Hope Collaborative is thrilled to welcome Nigeria’s Joy Village to our youth leadership development network.
Father Charles Ogada, the founder of Joy Villages in Enugu, Nigeria, is a visionary leader. It has been a privilege for us to get to know him and his team as we start this mission-critical work together.
Born in Uturu, Nigeria, Father Charles at 17 had a “profound spiritual transformation which changed the course of his life.” He then joined the Spiritan order of the Catholic Church “to deepen that transformation” where he earned B.A., M.A. and B.Phil degrees in religion and philosophy, and has since dedicated his life to providing sophisticated solutions for young people living in poverty.
His team's recent launch of health and education facilities that provide free service for people living in poverty are dramatic examples of the work our new partners in social entrepreneurship and innovation do. We are excited to help them with their goal to "groom noble and visionary young leaders who have broad impact in every segment of their society." Hope looks to transform young people with great partners like Joy Villages.
Joy Villages is starting with our Conflict Resolution module, and host 2 cohorts of teenagers. This is the first of 12 modules across a 4-year program.
We are orienting 8 of the professional teachers and staff next week. Our work is to support them to bring out the best in their youth leaders with best-in-class leadership development programming.
Our pro bono services are helping build the leadership skills of kids and teens in expanding geographies, and we look forward to sharing photos from the work of Joy Villages.
Here's to Joy and Hope and good luck in all of your leadership horizons!