Sir Emeka Offor Foundation

Sir Emeka Offor Foundation Cautiously Optimistic as Campaign to END POLIO NOW in Nigeria Nears Milestone

Details: Category: News and Events; Published on 08 June 2015

Nigeria is Weeks Away From Removal From List of Polio Endemic Countries, Remains Vulnerable to Outbreak

SAO PAULO, Brazil, Jun 04, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) --

With an important milestone in the effort to END POLIO NOW throughout Nigeria just weeks away, the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation today urged political, public health and community leaders to redouble their commitment to the effort to eradicate polio once and for all. The comments came as representatives of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation ready to participate in the 2015 Rotary International Convention June 6th – 9th.

No new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) have been reported since July 24, 2014, which means Nigeria could be just weeks away from being removed from the list of polio endemic countries.

"The collective achievements to date give us hope that we can finally eradicate polio not only from Nigeria and Africa, but from planet Earth," said Sir Emeka Offor, who serves as Rotary's PolioPlus ambassador in Nigeria and is the founder of the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, a non-governmental, philanthropic organization focused on youth employment, families, education, healthcare and infrastructure development. "There will be time to celebrate, but that time is not now. This is a very vulnerable time and Nigeria is susceptible to another outbreak if we allow complacency. Instead, we strongly urge Nigeria's leaders across all political parties and religions to join public health experts in advancing the Global Polio Eradication Initiative over the finish line."

The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation donated $2 million, which was matched with a grant of an additional $4 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The initiative was launched by Rotary International, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Together they have assembled a powerful infrastructure of disease prevention and surveillance, multilateral networks equipped to respond to outbreaks and well-trained healthcare professionals.

Nigeria will need to go another two years without a case of polio before it can be formally certified as polio-free by the World Health Organization. This period will require continued program innovations and strategies to get polio vaccine to underserved and difficult to reach communities – especially areas in the Northeast where upwards of 60 percent of settlements have been inaccessible to vaccinators.

"We applaud the commitment and creativity of the healthcare professionals who take great risks to bring the benefits of vaccines to our children," said Sir Emeka. "Despite security challenges, they managed to deliver millions of doses of oral polio vaccine in Borno and Yobe states during the past year – a major step in the goal of reaching every child with the vaccine."

About the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation

The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation is a philanthropic organization based in Oraifite, Anambra State, Nigeria. The Foundation seeks to alleviate the sufferings of the less privileged through philanthropy, and focuses primarily on giving support and hope to those in need irrespective of tribe, creed, religion and nation. The Foundation has affected the lives of many Nigerians through its domestic programs and projects, which include Youth Empowerment, Widows Cooperative, Education, and Health Services and Infrastructural Development. The Scholarship Program honoring Sir Emeka Offor was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students who come from impoverished homes and have no other recourse to Financial Aid. For more information, visit http://sireofforfoundation.org or like us at: https://www.facebook.com/siremekaofforfoundation.

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SEOF in an Epic Battle with Glaucoma

Details: Category: News and Events; Published on 28 May 2015

The Human Eye Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve and impairs vision which in many occasions progress to total blindness. Glaucoma affects people of all ages, and is the second major cause of blindness globally after cataract and can neither be prevented nor cured medically. Medical researchers are yet to discover the aetiology of glaucoma which holds the key to its curability and possible prevention. However, medical advice encourages people to go for test as early detection may not prevent it but will certainly help in its management pending the discovery of total cure. It is an eye disease often described as "slow finisher" due to its tardily but steadily degenerative nature to the optic nerve of the eye.
Everybody is at the risk of glaucoma but some people have higher risk than others. The simple question is, why are some people at higher risk than others? Those who have higher risk of glaucoma are African people, the elderly who are 60 and above, heavy users of computer, people with disease conditions like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, progressive myopia, low thyroid function and users of corticosteroids (asthma and arthritis patients). According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, over 60 million people currently have glaucoma worldwide. The causes of glaucoma have not been established which have triggered some unverified reports that it could be genetic. Whatever the cause, some of the symptoms have been established which among other things include eye pain, headache, cloudy or foggy vision, poor night vision and peripheral vision loss.
Based on emphasis medical researchers have placed on the early detection, Sir Emeka Offor, through his foundation, the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation SEOF, have entered into sponsorship agreement with University of Mainz in Germany where he has contributed over £250, 000 to the Department of Ophthalmology of same University. This partnership funding is to help the research for its causes, the cure and its early detection especially as it has been established that no fewer than 4.5 million Nigerians live with this malaise. He is not just committing his finance to the research, he is making sure that massive campaign and free testing is administered to Nigerian populace soon. Major breakthrough of this funding will come when the aetiology of glaucoma is fully discovered and understood.
What then is the aetiology of glaucoma? Aetiology of Glaucoma is simply the root cause of glaucoma as a disease while glaucoma is a degenerative eye disease triggered by improper protein metabolism rooted in poor gut function. Poor digestion of protein due to low stomach acids deprives the central nervous system (brain, nerves, spinal cord and the eyes) amino acids and other key nutrients needed for production of neurotransmitters to conduct nerve impulses. The central nervous system degenerates and malfunctions without adequate protein in absorbable form.
Liver produces 80 per cent of amino acids needed by the central nervous system to work efficiently but its dysfunction makes this impossible. Fatty liver can also obstruct blood flow to the brain, eyes, heart and the kidneys. Pancreas produces digestive enzymes that help digest protein aside from its more popular role of producing insulin for glucose metabolism. But poor pancreatic function characterized by low production of digestive enzymes impairs digestion and assimilation of protein. In specific terms, deficiency of amino acids and some key nutrients due to improper protein metabolism causes fluid retention in the eyes and elevates ocular pressure. Without correcting poor gut function often exacerbated by aging and certain medications, the build-up of fluid in the eyes and the resultant 'ocular hypertension' progressively damage the retina cells, optic nerve and the visual field. Glaucoma is not primarily an eye problem, but a manifestation of abnormal neuro-circulatory function induced by poor gut function, improper protein metabolism and underactive thyroid gland.
There are different prognosis of the likely trigger of the causes of glaucoma but a definite cause or causes have not been medically proven as well as the cure. Persons diagnosed with glaucoma are however not in hopeless situation as early detection and proper management is key to beating total blindness. It was based on this premise and the fact that many lack the financial wherewithal and sensitization to go for test that the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation went into partnership with University of Mainz to bring succor to endangered millions especially in Nigeria. The sensitization for the awareness of glaucoma as an eye disease will center on its detection and management in other to reduce ignorant blindness in glaucoma related eye diseases.
A new study has clearly articulated nutritional protocols to prevent and beat glaucoma based on the likely understanding of its aetiology. Dietary measures in the study include how to correct poor gut function, fuel the liver for optimal function and eliminate systemic disorders that fuel insidious progression of glaucoma like inflammation, insulin resistance, underactive thyroid gland, dehydration, acidic pH and anaemia. The study also explains why glaucoma cannot be overcome without red meat and adequate intake of good fats. Other highlights of the study include effective detoxification methods, anti-glaucoma teas, pancreas restorer, dietary and lifestyle factors that aggravate glaucoma and Catch- 22 to unknot the dilemma of protein and glaucoma. What is this dilemma? Protein-rich foods aggravate glaucoma but ironically, glaucoma cannot be mitigated or managed without adequate intake of protein.

Obi Ebuka Onochie wrote via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SEOF Releases List of Successful Scholarship Recipients

Details: Category: News and Events; Published on 03 April 2015

SEOF has release the list of successful candidates for its scholarship scheme. To view the list, please follow the link below:

List of Successful Scholarship Recipients_Primary

List of Successful Scholarship Recipients_Secondary

List of Successful Scholarship Recipients_Undergraduate

List of Successful Scholarship Recipients_Postgraduate

Nigerian High Commissioner applauds Sir Emeka Offor Foundation’s education initiative

Details: Category: News and Events; Published on 20 March 2015

The Education Initiative by the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, a Nigerian based non-governmental, not for profit charity organization, to stamp out illiteracy and promote learning across the continent of Africa, particularly in the hard to reach communities, was extended to Bagamoyo, Tanzania, recently where over 1500 students representing six secondary schools gathered to receive over 22,000 academic books shipped to the region in partnership with Books For Africa, a US based NGO.

A similar effort, the foundation says has been extended to about 19 other African countries including Nigeria. Since 2010, the Foundation has distributed over $18 million worth of books and computers to school libraries in the continent, according to its founder, Sir Emeka Offor.

“Education opens the door for Africa’s development and we are proud to support this cause. Without education, people cannot create their own solution.” My Foundation believes in that and that is why we are working hard to ensure that every child within our reach in Africa have the opportunity to read and write, “ continued Sir Offor. He said the Foundation has a similar ongoing partnership with other international NGOs like The Carter Center for the elimination of River Blindness in the southeast of Nigeria as well as long standing joint effort with Rotary International to end polio endemicity in Nigeria and the rest of the world.

The Nigerian High Commissioner to Tanzania, His Excellency Ambassador Dr Ishaya Samaila Majanbu who was present, applauded Sir Offor and the Foundation for the exemplary act of altruism and support of academic enlightenment amongst Africans. He noted that such philanthropic gestures by the Foundation ought to be emulated by other privileged Africans.

Tom Worth, founder of Books For Africa, who was represented by Anthony Nyeshire, Nianjema Secondary School headmaster, stated that Sir Emeka Offor has “enabled us to send over two million books to the students of Africa.” He said, “This generous Nigerian’s charitable activities are an example to us all. It is with his help and the help of others like him that we are working towards our goal of ending the African Book Famine. Clearly, Sir Emeka Offor-by thinking big and funding large-scale book projects-is leading the way!”

Sir Emeka Offor Foundation