By Godwin Udoh
His Royal Majesty, Obi Henry Afamefune Kikachukwu, the Obi of Obulu-Uno, has commended Fostering Hopes Foundation for empowering 12 vulnerable families in rural communities with grants of N250,000 each to start small businesses as part of its first-year anniversary activities.
The monarch praised the Foundation for its impact, noting that supporting families struggling with circumstantial poverty is a vital way of securing the future of children. He stressed that when children are given opportunities to grow despite financial hardship, the entire society benefits.
Founded one year ago by Mrs. Nkechi Ukome, Fostering Hopes Foundation is a fast-growing humanitarian organization committed to empowering vulnerable families and protecting children. Through impact-driven projects and community outreach across Delta State, the Foundation has touched many lives within a short period.
At a press conference to mark the anniversary, Comrade Patrick Ochei, the Foundation’s Director of Community Engagement and Development, outlined some of its achievements.
“In the past year, we supported 12 vulnerable families with business grants of N250,000 each to enable them to start petty businesses. While the parents work towards stability, the children from these families are placed on full educational scholarships from nursery through secondary school,” Ochei said.
He disclosed that 40 children are currently benefitting from the scholarships, with the Foundation spending nearly N3 million recently to pay their first-term fees in various private schools across Delta State.
Beyond family and educational support, the NGO has also reached out to schools and marginalized communities. One of its recent interventions was at Isheagu Grammar School, where it taught personal hygiene and distributed sanitary pads to female students.
Reiterating the Foundation’s vision, Ochei said: “We believe family unity is the backbone of a progressive society. When families break apart due to poverty or misfortune, the children are often the worst affected—dropping out of school, becoming destitute, or falling into conflict with the law.”
