Reach out for change and transformation – Marist Solidarity Foundation

The Marist Province of Nigeria has been involved in youth empowerment programmes through education. The Province has also been at the forefront of the upliftment of the poor and oppressed, pastoral care for children, youth and adults, and advocacy for the marginalised. Against this backdrop therefore, she deemed it fit to harmonise these solidarity ventures under one umbrella: Marist Solidarity Foundation (MaSoF).

MaSoF is a solidarity foundation established in 2018 by the Br. Vincent Uchenna Abadom’s led administration. It is a committee under the Finance Commission of the Marist Brothers of Nigeria. It is a four-member committee comprising of Br. Henry Uzor (Chairman), Br. Osuji, Gregory Ekene (Secretary), Br. Innocent Iloabueke (Provincial Econome), and Br. Christian Onukwufor (Link Councillor). MaSoF’s main mission is to: Fight ignorance among the youth on the margins, reduce poverty, empower children and youth, provide pastoral care to children and young people, and transform lives and society. Its main vision is to empower the youth with skills, knowledge, positive attitudes, and values in order to bring them out from the margins through education for the sustainable development of the society.

The overall aim/goal of MaSoF is to provide education and pastoral care for the children and youth on the margins. It has the following specific objectives:

1. To promote education, solidarity justice and peace.
2. To identify with the poor and oppressed in the society.
3. To support the spiritual and cultural empowerment of the youth and act in solidarity with the oppressed.
4. To promote human right and self-determination.
5. To develop and coordinate fund raising strategies that will respond to the solidarity needs of the Marist Province of Nigeria.
6. To cooperate and collaborate with other solidarity groups and organisations towards the development of solidarity culture that responds to the people on the margins.

MaSoF started its solidarity venture in May 2018. For the first phase, it focused mainly on scholarship scheme for the less privileged learners. Presently, there are 260 learners enjoying Marist scholarship; 257 are in Marist schools, and 3 are in non-Marist schools. Among these learners, 26 are in primary schools and 234 are in secondary schools. These learners are either on comprehensive, full, or partial scholarship. These are the categories of MaSoF’s scholarship scheme.

In Comprehensive scholarship category, MaSoF takes care of the boarding and tuition fees of the learners and their educational materials. In Full scholarship category, MaSoF takes the responsibility of boarding and tuition fees only. Then in Partial scholarship category, MaSoF takes care of only the tuition fees of the learners. These categories are always by merit. MaSoF through the Education Secretariat organises scholarship examinations for the learners. Therefore, their grades determine their placement in any of these categories. Another determinant of their placement is their direct beneficiaries: Marist Brothers, members of staff, and others outside Marist establishments.

The Brothers are also involved in the rehabilitation of the physically challenged people, and creation of artificial limbs at the Hopeville Rehabilitation Centre, Uturu Abia State and Merryville Rehabilitation Centre, Eneme, Enugu State.

MaSoF is a welcome development in the Marist Province of Nigeria. It has helped Marist Nigeria to re-strategize on the best way to help the young people on the margins bearing in mind the tenets of the Gospel. It has also challenged the Marist Province of Nigeria on the need to remain closer to the poor and the marginalised while expressing the brotherhood of Christ.

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Br. Osuji, Gregory Ekene, Secretary MaSoF