OCI Foundation UK Holds First Charity Project in the UK on Sept 12, 2024, Liverpool, UK

The OCI Foundation UK is pleased to announce its first charity project within the United Kingdom.

In collaboration with the Croxteth & Gillmoss Community Federation, the Dovecot & Princess Drive Community Association, and the Faith Temple Ministries, Liverpool, United Kingdom, the OCI Foundation will be supporting, the Croxteth Family Matters Project. This project offers support for parent and toddler activities, as well as after-school club and holiday play schemes.

Details are as follows:

• DATE: Thursday, September 12, 2024.
• VENUE: Croxteth & Gillmoss Community Federation (Croxteth Family Matters Project), 35 Moss Way, Liverpool L11 0BL, United Kingdom.

While this is the first program of the OCI Foundation UK within the United Kingdom since the charity organisation was formally registered with the Charity Commission on October 3, 2023, it is its second project overall. Earlier in the year, the Foundation featured in the “2024 Africa Healthcare Awards and Summit by Zenith Global Health”, which was held over the two days of April 22 and 23, 2024, at the Accra International Conference Centre, Accra, Ghana.

The proposed program in Liverpool is part of the OCI Foundation UK’s plan at supporting and empowering disadvantaged communities, groups, and individuals in the country.

The Foundation plans to significantly expand its activities across the UK from 2025. Some of its planned projects within the UK include:

1. The LAMS UK: The Literary Award for Medical Students (LAMS) is an annual essay competition designed to boost literary and research skills among medical undergraduates. This is a major project being planned by the OCI Foundation UK. Courtesy of the OCI Foundation Nigeria, LAMS has been functional in Nigeria for the past 4 years (since 2020). The British version (LAMS UK) is being worked out, and medical schools across the UK are already being reached out to regarding this. An Australian version of LAMS, for medical schools in the Australia, is also being planned by the OCI Foundation Australia.

2. The OCI Foundation’s Arm Our Youths (ArOY) Anti-Cancer Health Campaign is also being planned for British communities known to have poor health outcomes with breast and cervical cancers. The OCI Foundation UK plans to engage officials in the British Parliament to see how aspects of the ArOY Campaign Bill can be integrated into British Law, in ways that will minimize the poor outcomes in disadvantaged British communities on breast and cervical cancer indices. The ArOY Campaign has been functional in parts of Nigeria since 2019. In 2023, a legislative bill making it compulsory for all Nigerian schools was passed by the Nigerian Parliament.

3. Cyfed Postgraduate Scholarship UK: Support for postgraduate students enrolled in tertiary institutions within the UK. The OCI Foundation currently offers six sets of scholarships to students at various levels of study in Nigerian schools, ranging from Junior Secondary Schools all the way yo the completion of first degrees in universities or tertiary institutions.

4. Promoting SGBV Preventive Measures: Promotion of teachings regarding preventive measures on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (also known as SGBV) among vulnerable communities within the UK. This is designed to arm vulnerable groups of all genders with the knowledge of preventive measures against incidents of SGBV. Recently (in 2023), a legislative bill was passed to promote the SGBV preventive teachings into the curriculum of all secondary schools in Nigeria. A similar project will be embarked on in the UK from 2025.

The OCI Foundation International has legal presence in the African (Nigeria, 2016), Asia-Pacific (Australia, 2018), and European (United Kingdom, 2023) continents. The Foundation also has trustees, partners and endorsements from North America (the USA and Canada), alongside the earlier-mentioned continents.

The Foundation was primarily established to Advance and Promote Health, Advance Education, and Advance Social and Public Welfare among underprivileged communities. In the past few years, it has received multiple international awards, including those from UN-affiliated bodies, as well as institutions in Africa, Europe and the Australasia. Details are available HERE.