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A Nigerian Philanthropist Educates Poor Children for Free

   Rochas  Okorocha says he's giving back to fulfill a promise he made to
   himself as a child whose parents were also poor

   James Butty | Washington, DC 24 December 2009
   Map of Nigeria

   Map of Nigeria

   A  Nigerian businessman is living the spirit of this holiday season by
   giving to the less fortunate.
   Rochas  Okorocha, president of the Rochas Foundation has been building
   schools throughout Nigeria to provide free quality secondary education
   for mostly orphans and downtrodden children from poor families.
   Okorocha said he's giving back to fulfill a promise he made to himself
   as a child whose parents were also poor.
   "For  me  it  gives me a lot of satisfaction primarily because I would
   have  been  one of those boys working around the streets because I was
   born into a very poor parentage. I almost did not go to school if help
   did  not  come from above that I was able to acquire education. So for
   me  it  was  a  vow  I made...that in any way God helps me I will help
   those who do not have," he said.

   Okorocha  said  although  the  education  his organization provides is
   free,  there are certain requirements that all potential students must
   meet.
   "The  basic qualification is that you must be a child from the poorest
   of  a poor family, a child who ordinarily wouldn't have gone to school
   if  you  did not have anybody taking you to school. You should be able
   to pass the common entrance exams of the school and take the necessary
   interview before you can get into the school," Okorocha said.
   He  said the criteria are necessary to make sure that students seeking
   admission  are intelligent and who have been deprived from getting the
   basic education because of their poor backgrounds.
   Okorocha  said  his effort to educate less fortunate children is based
   purely on sacrifice.
   "What  we  have  done  basically, because we are not getting help from
   anywhere in the world, some of our business investment as a company, a
   major percentage of the income goes to the institutions to pay for the
   teachers, set up buildings and pay for the kids," Okorocha said.
   He  said the Rochas Foundation is looking for partners to achieve what
   he called a tall dream.
   "First  and  foremost Christ gave his life for mankind. And yet we are
   not asking that you give your life; we're not asking that you give all
   that  you  have.  We are asking that you give a token of what you have
   for the poor," Okorocha said.
   When  the  first  school  opened in October 2001, it admitted just 200
   students.   Today,  Rochas  Okorocha  said  he's  is  educating  4,000
   students,  providing free tuition, uniforms, text books, medical care,
   and monthly stipends.

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