When the Founder Says “Holl Up!”

Dear Child Scholars Donor,

Ever so often, something, or someone comes along and gently nudges the course of our ship, reminding us to pause, reflect, and take stock of just how far we have come.

Well, this July, it wasn’t just our brilliant beneficiaries doing the redirecting. Our founder, affectionately known as the “Village Doctor” took a moment from his mission-filled life to say “Holl up!” (yes, in proper Naija street lingua) and reflected on the journey that brought us here.

And when Dr. Emmanuel Okenye speaks, it is never just words, it is heart, passion, vision, and a contagious sense of purpose clothed in gratitude.

So for this edition, we are handing over the reins. Sit back and journey with us from the first heartbeat of Child Scholars to what the next chapter holds. From land purchases to learning platforms, from Uganda to the Philippines, and from medical clinics to media studios.

Here is Dr. Emmanuel in his own words:

It brings me great joy to reflect on how far we have come these last 10 years. It has been quite the journey. I vividly remember the humble and difficult days studying as a medical student while trying to coordinate the affairs of Child Scholars mentorship program in a small community over 6000 miles away, to eventually daring to buy a piece of land to build a school and then completing the school a few years later, to expanding our efforts to reach Kenya and the Philippines, and to then incorporating healthcare and revamping of a medical clinic. We have surely witnessed the goodness of God through this decade. Hundreds of lives have been significantly impacted by our efforts, and specifically these lives have been transformed by the power of education and generosity of our compassionate donors.

Child Scholars has been so blessed to be joined on this journey by a wonderful board that genuinely lives to ensure every child has access to education and healthcare. We have seen our board members sacrifice at various points to help provide critical assistance to help meet the need at hand. They have nurtured ambition to continue to provide education and healthcare and they have continued to seek out ways to keep this impact sustainable and scalable.

Over the last year, we have made trips to visit with our Child Scholars kids in the Philippines, then those in Kenya and most recently in Nigeria. One theme runs the same, and it is that all these kids are made in the image of God and deserve a chance to flourish and thrive and to be equipped to lead successful lives. During this same period, we have been thinking of how to make further investment in an e-learning platform. We have also been working on vocational education development and recently we have partnered with the voiceover academy to help steward young talents who would be interested in receiving vocational training in media and video production and photography. We have made an initial seed investment into this endeavor. We hope to use this pilot vocational program as a launch pad to many other vocational endeavors as we strive to help our kids develop sustainable pathways to financial freedom and stability.

We also hope to expand our efforts to Uganda as we are currently in talks with one of my friends Dr Kayla Smith and Diana Harris who have been assembling a team to lead the Uganda efforts over the last few weeks. There will be more announcements about the final plans in the coming days.

I was meditating on a phrase I heard recently and it is that “The purpose of life is to give it away”. I believe this rings true in many ramifications as it encourages a life of service to humanity. It also ensures that life is lived to the fullest and that we all eventually end our lives empty having harnessed all our gifts and potentials to benefit others. I will go even further and say that the reverse of that phrase which I have personally recreated is also true that “The purpose of giving is to receive life”. If you think deeply about this idea, you realize that there is something special about sacrificing time and substance as it literally breathes life and vitality into us and allows the deepest aspects of our being to birth purpose and rise far beyond limitations. Thus, I consider it one of the greatest privileges of my life to give to this cause.

On behalf of the board, I send a special thank you to everyone that donates generously to this organization often even without any prodding. Your love and big heart for this cause encourages us and provides a catalyst to the work we do everyday. It helps us to continue to fan the flame. It means the world to us, to our many beautiful Child Scholars kids, and to the disenfranchised patients we serve now and in the future.

Sincerely,
Emmanuel Okenye,
Founder, Child Scholars.

Dr. Emmanuel’s reflections remind us of what is achievable when vision meets action, and when generosity like yours powers the engine of change.

Thank you for walking this road with us; for giving so others can live, and for helping us carry purpose across borders and into the hands of future leaders.

Cheers to the next 10 years!