Homeless 8-year-old Nigerian refugee becomes chess champ and inspires donations
A homeless Nigerian boy, whose family is seeking asylum in the US, has been crowned a chess champion at the young age of 8-years-old.
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And after winning the state chess title for his kindergarten through third grade age group, last weekend, Tanitoluwa Adewumi has already making a name for himself in his new home country.
Adewumi’s family is waiting for their asylum application to be considered after fleeing the country in 2017 due to fears over Boko Haram extremists terrorizing Christians in the region, The New York Times reports.
Tani, as he’s called, started playing chess when he reached the US. And once he and his siblings were enrolled in school, they signed up for a local chess club.
On Saturday, Tani would also attend free 3-hour chess sessions in Harlem, along with participating with playing with his dad Kayode, an Uber driver who just got his real estate license, daily.
Initially, when Tani’s mother Oluwatoyin wanted her son to participate in the club she admits she couldn’t afford the fees so the school waived them.
Tani’s goal now is to become the youngest grandmaster ‘ever’, he told The New York Times.
“It’s an inspiring example of how life’s challenges do not define a person,” said Jane Hsu, the principal of P.S. 116, which held a pep rally to celebrate Tani’s victory, the outlet reported.
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A GoFundMe campaign has now been set up by Russ Makofsy, who runs the school’s chess club, to help Tani and his family. The fund has already surpassed a $50,000 goal and reached nearly $75,000. This just shows that we can all help out and provide refugee assistance one way or another.
