The International Irene Popoola Helping Heart Foundation, a newly established non-governmental organization, has announced plans to address the educational needs of underprivileged children in Nigeria, starting with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
At the launch ceremony held at the Nera Hotel in Abuja, the foundation, founded by Irene Popoola, was praised for its commitment to improving the education of underprivileged children.
The foundation is said to have been providing informal support to students and orphanages for the past three years, but is now expanding its efforts to create a deeper systemic impact.
Supporting “overlooked” students
Consulting physician and event chair Damilare Popoola spoke about the inspiration behind the Foundation’s mission in his opening remarks.
He said many children in public schools in Nigeria suffer from a lack of basic educational supplies, which severely hinders their academic progress.
“We realized that many children in public schools do not have something as simple as a school bag. Not because we don’t, but because that’s all we have. These kids deserve better evaluation, and that’s where we step in,” he said.
The foundation stressed that it is focused on providing essential items such as school bags, math sets, shoes and other educational materials so that children can fully participate in their studies.
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“We want to meet the needs of children where they are. For example, many special needs schools are often ignored, but we intervene to support them. ” he added.
Speaking on the foundation’s expansion plans, he said: “We already have two generation plans to expand beyond the FCT to other states in Nigeria. We are targeting several states in the Northeast that are often overlooked.”
He added that the foundation has supported nearly 300 children since its inception and hopes to reach 5,000 beneficiaries within a year, subject to available funds.
Challenges and long-term vision
Although the foundation’s mission is just beginning, Popoola acknowledged that fundraising remains a major challenge.
He said: “We are still small and most of our business is self-funded. However, we are fortunate to have support from organizations like Ecobank, and more partners are joining us. I am optimistic that he will.”
Regarding the Foundation’s future goals, he emphasized the importance of sustainable growth.
He said: “We have strong governance structures in place and are committed to ensuring that every kobo we receive goes directly to supporting children. Our long-term vision is to carry this mission and to impact all of Africa.”
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call to action
In her keynote address, Irene Popoola, founder and owner of Oasis School, explained her motivation for establishing the foundation.
She pointed out that individuals need to do their part to help the less fortunate, regardless of their circumstances.
“We don’t give from a place of wealth, we give because we understand the needs of children. In today’s economy, many people are struggling, but we “Everyone must have the heart to do their bit, no matter how small,” she said.
Ms. Popoola said the foundation plans to expand its efforts beyond education to health care. She described plans to bring foreign doctors to Nigeria to provide free medical services to underserved rural areas.
The foundation added that it will also provide mobile clinics to address other urgent medical needs, such as distributing eyeglasses for the visually impaired.
“We want to go to villages, identify people suffering from cataracts and treat them on the spot.We also provide glasses to those who need them.To alleviate the suffering of people in rural areas “There’s a lot we can do to help,” she said.
call for public support
Mr. Popoola emphasized that the Foundation cannot achieve its goals alone and called on the public, corporate partners and volunteers to support the Foundation’s mission.
“We need more people – volunteers, donations, partnerships – people who share our vision of empowering disadvantaged children and improving access to education,” he said. We welcome you.”
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