Expanding Our Reach: New Community Centre Opens in Ibadan
After two years of planning, fundraising, and construction, the Victoria & James Akinleye Foundation is proud to announce the opening of our new multipurpose community centre in the heart of Ibadan. The facility, named the James Akinleye Memorial Centre, will serve as a hub for education, healthcare, and economic empowerment for over 2,000 families in the surrounding communities.
The centre features a digital learning lab with 40 computers, a medical clinic staffed by volunteer nurses and doctors, a vocational training hall, and a community garden that will provide fresh produce to local families. The project was funded through a combination of individual donations, corporate partnerships, and a generous matching grant from the Canadian International Development Agency.
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The Dignity Project: Restoring Hope Through Food Security
What began as an emergency food distribution programme during the 2020 pandemic has evolved into one of our most impactful initiatives: The Dignity Project. Rather than simply handing out food parcels, we have built a sustainable nutrition ecosystem that involves local farmers, mothers, and youth in every step of the process.
Today, the project supports 500 families with monthly food baskets sourced from 30 local farms. The initiative has created 45 jobs for youth in logistics and distribution, and our nutrition education workshops have reached over 2,000 mothers who now prepare healthier meals for their children.
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International Recognition: Commendation of Merit Award
We are deeply honoured to announce that the Victoria & James Akinleye Foundation has been awarded the Commendation of Merit by the International Council for Community Development. This prestigious recognition celebrates our cross-border approach to sustainable development and our commitment to transparency and community participation.
The award was presented at a ceremony in Ottawa, Canada, where our founder, Dr. Victoria Akinleye, delivered the keynote address on the importance of diaspora-led development. "This award belongs to our communities," she said. "It is their resilience, their ideas, and their hard work that make everything possible."
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Wakati Isegun: When Women Gather, Communities Transform
On International Women's Day, over 300 women from 12 communities gathered at the Akinleye Centre for our annual Wakati Isegun conference — a day of prayer, empowerment, and sisterhood. The event featured workshops on financial literacy, health screenings, and a marketplace where women entrepreneurs showcased their products.
The highlight of the day was the launch of the Women's Cooperative Bank, a microfinance initiative that will provide low-interest loans to 100 women in its first year. "This is not charity," said cooperative chair Mrs. Funmilayo Adeleke. "This is investment in the most reliable entrepreneurs in our communities."
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