A few years ago, Maryam Dauda’s mornings were spent by the roadside, helping to sell food to support her family. Survival, not school, was at the centre of her world.
Like many children growing up in underserved communities, she felt circumstances beyond her control constrained her future. Education was an aspiration rather than a certainty, and opportunities that other children took for granted often seemed beyond reach. Today, Maryam is a scholarship student at Federal Government College, Kaduna, one of the most competitive secondary schools in the state. She dreams of becoming a medical doctor and has already begun a journey that few could have imagined when she was younger.
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Her transformation began when she enrolled at the Access Bank Fifth Chukker School, an educational institution established through the long-standing partnership between Access Bank, Fifth Chukker and UNICEF. For nearly two decades, the partnership has provided vulnerable children with access to quality education, helping them overcome barriers that often keep young people permanently trapped in cycles of poverty and exclusion.
Once allowed to learn, Maryam quickly distinguished herself. Teachers observed a pupil eager to participate, committed to excellence, and determined to make the most of every opportunity available to her. Academic success soon followed, and she emerged as one of the school’s brightest pupils, earning a place among a select group of graduates admitted into leading secondary schools.
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Her progression reflects a broader story unfolding at the Access Bank Fifth Chukker School. Since its establishment, the school has helped hundreds of children access quality education, while also addressing many of the social and economic barriers that often prevent vulnerable families from keeping their children in school. The results are increasingly visible in the growing number of graduates who are successfully transitioning into highly regarded secondary institutions and pursuing ambitious professional aspirations.
For Maryam, education has opened doors that extend far beyond the classroom. In 2026, she was selected as part of the school’s delegation to the Access Bank UK Polo Day in Windsor, United Kingdom, providing international exposure and a rare opportunity to experience a world she once could only have imagined.
The annual event has become a powerful platform for driving support for the Access Bank, Fifth Chukker and UNICEF education partnership. Since inception, the initiative has raised over US$3 million and delivered 120 classroom blocks in Kaduna State, helping to expand access to quality education for vulnerable children. More than 14,000 children across underserved communities have now benefited from the Access Bank Fifth Chukker School initiative and its related education programmes, demonstrating the scale of impact that sustained collaboration can achieve.
Even more significant is the impact her success has had at home. Her achievements have inspired her siblings to take their own education more seriously, while her father has returned to adult education classes, determined to improve his literacy and communication skills. What began as one girl’s educational journey has evolved into a source of aspiration and transformation for an entire family.
This ripple effect is one of the most enduring outcomes of educational investment. Research consistently shows that educating one child often influences household behaviour, community expectations, and future generations. When children achieve success, they expand what families believe is possible.
At Access Bank Fifth Chukker School, stories like Maryam’s are increasingly becoming part of a larger narrative. Between 2018 and 2026 alone, the school produced 2,538 graduates, while more than 1,000 pupils benefit annually from foundational learning support designed to close gaps in education. In regions where girls often face greater barriers to education, the progress has been particularly significant. Girls now account for more than 54 per cent of all graduates, reflecting a deliberate commitment to ensuring that educational opportunity reaches those who need it most.
The partnership between Access Bank, Fifth Chukker and UNICEF was founded on the belief that vulnerable children deserve the same opportunity to learn, grow and succeed as their peers anywhere in the world. Over the years, that vision has evolved into a comprehensive educational model that combines quality teaching, modern infrastructure, nutrition, sports, arts, and community development initiatives designed to help children realisetheir full potential.
Maryam’s story demonstrates what that commitment can achieve. The young girl who once spent her days hawking food by the roadside is now pursuing a future defined by ambition rather than limitation. Her journey from vulnerability to opportunity serves as a powerful reminder that talent exists everywhere, but opportunity does not. When the latter is provided, lives can change in extraordinary ways.
For Maryam, the future now looks quite different from the past she once appeared destined to inherit. For countless other children, her story offers something equally important: proof that their circumstances do not have to determine their destiny.
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