Okpanam, Delta State – The usually busy Iyanga Market in Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area, was filled with songs, prayers, and excitement on Saturday, September 20, 2025, as traders joined members of the Fostering Hopes Foundation to celebrate the organisation’s first anniversary.
The highlight of the event came when market women and men received aprons donated by the Foundation. The traders, overjoyed by the gesture, sang and danced in appreciation of the Foundation’s efforts.
The Canadian-based founder, Nkechi Ukome, has, in just one year, impacted many families in the community. According to reports, the Foundation has empowered 12 families with ₦250,000 business grants each and placed 40 children on scholarships covering their education from nursery to secondary school.
Speaking during the program, Pastor Mrs Ethel Uto, the Foundation’s Program Director for Education Opportunities and Empowerment, encouraged women facing financial struggles to seek help rather than suffer in silence.
“This is not the time to keep quiet and die in silence. Foundations like Fostering Hopes were set up to support families, preserve unity, and ensure children do not drop out of school because of economic or psychological challenges at home,” she said.
Pastor Uto stressed that children remain at the heart of the Foundation’s work, in line with the Child Rights Act of 2003. She explained that the Foundation combines both family empowerment through business grants and direct educational support for children.
The atmosphere at the market was described as “ecstatic” as women celebrated what they called a genuine and “Godly intervention.” Many offered prayers for Nkechi Ukome, thanking her for her dedication to uplifting families.
One of the beneficiaries, Diokpa Peter Chuks Ogwuma, the only man among nearly 50 women who received aprons, praised the Foundation. He prayed for Ukome’s long life and continued success, noting that her work had brought “real hope” to families in Okpanam.
The anniversary ended on a high note with traders and Foundation members pledging to continue working together to uplift vulnerable families and give children in the community a brighter future.
