About Us
The Rural Gems transforms the lives of rural Nigerian children through literacy and free IT training. We bring libraries closer to rural children and facilitate IT training.
Our Slogan
Inspiring learning among rural Nigerian children
Our Vision
A world where rural children and youths in Nigeria have access to opportunities and empowered to succeed in life.
Our Mission
To inspire learning and broaden horizon among rural children and youths in Nigeria
Our Values
Create
Create opportunities: for young rural children to learn
Inform
Inform rural people with relevant news
Promote
Promote independence: for rural children through the culture of reading.
According to World Bank Report (2017), millions of children in low and middle-income countries are unable to read, write or do basic maths even after several years in school, (World Bank Report, 2017). In reality, most children in rural Nigerian communities lack the basic literacy skills and this further undermines their ability to succeed in education. TRG’s goal is to shrink this gap.
TRG is run by Corp members of the National Youth Service Scheme and retired teachers (from the local community). The first TRG library has over 200 registered children who are currently utilising this service. These children are drawn from various villages up to 5 miles away from the library.
We have partnered with local schools, parents, village heads, religious leaders, the State Ministry of Education, National Youth Service scheme, local publishers, retired teachers, the British Red Cross and several individuals in Nigeria and the diaspora.
Board of Trustees
Mary Chiaka Oguike
(Founder)
Mary Oguike is the founder of The Rural Gems (TRG), a not-for-profit organisation that believes Education is crucial for the advancement of communities. Through its work, TRG has reached over 200 rural children and 10 schools in a rural Nigerian community (Uzoagba) since its inception in May 2018. At age 39, Mary took a career break from being a Research Scientist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to found TRG. Mary obtained her M.Sc and PhD degrees from the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria with specialization in the field of malaria. With over fifteen years of research experience, Mary has recently joined Secondary education as a Science Teacher to transfer her passion for science to the younger generation.
Edmund Nwagbaraocha
(Executive Director)
Edmund, a millennial, is a first-class graduate with a Masters degree from the University of Derby, United Kingdom. He is an ardent believer in the power of education and so promotes this cause.
Tunde Tabi
(Public Relations Manager)
A Marketing Communications expert, Tunde has a degree in the Humanities and brings to the board of Trustees of The Rural Gems, two decades of advertising and public relations expertise spanning different industries.
Adrian Onyeka
(Secretary)
Adrian holds a PhD in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Kent, United Kingdom. He is an academic with extended experience in library management.