF convener and community development practitioner, Mr. Lawal Olohungbebe, the initiative, among other objectives, is to open the Fellows’ minds to possibilities and prospects in the State and beyond, and to instill in them the culture of giving back to their communities; thereby bridging the opportunity gaps among the youths in rural areas and their counterparts in the urban centres.

Olohungbebe who added that, through the CELF, further educational pursuit among secondary school students in the rural areas will be encouraged as adaptable knowledge will be provided to all the Fellows irrespective of their socioeconomic backgrounds and religions.

The statement which called on individual, corporate bodies as well as government to support the initiative in order to make it more sustainable, added that each fellow will be empowered to empower others in their various communities across the State.

The fellowship camping which will be an annual event, according to the statement, will come up between October 28 and November 11 this year.

The statement further enjoined members of the public to visit www.celf.com.ng for partnership and sponsorship details.