Maple Leaf Early Years Centre, Abuja

Every child deserves a safe place to learn, play and grow.

With the support of our partners, Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation is making quality early childhood education accessible to children in rural communities, displaced settings and host communities.
We provide teacher training, learning materials and age-appropriate classroom setups in community schools that receive no government funding, bringing hope and opportunity to low-income and hard-to-reach areas.

Help us reach more children: follow our journey, share this post, or visit the link in our bio to learn how you can support.
Together we can build brighter beginnings. ✨

“Assigning failure solely to ‘systems’ distances ourselves from responsibility. The deeper truth is that institutions are not abstractions; they are composed of human beings.” — Yasmine Sherif

At Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation we take that responsibility to heart. Institutions are made of people, teachers, caregivers, volunteers and families and when systems break down it’s people who respond. That’s why our humanitarian work focuses on actions that protect the youngest and most vulnerable:

- Education in Emergencies: keeping learning safe and continuous when conflict or disaster strikes.
- Early Childhood Development in Crisis: supporting the cognitive, social and emotional needs of infants and preschoolers.
- School Feeding: nourishing children so they can grow, concentrate and succeed in the classroom.

When we move from blame to action, children win.
Help us reach more children with care, learning and meals link in bio to learn more and support our work.

Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation’s Transitional Learning Center in Wassa IDP Camp (FCT) is a living example of what a holistic Education in Emergencies (EiE) approach can achieve. Despite the prolonged insurgency in Nigeria’s North East, children from Gwoza and Bama in Borno State who found refuge in Wassa are continuing their schooling now up to secondary level. This year we proudly welcomed our first cohort into JSS1 after completing primary education right here.

Why holistic EiE matters:
- It’s more than lessons, it’s safe learning spaces, trained teachers, psychosocial support, and community engagement.
- It keeps education continuous and relevant for displaced children, protecting their futures.
- It builds resilience and hope, turning crises into opportunities for growth and stability.

Seeing children move from the early years , primary to junior secondary is proof that sustainable, community-rooted EiE works.
Together we’re not just restoring schooling we’re restoring childhoods, dignity, and possibility.

Support, share, or learn more, every voice helps amplify this work.

Every child deserves a classroom even in crisis.
Ongoing insurgency and banditry in Nigeria are forcing families from their homes and swelling IDP camps and host communities.
Too many children are losing their chance to learn, heal, and hope for a brighter future.

At Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation, we are working with partners, in scaling up our Education in Emergencies (EiE) programmes to welcome displaced children, provide safe learning spaces, trained teachers, and vital psychosocial support so their education doesn’t stop.

You can help us reach more children today: donate, partner with us, or share this message so families in need can be found.
Link in bio to learn more and get involved. Together we can protect childhood and keep learning alive.

Every child deserves a strong start and great teachers make that possible.
Since 2011, Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation has focused on training early childhood educators so quality, creative learning reaches children in local communities, displaced settings and low‑income areas across Nigeria.

Our training modules simplify the Nigerian curriculum for play-based, culturally relevant delivery that teachers can use every day. But to scale this impact we must invest more in teacher training, and more funding, more professional development, and more local partnerships mean better outcomes for children and stronger communities.

Join us in investing in the first teachers of tomorrow:
- Support or partner with Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation
- Advocate for government & private investment in ECE teacher training
- Share this message to raise awareness

When we invest in teachers, we invest in Nigeria’s future.

We’re glad to announce that Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation has joined the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN)

ECDAN brings partners together to drive collective action for young children and their caregivers sharing knowledge, aligning practice, and advocating for better policies, more resources, and real accountability for results. As part of this powerful network, we’ll be taking part in learning events, contributing to resource collections, joining calls to action, and collaborating with local, regional, and global partners to amplify our impact in the early years.

We welcome stakeholders to connect with us DM, email, or visit our website (link in bio) to get involved.
Let’s work together to make a bigger difference for children and families everywhere.

Our young learners at Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation’s community learning center in Ife‑Ezinihitte, Imo State, gave their best during this term’s examinations — a powerful reminder that every child can succeed when given the chance.

At Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation we are honoured to provide quality early childhood and primary education in displaced, host and local communities and hard‑to‑reach areas, ensuring no child is left behind despite their circumstances.
Huge thanks to our dedicated donors, teachers, volunteers and supporters who make this possible.

Want to support more children like these?
Follow us, share our story, or visit the link in our bio to get involved.

Happy International Women’s Day!
As a woman-led organisation, Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation celebrates the incredible impact women have on our communities — today and every day.
We honour the leaders, teachers, staff, volunteers, mothers and community women whose resilience and devotion make education for vulnerable children possible across displaced settings, host communities and rural areas.

Special thanks to women policy makers like Hajiya Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim — now Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development — whose support as Hon. Commissioner (NCFRMI) helped establish our Transitional learning centers across Nigeria in 2021; to our Co-founder & Executive Director Mrs Ifedinma Nwigwe; our donors, volunteers, teachers, project staff, cooks, mothers of our beneficiaries, community women and to every woman who has shaped our journey. Your leadership changes lives.

Tag a woman who inspires you and celebrate her today.

WomanCommando

We were honoured to attend the 2026 Zero Project Conference in Vienna!

Our Senior Programme Officer, Logistics & Resource Mobilisation, engaged with global organizations and stakeholders to share and learn best practices on inclusive early childhood education. These conversations will help strengthen Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation’s programs in Nigeria and improve outcomes for young children, especially those with disabilities.

In the photos: meaningful exchanges, new connections, and moments of collaboration that will inform our next steps back home. Grateful to the Zero Project and all partners for a powerful platform for change.

Stay tuned as we bring these insights into our work — together we can make early years education more inclusive for every child.

Little hands, life learning! Swipe to see the children at our community learning center in Ife‑Ezinihitte, Imo State — exploring nature, learning through play, and discovering with local materials gathered from their own community.

Maple Leaf Early Years Foundation is proud to be at the forefront of early childhood education in displaced settings, host communities, rural and low‑income areas. To date we’ve reached 10,000+ children through teacher training, community school programs, and partnerships with State Universal Basic Education Boards.

We believe the best learning often happens close to home — using local resources, hands‑on activities, and outdoor exploration to spark curiosity and confidence.

Help us reach more little learners: follow, share, or visit the link in our bio to learn how you can support our work.