Free Education For the Poor? Make it happen!

In furtherance of the Rochas Foundation mandate of Free Education for the Poor, the Foundation embarked on an entrance examination for the 2012/2013 academic session set to begin in September 2012.

On the 23rd of June 2012, the Rochas Foundation Colleges nationwide opened up her  gates  to the countless children who showed up to sit for the examination. Determined to attain not just free education, but a brighter future, these children showed up in the hundreds.

This would not be the first of such exams as the foundation has been offering education scholarships to the less privileged for 12 years. However with the Rochas Foundation, it takes much more than just academic excellence to get a  comprehensive  scholarship, students must be unable to afford an education; or as we fondly like to say you must be from the poorest of the poor in the society.                                                                                                            

If you are a regular on our blog as I am sure you are, then you obviously  know about our back ground checks. However for the newbies(favorite new madeup word) see :

HERE:

The Rochas Foundation background check is a measure we have used to ensure that the free education scholarships  reach their  target of children who are willing to learn but cannot afford it.

Look at this numbers, doesn't it just break your heart seeing just how many children need free education?
Just so you know, we were able to offer only 800 of these children the Rochas Foundation comprehensive education scholarship.
Hmm! But we do want to do more and with your help, we can.

Join us today, sponsor a child through school at any of the  five Rochas Foundation Colleges and primary school .
As Ghandi once said: "Be the change you want to see".
Interested in making a change?
See:HERE

Volunteers Save The Day

It was indeed a pleasant surprise, when volunteers from all works of life showed up to offer their help in the background check embarked upon by  the Rochas Foundation.
The background check was implemented as an investigative measure when the Foundation was notified that under the guise of poverty, some well-off children were benefiting from the scholarship meant for only the poor.
The Rochas Foundation  Scholarship Scheme which offers a completely free comprehensive secondary education , was incorporated to cater to only the poor in the society.
Thanks to all our lovely volunteers, the background check was a huge success.

 Children getting registered during the background check

A home visited during the background check

 

Child and parent

Child and parent

                           A big thanks to all our volunteers. Because of your selfless service smiles have been put on the faces of these kids.
Thank you for joining  hands with the Rochas Foundation to say 'Every Child Counts'.

What Makes a Volunteer?

Welcome to another friendly chat on Volunteerism '' THE NEW IDEA''
So I trust now that the term 'Volunteer' has been demystified, there's really no need going back to its defination.
If you do need more insight on the word, please see the post: HERE

So whats so new about Volunteerism being 'THE NEW IDEA'? After all it's origin dates back to, well; the beginning of time.
Volunteer activities date back to the Pre- industrial  societies mainly in the third world nations where mutual self help was, and still is vital to the survival of rural communities.
With the emergence of  industrialization and the discovery of the concept of money in the 19th century, the values of volunteerism became undermined.  Thankfully it resurfaced again in the 1920's as an antidote to the hate and horror of the world war 1.
The very first international voluntary work camp sprang the first modern voluntary service movement, an organization known by its French name and acronym SCI, Service Civil International.  The 1920s -1930s marked the movement of volunteer service across the world and it was often seen as a means of building friendships among young people of different European countries. It was also used in other countries such as the U.S.A. and Bulgaria, during the severe economic crisis following 1929, as a means of giving unemployed young people something socially useful to do, as well as a bed and food.  


While this is not a history lesson, its a way to show you that volunteerism is as natural as life itself.
Isn't it funny how a system with such history still struggles for credibility in our world?
Becoming a volunteer for a cause should be a lifestyle for you and not a 'new idea'.

So how natural are you?
Human enough to identify a cause worth fighting for?

Not to sound bias but wouldn't you just love to make a change in the life of a child?
We make it possible.
At the Rochas Foundation we live to put smiles on the faces of children.
Come join our team of ensuring  every poor child has an opportunity to attain free education.

For more information on becoming a volunteer: CLICK HERE

Jubemi Omabuwa

People Are Saying.....

To all you beautiful people who have sent birthday and goodwill messages to His Excellency Owelle Rochas Okorocha,
This special post goes out to celebrate you, and show the rest of the world your kind words.

Kelechi Ndukwe wrote:
To the Man who helped make me the man I am today.
First, I want to wish you a Happy birthday and Congratulate you on your landmark
birthday; the big 5 0. I will say half a century to be sophisticated.
You must be the most accomplished man that has lived on earth. A man who
understands the value of education and subsequently obeyed his calling to provide
the gift of education to thousands of students.
I want to let you know that you succeeded in passing your ideals about the
importance of being of help to others and the value of education to me and a lot of
classmates.
You have succeeded also built an unbreakable bond between strangers just by bringing
them in the same school.
I appreciate your love, may my God continue to grant you your heart desires and long
life and good health.
Amen
Still Your Son.

Kelechi Ndukwe. B.A (USA)
Pioneer Student Rochas Foundation College, Owerri
Graduating class of 2007

People Are Saying.....

KING CHUCK BLESSED wrote: Happy birthday his excellency ,may God be with u always and bless you as you lead us towards greatness"

Modupe wrote: "I said a Prayer for Daddy Rochas On Your 50 Birthday

I said a prayer for you today
And know God must have heard.
I felt the answer in my heart
Although God spoke no word!

I didn't ask for wealth or fame
(I knew you wouldn't mind).
I asked him to send treasures
Of a far more lasting kind!

I asked that God be near you
At the start of each new day;
To grant you health and blessings
And friends to share your way!

I asked for happiness for you
In all things great and small.
But it was for Gods loving care
I prayed the most of all!
Amen."
MODUPE IDOWU

Precious wrote: "As u dried d tears off d eyes of d less fortunate GOD wld not allow u 2shed tears of sorrow he wld bless everything u put ur hands 2do HAPPY BDAY" PRECIOUS AKAMS

EKENE DILICHUKWU wrote: happy birthday my able Governor "

AMOS ODETAYO wrote: Happy Birthday Chairman"

VINCENT CHUKWU wrote: God will always be ur strength.I want to be like u."

TEEJAY OMEIZA wrote: Happy birthday! Wishing him more memorable years ahead."

BENJAMIN CHIBUEZE wrote:"Rochas, I was once your student but i still believe u are an epitome of greatness and your motto...hardwork.":



GOD BLESS ROCHAS!
To the father of multitude,
Governor Rochas Okorocha,

All you have done, all you are doing, all you will do to and for humanity, whether
to the poor or rich, the Lord Jesus will not overlook. Surely many of us want to
contribute our quota no-matter how small or what but it is the Lord that gives the
sower seed.

God\'s numerous blessing rest upon you and your amiable family.

I pray that the Lord will sustain you with Long live in Jesus name. Amen.

Chinelo G. Edeani

ROCHAS FOUNDATION VOLUNTEER CORPS (RFVC) HELP CURB CORRUPTION

The Rochas Foundation in a bid to curb the menace of corruption at the grass root level has embarked on a background check on some of the candidates who sat for the Rochas Foundation College entrance exams on the 23rd of June 2012.

In accordance with the Foundations aim of educating only the less privileged in the society, this exercise was introduced to ensure that only the poor in the society are given admssion into the Free Rochas Foundation Colleges.

It had come to the Foundation Management’s notice that some of the students admitted into these colleges are from well to do homes and so in a bid to curb such practises of fraudulence and corruption the backgroud check was introduced.

The background verification process was successful due to the immense help of well meaning volunteers who offered their help by going into rural communities to ensure that only those eligible are admitted. Some of the criteria used for verification were the children’s family social status, parental status, age and examination score.

The realisation of the rich occupying the spaces of the poor in these schools came as a huge shock which also strenghtened the resolve of the Foundation and her volunteers to help in their own ways to eradicate corruption at all levels.

The offer of these well meaning Nigerians in volunteering to help in this cause proved that Nigerians are a people of love, kindness and selflessness.

The DG of the foundation Uloma Rochas on this, supervised and strictly ensured the success of this exercise while urging Nigerians to shun corruption in all spheres. She described the practice of some Nigerians feigning poor just to take the place of less privileged children in the foundation’s schools as ‘the wealthy stealing from a beggar’s plate’.

With 5 schools located in Jos, Ibadan, Owerri, Ogboko and Kano currently with almost 5, 000 children and 700 ex-students in the university, this foundation has steadily pioneered and sustained the vision of the founder, Owelle Rochas Okorochas which is ‘education for free for children of the poorest of the poor in society’

At Rochas Foundation, Every Child counts!

ROCHAS FOUNDATION VOLUNTEER CORPS (RFVC) TOWARDS ENHANCING QUALITY EDUCATION IN AFRICA

The Volunteer Corps arm of the Rochas Foundation is organizing a two day conference scheduled to hold on the 21^st and 22^nd of September 2012 with the theme:  Enhancing Quality Education Through Leadership and Volunteerism, ‘The New Idea’in Owerri, Nigeria. This event which was earlier scheduled to take place in Accra, Ghana is focused on reaching out to the rest of Africa with the establishment of comprehensively free colleges to cater for less privileged children.

The first day of the conference is also scheduled for the graduation ceremony of two sets of graduates from the Owerri and Ogboko  free Rochas Foundation colleges while day 2 of the conference will be the main full day when international guest speakers, a former African president  and the Nigeria’s Minister of Education is expected to attend.

The conference is an initiative of the Director General of the Rochas Foundation Ms Uloma Rochas and the eminent Nigerians who make up the Volunteer Corps of the foundation.

The conference is one way to orientate and establish a culture of volunteerism amongst Africans towards great causes such as education. It is also to be a call to raise more volunteers to take the foundation’s vision to greater height.

The major aftermath of this Volunteers’ conference will be to reach out to the rest of Africa starting by establishing a Rochas Foundation College in Kenya, East Africa to cater for the education of the less privileged children.

This conference is open for sponsorship from well meaning Africans and organizations as it introduces Volunteerism and Leadership as the ‘New Idea’ towards enhancing quality education.

Have a Heart!

Don't you just feel sad driving in your fancy car or walking on the streets and seeing children who should be safe in a class room dangerously maneuvering traffic just so they can sell a sachet of water to you.

Doesn't it break your heart when you turn on the TV and see that a kid was abused just because he wandered into a lonely alley when he should have been safe in a school. 

I cry every time I hear such news wishing I could do something to change the trend.

And then I realized that ''I could do something''

I could make a change in a child's life and so can you. 

Volunteering with the Rochas Foundation is more than just  sending a child to school, it's really giving that child a future. It's saying I care about putting a smile on your face.

So you don't have a million Naira? ''BIG DEAL''!

The Rochas Foundation says it begins with a heart of love and a willingness to give in whatever way you can.

Put A Selfless Smile on a child today. 

Every child counts!

for more information on becoming a volunteer, follow link:
 http://rochasfoundation.blogspot.com/2012/08/adoptachild-and-beautify-childs-future.html

Jubemi Omabuwa
PRO Rochas Foundation

Picture credits: Africa Mediaonline.com

#AdoptAChild# and beautify a Child's future today

VOLUNTEER CATEGORIES AND BENEFITS

PLATINUM is the highest category of Volunteers. Membership attracts a fee of One Million, Five Hundred (1.5m) naira or equivalent local currency which trains ten (10) students and more. 

The package/benefits include:-

§          Discount on Airlines

§          Discount on Lamonde hotel bills

§         Discount at UL Penny Boutique

§         Discount at Lamonde Furniture.

§         FREE Eyes on Hope Movie CD.

§          Loyalty Card, T-Shirts, Face Cap.

§               Award.

§         Rochas Foundation Magazine.

§  Social Networking (Scheduled meetings with the President and Board of Directors).

§       Access to all volunteer affiliate conferences.

RUBY is the second highest category of Volunteers. Membership attracts a fee of Five Hundred Thousand (500,000) naira or equivalent local currency, which trains three (3) students and more.

The Benefits include:-

§       Discount on Airlines Tickets

§       Discount on Lamonde Hotel Bills

§       Discount at UL Penny Boutique

§      Discount at Lamonde Furniture.

§       FREE Eyes on Hope Movie DVD.

§       Loyalty Card, T-Shirts, Face Cap.

§       Award.

§      Rochas Foundation Magazine.

§      Social Networking.

DIAMOND is the third highest category of Volunteers. Membership attracts a fee of Three Hundred Thousand (300,000) naira or equivalent local currency, which trains two (2) students. 

The benefits include:-

§       Discount at Lamonde Hotel.

§       Discount at UL Penny Boutique

§       FREE Eyes on Hope Movie DVD.

§       Loyalty Card, T-Shirts, Face Cap.

§       Award.

§      Rochas Foundation Magazine.

§      Social Networking.

GOLD is the fourth category of Volunteers. Membership attracts a fee of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand (150,000) naira or equivalent local currency which trains 1 student. The benefits include:-

§       Discount at UL Penny Boutique, Abuja

§       Discount at Lamonde Hotel

§       FREE Eyes on Hope Movie DVD

§       Loyalty Card, T-Shirts, Face Cap.

§      Award.

§      Rochas Foundation Magazine.

§      Social Networking.

SILVER is the fifth category of Volunteers. Membership attracts a fee of One Hundred Thousand (100,000) naira or equivalent local currency which feeds one child for a year. The benefits include:-

§      Discount at Lamonde HOTEL

§      FREE Eyes on Hope Movie cd

§       Loyalty Card, T-Shirts, Face Cap.

§       Award.

§       Rochas Foundation Magazine.

§       Social Networking.

BRONZE is the sixth category of Volunteers. Membership attracts a fee of Fifty Thousand (100,000) naira or equivalent local currency which feeds one child for a year.

 The benefits include:-

§        FREE Eyes on Hope Movie CD, T-Shirts, Face Cap.

§       Award.

§       Rochas Foundation Magazine.

§        Social Networking.

CUSTOMIZED is for Companies, Institutions or Service Providers that volunteer as Partners. Registration attracts a fee of Ten Thousand (10,000) naira or equivalent local currency.

The benefits include:-

§       Publicity and Advertisement of Product and Services in all our mediums

§       Get representatives to participate in all our partner’s activities and projects

§       Let them have talk sessions with our students

§       Exclusive product/ service patronage

COMBATANT 1 is for ROFOSSA and NYSC members. Membership attracts a fee of Five Thousand (5,000) naira or other equivalent local currency. The benefits include:-

§        Social Networking.

§        T-Shirts, Face Cap.

COMBATANT 2 is for students. Membership attracts a fee of One Thousand (1,000) naira only or other equivalent local currency. The benefits include:-

§        Social Networking.

§        T-Shirts, Face Cap.

VOLUNTEER RESPONSIBILITIES

§           Sponsor a student

§          Offer permanent and holiday jobs to our alumni and students.

§          Schedule excursions to their companies/factories for our students.

§          Supply needed items to our schools.

§          Adopt our “One House a Child” strategy.

§   Offer to deliver Speeches, Workshops and Seminars to our students (as  mentors and role models).

§         Community Services.

§        Free Healthcare Services.

ADOPT A CHILD & DONATE HERE

It costs below a N1Million to sponsor a child in any Rochas Foundation College in Nigeria.

Find out how, as you continue^^^^

To equip a child for an academic session

Sponsor a Uniform kit:

2 pairs of uniform, 2 pairs of sportswear, 2 pairs of socks, a pair of sandals and canvas, a school bag, Beret and Cardigan

N10, 000

Sponsor Books for 1 academic year/ child

N50, 000

Sponsor feeding for a child one year/ child

N100, 000 or equivalent

Sponsor one child for 6 years JSS1-SS3

N900, 000 or equivalent

Take the challenge! Adopt a child today! Sponsor Africa’s Future!

Every child Counts!

For payment details: Call - 08074754944

VOLUNTEER? Start here...

So the word "Volunteer" keeps springing up in every online article right? And I know you would love for more light to be shed on it. Well you have come to the right place.

Volunteers are people who have a passion for a cause, and are willing to give their support to ensure that change is established. Does that sound like you?

These people, (volunteers) help support the cause with financial and service resources in whatever ways they can ensure impact, change and development.

The cause of the Rochas Foundation  is to take the poor children off the streets and offer them a comprehensive education for free.

Did you know that our goal is to educate 1 million less privileged children within the next 5 years? Hmmm!

 I know you are wondering 'how possible is that'? That"s where you come in as a volunteer. 

The Rochas Foundation Volunteer Corps is an arm of the Foundation which is open to people from every culture and social strata to help in supporting free education for the less privileged in the society.

We admit that while this is a goal, dream and passion, the Rochas Foundation cannot do it alone! So you see where you come in now, don't you?

The Rochas Foundation dares demystify the belief that 'you must be a millionaire to be a philanthropist';

We say all it takes is a heart of love and a willingness to give. It's up to us as well meaning people to help this cause and get these children off the streets and into the classroom.

Hope this article has helped shed light on the word "Volunteer".

Now I know without a doubt that you would love to be a part of this movement for change, right? Good!

Keep up with us on our blog as we throw more light into the world of development.

Jubemi Omabuwa, PRO Rochas Foundation
Picture credit:VolunteerVoice