Sir Emeka Offor Foundation

SEOF Presents Cheques to Scholarship Beneficiaries

It was a day of joy and gratitude in Oraifite, Anambra State, as the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) presented cheques to the beneficiaries of its 2013 Scholarship Award Scheme on Saturday, May 25, 2013. The forty two recipients, comprising thirty four (34) undergraduates, six (6) post graduates, and two (2) Secondary School leavers, became the latest beneficiaries, joining a list of over one hundred and twenty (120) recipients so far.
In a welcome address delivered by Mrs C.N. Ufondu, the Education Secretary, SEOF, she thanked the founder, Sir Emeka Offor, for the "great and unique opportunity" he has given to "indigent pupils at all levels of education irrespective of state or local government of origin." She went on to congratulate the recipients, and repeated the gesture of the founder that anyone who will graduate with a first class honours in any discipline of study at the undergraduate level will receive a brand new car and automatic employment. Only last year, a beneficiary, Mrs Ebere Anaegbuonu, was the proud recipient of a car and an offer of automatic employment, having graduated with first class honours from the Department of Industrial Physics, Anambra State University, Uli. Mrs Ufondu also warned that any laxity in their academic endeavours would lead to the termination of the scholarship by the Foundation.
At the end of the event, which had as its highlight the ceremonial presentation of the cheques by Sir Offor to the recipients, a vote of thanks was given by C.L. Chukwuma, ESQ., on behalf of the pioneer post graduate beneficiaries of the scheme. He expressed his profound gratitude to Sir Emeka Offor and the Foundation for the philanthropic gesture. He stated that the SEOF has made education available to the poor, given hope to hopeless and transformed the state of the common man. He went on to announce a proposal by the beneficiaries that they float a programme tagged "Sir Emeka Offor Education Scholarship Beneficiaries Association (SEOESBA)", subject to permission of SEOF, through which they could carry out education enlightenment programmes as their own way of giving back to society and continue the legacy of Sir Offor and the Foundation. He ended with a prayer for God's blessing upon Sir Emeka Offor and the Foundation.

To view pictures from this event, click on th following link.

"Scholarship Presentation; in pictures"

For more details, read this article from the Sunday Mirror: "Emeka Offor Foundation Remembers the Indigent"

Another story developed from this event can be found here: "Emeka Offor Foundation to Reward First Class Degree Holders with Car Gifts"

The Fight Against Glaucoma: SEOF Contributes €150,000

At the culmination of World Glaucoma week in March, the SEOF has contributed €150,000 to endow a professorship of glaucoma in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Mainz, Germany. This is to assist research on the early detection and treatment of glaucoma. The Foundation had previously contributed more than €100,000 in an effort to find a cure for this malaise. The Foundation has also established a Nigerian Fellowship for Cataract Surgery and Glaucoma Management at the same university.
Read more about this in the following article, written by the Director General, Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Foundation, Abuja, Mrs Jacqueline Farris.

"FIGHT AGAINST GLAUCOMA" by Jacqueline Farris (The Nation Newspaper,Saturday May 18, 2013)

"FIGHT AGAINST GLAUCOMA" by Jacqueline Farris (This Day Newspaper, Saturday May 18, 2013)

(Right-click on the article titles and click, "Save Link As" to save to your device, or "Open Link in New Tab" to read on your browser.)

SEOF Donates 600,000 USD to BFA

SEOF has donated the sum of six hundred thousand USD ($600,000) to the Books For Africa (BFA) organization, the largest ever single donation made by any individual or group to the organization.
While already the largest private donor of books on the continent, SEOF by this action takes another giant stride towards the fulfilment of its vision to revitalize education in Africa. BFA's most important partner in Africa has already shipped millions of books to the continent. Books For Africa, a non-profit organization in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, founded by Mr Tom Warth, is the world's largest provider of educational books to Africa.
Below is a letter of appreciation from the BFA to the SEOF, in response to this unprecedented donation.

 

To read an article on this development, click here: "Emeka Offor Foundation Fulfils $600,000 pledge to BFA"

Or here: "Emeka Offor Foundation Donates $600,000 to BFA"

Read the article as a PDF here: "Emeka Offor Foundation Donates $600,000 to BFA"

 

SEOF Donates 250,000 USD to The Carter Center to Combat River Blindness

SEOF has donated the sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand USD ($250,000) to The Carter Center/Nigeria to support its River Blindness Control Programme in the South East states of Nigeria. The donation is in accordance with the aims and objectives of the Health Services Programmes of the SEOF.
The Carter Center is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation founded in 1982 by former President of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter, and wife, Rosalyn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia in the USA. The Carter Center/Nigeria has its headquarters in Jos, Plateau state.
The two powerhouses have beamed a spotlight on the silent menace that is River Blindness, which has ravaged the region. River blindness, also known as Onchocerciasis and Robles disease, is a parasitic disease caused by infection by Onchocerca volvulus, a nematode (roundworm). Onchocerciasis is second in the world only to trachoma as an infectious cause of blindness.
The impact of this partnership will be felt in the region in the near future, and it is hoped that this will mark the beginning of a fruitful relationship.
Below is a letter of appreciation sent by the Country Representative, The Carter Center/Nigeria in response to the donation.

 

 

The co-founder of The Carter Center, and former President of the United States also wrote in response to the donation.

Read it here: "Letter from Jimmy Carter"