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By Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The Chijioke Ugwueze Memorial Foundation said it has empowered about 1,500 indigent widows, trained scores of youths and persons living with disabilities and produced its first 14 university graduates under its scholarship scheme in the five years of its existence.
The foundation made the disclosure on Tuesday, during a pre-anniversary press briefing ahead of its fifth anniversary celebration, scheduled for tomorrow, highlighting what it described as the impact of its interventions across Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Founder and president of the foundation, Dr. Amaka Ugwueze, said the organisation was established to fulfil the dream of her late husband, Chijioke Ugwueze, whose vision was to create a platform that would continue supporting the less privileged long after his lifetime.
“The foundation was borne out of a dream of my late husband that we shared long before his passing. We had always talked about formalising our charitable work into a foundation, so that it would continue consistently and outlive us,” she said.
She stressed that although her husband died before the vision could be realised, she resolved to keep the dream alive.
“It has not been easy because he left very big shoes to fill, but I have remained committed to ensuring that his vision lives on,” she said.
Ugwueze explained that the foundation was inaugurated on July 31, 2021, during her husband’s one-year memorial, beginning with grants to indigent widows across the 11 wards of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area.
She said the intervention has since grown to include annual Christmas outreach programmes, through which between 200 and 300 widows receive rice, wrappers, clothing, shoes, and cash gifts, bringing the total number of widows reached over the past five years to about 1,500.
The foundation, she added, has also expanded its programmes to include vocational training for youths and persons living with disabilities, business grants, annual novelty football matches to promote peace and unity, and educational support for indigent students.
Highlighting one of its success stories, Ugwueze said a physically
challenged beneficiary, who received training and support from the
foundation, now owns a thriving shoemaking business.
“We provided him with a wheelchair, trained him in shoemaking, and gave him an industrial machine. Today, he runs his own shoe-making business and earns a living from it,” she said.
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On education, she disclosed that the foundation sponsored 33 indigent students for WAEC, NECO, and JAMB examinations, with 15 gaining admission into tertiary institutions. Fourteen of them remained on the programme and are now completing their university education on full scholarships covering tuition, accommodation, books, and other expenses.
“Today, those pioneer beneficiaries are writing their final examinations and are expected to graduate this year. It is a moment of great joy for us because our first set of university scholars is becoming a reality,” she said.
She added that the foundation has continued to sponsor new candidates for external examinations and would enroll another batch of youths in vocational training later this year.
“As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we want to showcase the impact we have made, tell our story and share our vision for the future. There are still countless less-privileged people, who need support. We cannot do it alone,” she said
She appealed to individuals, corporate organisations, and development partners to collaborate with the foundation to expand its scholarship and empowerment programmes.
Also speaking, Chairman of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, Prof
Sam Ugwu, said the foundation had remained faithful to the vision of
its late founder by investing in education, skills acquisition, and
widows’ empowerment.
“This is the first time we are holding a media briefing because we want people to understand the philosophy behind this foundation. The foundation operates in three major areas, including education,
youth skills acquisition, and widows’ empowerment. These have remained our core programmes, and we continue to expand them,” he said.
He described the late Ugwueze as a man who had a humble beginning through hard work and believed that success should be used to uplift others.
“Our goal is to make the foundation sustainable, but we cannot achieve that alone. We are using this opportunity to invite well-meaning individuals, organisations, and donors to partner with us,” he said.
He added that the foundation hopes to extend its interventions beyond Isi-Uzo to other parts of Enugu State and beyond, so that more vulnerable Nigerians could benefit from its programmes.
