Tosin Allen
Tosin Allen is an entertainment promoter; events manager and movie producer. After relocating to Abuja from Lagos, she focused more on humanitarian works and set up the Audrey Allen Foundation. In this interview with our Reporter she talks about her passion for orphans, the physically challenged and vulnerable children.
What were the contributions of your foundation to the less privilege during the Independence celebration?
We visited some orphanages in and around Abuja and we shared love with the children there. We tried to make them happy and ensured they enjoy the Independence Day like every other child. God has been really kind; we got a
lot of new clothes from shop owners around Abuja, and we distributed to kids in various homes.
What stands the Audrey Allen Foundation out?
The fact that we have concerned people who have the interest of the less privilege children at heart stands the foundation out. Currently, we are planning a fund raising mid-next year and it is all to help our target audience.
What is the fund raising for?
We just got a landed property somewhere outside Abuja and we are hoping to develop a children’s hospital, school and a home for displaced children.
That is a major project, who are you reaching out to?
Everyone, corporate organisations, government parastatals, financial institutions, private business owners, the press and anyone who believes in what we are doing.
Do you have specifications for the children you will be caring for?
There are displaced children everywhere looking for how to survive, children who are supposed to be in school, but have been abandoned. They are all over the places, and it is very alarming. The fact that we are partnering with the press who can also refer these victims to us, will also help matters.
Tell us more about your foundation
I’m most delighted to introduce to you the Audrey Allen Foundation for Children. The Foundation, is a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) with affiliation of about 25 partner NGOs that are only into child-related issues such as polio, HIV and AIDS, child prostitution, child abuse; both sexual and domestic, child trafficking, Autism, Down Syndrome, Leukemia, heart diseases, and a host of others. As a mother of NGOs, Audrey Allen Foundation (AAF) is
saddled with the burden of sourcing for funds for our partner NGOs for the actualisation of projects as the foundation has identified paucity of funds and other resources as a limiting factor towards the effective implementation of projects.
Knowing fully that there are scarcity of funds for these kind of projects, what are the strategies do you want to apply to get these projects accomplish?
The core mandate of the Audrey Allen Foundation is using entertainment: movies, music, comedy shows, print media
publications and other special events to raise funds and other resources for our affiliated NGOs, who are gravely faced with serious scarcity of funds in the execution of their projects.
You seem to work more with maltreated children; were you abused as a child?
This is a very personal one but I’m willing to share it, so I can be an inspiration or a sort of motivation to others, who have been victims as children. I was sexually abused at a very tender age, so it really resonates to me when I work on such cases. It’s a very sensitive and people would rather not talk about. But I think it is time someone spoke up. In the past, we have funded debates in secondary schools, promoting the girl-child education, condemning any form of
abuse. I am infact working on a movie project. I have been working on it for months. It addresses the major issues that affect the modern day child. It exposes a lot of things parents don’t see or over look.
Do you get any government support?
We have an endorsement from the presidency through the office of the special adviser to the president on youth and student matters. Our goal is to tour all the 36 states of Nigeria visiting secondary schools for screening which will be followed by seminars. The end material will be translated into the three major languages for easy understanding and
access.
Who are the trustees of the foundation?
Our trustees include Mr. Samson Siasia, Adeola Agoro, Brian Okwara and Femi Brainard. We also have a lot of supporters too.
What are the challenges of managing the foundation?
The major challenge is funding because we realised that people have lost faith in charitable organisations due to fraudulent activities.
People say you have left entertainment for good, is this true?
No, I am the boss of an entertainment outfit called Allen Touch Events. We organise events, and I told you earlier,
I am shooting a movie soon, so entertainment is still part of me. I’m a workaholic and I’m very passionate about anything I do. So I put in everything I have got into it and I cope very well.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I am a determine woman who strives to achieve my goals against all odds. My mum and Oprah Winfrey are my role models.
Who are those that influence your life?
I grew up watching Oprah on the television, inspiring and helping people through her selfless contribution to the society as well as the talk show. I lost my dad when I was barely three years old, and since then, my mum has been my rock. She sent me to the best schools even though it was almost beyond her means. She was determined and her desire was to ensure that I got the best of everything in life.
When is Tosin Allen getting married?
I’m not getting married yet. I was 30 in August, but that does not worry me. I am more concerned with my work for now.
At what point would you say you are fulfilled as a humanitarian?
I would love to continue to touch lives to bring about the necessary changes. This would include providing for over 80 children-related non governmental organisations in and outside Nigeria. I would also love to own a children’s hospital and be able to affect over 10millon lives directly or indirectly through my movies, music, social media platforms and child development programmes. In addition, I would love to achieve a number of personal goals in life which include being married with children.
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