At least 15 undergraduate students from various universities in Nigeria have benefited from a nongovernment organization Isaac Chizik Foundation’s scholarship scheme for 2020-2021 batch.
Speaking to Businessday during the award of the scholarships at the headquarters of Church of God Evangelical Mission Enugu, the founder of the group, Isaac Chikaodi Ogbuagu, said, it was part of his own contribution to the society.
Ogbuagu, who is a practising nurse based in the United States of America said, he decided to form the foundation to assist some Nigerian youths because he discovered that most of them need support to enable them to develop their potentials, but sadly the help hardly comes from government.
“I promised God who helped me, and still helping me in the United States that whatever He gives me, I am going to use it to improve and better the lives of other people. That has been my call,” he said, adding: “This foundation is the right platform through which I can get to meet people that need this help and support, and through the foundation, it is going to be sustainable.”
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The foundation according to the founder has four specific areas of operations which include: education, humanitarian, youth empowerment and development and health. He said he is planning to mobilize some health professionals this year from the USA and Nigeria to offer free health services in some areas of health challenges, particularly in rural villages.
“Humanitarian is to take care of households that are less-privileged in the society: motherless babies’ homes, the aged among, others. The foundation last year in Imo State assisted 100 households with certain food items including rice, etc.
In youth empowerment and development, he said youth should be trained on various handworks with take-off grants at the end of the training, to enable them to grow and become employers of labour. He appealed to governments and other international agencies who are working in those areas of the foundation’s operation to partner with it to increase the scope of its operations.
