From Boko Haram devastation to First-Class graduates, a quiet foundation in Edo is turning displaced children into doctors, lawyers, and future leaders.
What began as a refuge for the displaced in Uhogua, Benin City, Edo State has grown into a life-changing hub for education and hope—the Home for the Needy Foundation.
For survivors like Tada Ayuba, who lost his mother during the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State in 2014, life once meant trauma and uncertainty. But after finding shelter at the foundation, he was educated from primary school to university level and later graduated with First-Class Honours in Law in 2025.
His story mirrors that of Amos Ishaku, another former IDP who endured repeated attacks in Borno, lived in fear, and spent months hiding in the mountains before finding safety at the camp in 2014. Today, he holds a First-Class degree in Chemical Engineering and is now pursuing a PhD at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
According to the founder of the centre, Solomon Folorunsho, over 400 displaced students from the foundation are currently studying in universities across Nigeria, with more than 185 already graduated in fields such as Medicine, Law, Engineering, and Nursing.
He said the centre, which started in 1992, has grown from caring for just a few vulnerable persons to housing thousands of orphans, widows, and internally displaced persons affected by insurgency and poverty.
Beyond shelter and food, the foundation provides full education support—from kindergarten to university—and has produced medical doctors, lawyers, engineers, and even a magistrate and senior state counsel.
But challenges remain. Folorunsho said many students still struggle with school fees and basic needs, calling for stronger public and private support to sustain the initiative.
Despite the hurdles, success stories continue to emerge, including physically challenged and abandoned children now studying medicine and other professional courses.
Observers say with stronger partnerships, the foundation could produce even more professionals—doctors who heal, lawyers who defend justice, engineers who build, and citizens who help rebuild society.
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