By Patrick Ochei
A Non Governmental Organization known as Fostering Hopes Foundation has undertaken to lift three families out of poverty in its pilot scheme as it takes off with humanitarian services in Nigeria.
This information was disclosed on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, during a strategic meeting with the Operations Team of the Foundation at the Top View Hotel in Asaba, Delta State.
The principal partner of the Foundation and a Deltan, Ms. Nkechi Ukome said she was happy returning home to drive her dream of many years of planning to go into humanitarian services to families living below the baseline of poverty.
She affirmed that her idea of helping the needy in the society is to give them comprehensive help that touches on all sides as a way of stabilizing the family for better impact with a view to lifting them above poverty.
According to her, “I feel proud now as a Deltan, as a Nigerian and as an African seeing this Foundation taking off in my home State. You know what they say, ‘charity begins at home’. So, I am pleased coming back home to launch this Foundation that is most eager to give struggling families a new lease of hope to face life from a happier, more comfortable and prosperous perspective.
“We are taking off with just three families that we are going to give a comprehensive survival package that will help them overcome intense struggle in the nearest future. Our target is to the women and children most particularly, but in the overall agenda, the impact definitely will affect the entire family members.
“I encourage you as team members to help drive this course with the fear of GOD and the desire to see suffering families ignite hope and have reasons to smile in life. I will be coming every now and then to monitor progress.
“This is a way to give back to our society. I want to believe that government cannot meet all of the needs of her citizens and so, it is pertinent and incumbent on all well meaning and well-to-do people of the country to contribute in lifting others up along the line.
“This is our modest way of supporting the progress, growth and development of our dear country and I hope it goes a long way in fostering hopes among the vulnerable, oppressed and marginalized in the society”, Ukome stressed.
Meanwhile, in partnership with the Welfare Department of the Heroes Family Church, Okpanam, three women – one a widow, another with a husband in prison and the other with a husband not capable to support his family were selected to be empowered to set up a proper petty trading business and expand where necessary.
The Foundation is to release fund to this effect and monitor the progress of the businesses in another six months before enlisting them to learn a skill that will launch them into another level of sustainability.
While the beneficiaries are being engaged in these businesses, the Foundation has also undertaken to put their children in a modest private school where it is going to take responsibility for their tuition fees and transportation cost.
The beneficiaries – Mrs. Cynthia Okoro has six children, five are to be enlisted into school, Mrs. Chinasa Ogbeyono has four children, three are to be enlisted into school and Mrs. Esther Obasi has five children, four are to be enlisted into school respectively.
