By Onomiguren Agbamu
Fostering Hope Foundation, a non-governmental organization, has marked her one year anniversary in humanitarian services to the society.
The foundation, whose aim is passionately to empower communities, one family at a time, is committed to the well-being of better family unity and children’s protection.
Addressing journalists at a press conference in Asaba, Delta State capital, the Director, Community Engagement and Development and Head Communication, Comrade (Deacon) Patrick Ochei, said Fostering Hopes Foundation was registered to support families at risk of separation due to circumstantial poverty in the hopes of providing a better future for the children.
Comrade Ochei said the foundation believes firmly that children should not suffer because of the challenges bedeviling their families.
He worried that the circumstances where children drop out of school and become destitute and constitute a threat to law and order as a result of abandonment, for a non- well-structured system to absorb all of this anomaly, saying that negates the law on child rights.
He disclosed that Fostering Hope Foundation has felt if this situation is left to the government alone to handle, then it becomes a big challenge going forward.
He further maintained that, based on that, the Fostering Hopes Foundation will contribute her modest quota to solving family issues in the society, especially regarding the protection and development of the child.
He highlighted that for the past year, the foundation has been able to support 12 families with business grants of two hundred and fifty thousand naira (N250,000) for each of the families, especially the women, to open and run a small petty business to support their family’s upkeep.
He said the foundation has also placed other children on scholarship from nursery to secondary, with a focus on young families that are vulnerable, to enable their children to attend basic education needed to equip them for the future.
He also listed 40 other children who have already benefited from scholarships in the past year, awareness campaigns on personal hygiene with the distribution of sanitary pads to girl students, while others get family support business grants.
He said, “We have also engaged no less than 20 widows with skills acquisition in soap making, which we tagged ‘Strength for Skills in Soap Making Empowerment,’ where they were presented starter kits and a little fund for participating.”
“Our biggest program of the year was the Walkathon, a 60+ kilometer walk from Agbor to Asaba to create awareness on issues tearing families down and also draw attention to the protection and development needs of the child, based on the Child Rights Act of 2003 and the Delta State Child Rights Law of 2008”.
He commended partners for their credible support and called for more collaboration with government and corporate entities to avoid being weighed down or overwhelmed by the huge demands of vulnerable families on the list.
Lined up activities for the one year anniversary celebration’s programme, are visitation to St. Theresa’s Maternity and Hospital Issele-Uku; lyanga market along Okpanam Road, to encourage them on the need to build stronger bonds of unity for family preservation; and a Thanksgiving service at the Heroes Family Church, Okpanam Road, to thank God for the great things He has done with the Foundation in a space of one year.
The foundation also appreciated Chief (Dr) Newton Jibunoh, for his untiring commitment and breakthrough in humanitarian projects; the Obi of Ubulu-Uno, HRM Obi Henry Afamefune Kikachukwu; the Obi of Issele-Uku, HRM Agbogidi Obi Nduka; and the pastor of Heroes Family Church, Pst. Elvis Peters Uto, the Delta State NOA Director; Mrs. Tracy Ikolomi, the State Chairperson of SWS; Comrade Mrs. Stella Macaulay, the State PASAN Chairman; and Vice Comrades Timi Appah and Mrs. Patricia Nwabudike, members of the media constituency in Delta State with Comrades Josephine Omodor and Celestine Afokobah as focal persons.
He also commended and prayed for the founder and Executive Director, Fostering Hope Foundation, Nkechi Ukome, for God’s strength and wisdom to continue to pilot the affairs of the Foundation.
Also speaking at the press conference, the Obi of Obi of Ubulu-Uno, HRM Obi Henry Afamefune Kikachukwu, said the support for the Fostering Hopes Foundation grew out of natural love, and it was necessary to support the foundation since it concerns issues that affect communities.
According to him, “I didn’t just choose to be part of the foundation, but somehow it becomes very necessary for us to support our daughter to delve into issues that impacts our communities. It is just a natural call; you don’t need to be coarse to give her support”.
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