TRUSTEES/VOLUNTEERS
Our UK Team
JOHN IGOCHE
A Co-founder of ACORN Initiative, his portfolio in charity engagement goes back ten years. He has been involved in charitable work with unwavering passion in addressing the challenges of poor children, widows and orphans in Africa, particularly those in the troubled communities of Abuja, Jos, Nasarawa and especially Benue State, the North Central of Nigeria. Born and raised in Makurdi, the capital city of Benue, he has coordinated activities that has brought relief to several orphanages across Nigeria. With self-fund and raising resources through friends and families, his efforts have yielded great results in confronting the humanitarian crisis currently being faced in the Middle Belt of Nigeria. John has travelled through the troubled communities in the Benue valley, accessing and meeting needs in orphanages, IDP camps and shelters.
DEAN MAHAL
His passion for entrepreneurship and the need to be successful has given Dean the opportunity to volunteer on humanitarian platforms across IDP camps and other communities ravaged by conflicts. He has contributed in post-conflict rehabilitation centres by the provision of relief and rescue regimes tailored toward education and entrepreneurship. He volunteers at ACORN Initiative, sharing his wide knowledge and enormous support for the charity’s vision, and mission. He is a great supporter and one of the pioneers of our STB (Skill Tool Box) initiatives which helps the youth to build small business and becoming independent whilst living in camps and sheltered homes.
SYLVIA SADUWA
A trustee and a renowned expert in refugee and camp related activities, she has devoted a large part of her life advocating for refugees across Africa. She has taught in several colleges with youths where youth from all over the world currently study with special focuses on countries such as Libya, Ukraine and Syria. Countries known for having reoccurring distressful events that affects people mentally, emotionally and psychologically. Sylvia has a wealth of experience in offering professional assistance to the homeless, orphans and widows. She is also involved in such works around communities in the UK and Nigeria.
MERIN CASTILLA
A renowned philanthropist with over 2 decades of experience in charitable works and currently works in the hospitality industry. Merin hails from Barcelona and was a massive campaigner against Aporophobia in Spain were over 32,000 are homeless. Merin has been supportive of the displaced, distressed and desolated community after a visit to different camps in Africa. He assists in coordinating with health personnel in the camps and local communities, mentoring and sharing his skills and expertise with others. He is a strong visionary and a volunteer behind the ACORN Initiative, and currently spends his time between Spain and UK.
JACK WELNOWSKI
A fervent crusader for getting the homeless off the streets of London, Jack has dedicated his life and time helping the distressed, desolated, and often times, the forgotten. He reaches out to camps and displaced communities and provides relief materials such as clothes, books and food. Jack is a dedicated volunteer and strong advocate for the needy. He is part of the ACORN Initiative team providing relief and support to IDP camps and people who are in needful communities.
JOE MORAN
A volunteer for ACORN Initiative, Joseph has personally experienced the challenges of living around shelter homes growing up. He is able to share his personal memories and stories from the past when he is reaching out to the youth at different camps and communities in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria. Through regular Skype and phone calls, he continuously motivates young people and devotes much of his time to the development and restoration of their general and overall wellbeing. His apathy is particularly important as he can translate the struggles and needs of the youth in these shelter homes through a language that they all personally share. Apart from time devotion., he also sends materials such as books, resources and clothes to the camps.
JO MADHARA
She is a strong believer in the importance of education and life skills for young girls. She is currently mentoring groups of young girls at IDP camps and volunteers most of her time by sending English literature to them. Jo is a strong advocate that every girl should be given the chance to receive quality education.Having worked as a mentor previously, she has capable on hand experience of how to communicate with girls of all ages and skill levels. Jo has been a Volunteer University Counsellor for women and girls that have been through traumatic experiences which have affected their schooling and life. She is an advocate for equality of the sexes in education and Life and believes that all girls should be given the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.
NOTHANDO GUMBO
She has worked with local charities in Zimbabwe and has Over 20 experience working with widows, orphans and the displaced. Her passion for humanity has endeared her to a life of service through commitment to excellent mentoring, coaching and conducting seminars geared towards improving the lives of people. At ACORN initiative, she volunteers in our migration projects to address the social and economic barriers faced by the homeless and migrant refugees through the provision of basic needs and creating an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusion regardless of background, race or colour.
GLORIA BOLARINWA
As the Funding Administrator for ACORN initiative, Gloria is a result driven Individual with an uncommon passion for humanitarian activities. A graduate of Biomedical sciences from Queens University Belfast, United Kingdom, She worked on humanitarian projects as a volunteer for several NGOs including SOS Children's Villages, Red Cross-CDS group, and PVN Homeless dropping center etc. Her duties have included targeting the projection of a positive image of communities ravaged by poverty and disaster as a means of rebranding and enhancing growth in these communities thereby building human and intellectual capital. She has also worked with the homeless, elderly, physically disabled and vulnerable adults rendering personal care and assistance during emergencies
Our Nigeria Team
JENNIFER OMALE
A Project Director at ACORN Initiative, Jennifer is very involved with the development across Nigeria. Also as a Senior Program Manager in a non-profit organisation in Abuja, she has over ten years of experience in charitable works, she also has vast knowledge in fund raising, proposal and budget processing for NGO programs. Jennifer has almost a decade of works focused around building contacts and partnering with several international organisations, including the British Council, MTN Foundation, Australian High Commission, etc. Her passion for the less privileged has taken her across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Visiting troubled regions under the umbrella of various charitable organisations. She spends most of her weekends in shelter homes, camps and broken communities helping the needy.
INNOCENT IGOCHE
With a strong passion for development in Africa, particularly Nigeria, Innocent is a professional accountant with over nine years’ worth of experience. Specialising in auditing and preparing reports on government projects and programs targeting troubled communities across Nigeria, he has offered such expertise in advisory services on proposals and budgeting for charitable works. As a mark of his passion for the challenged and troubled communities, he has also done so voluntarily. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Benue State University and currently works as Senior Auditor with the Supreme Audit Institution in FCT Abuja, Nigeria.
ALICE VINCENT
Alice Vincent is a humanitarian who ensures clean water is made accessible to troubled communities, Alice overseas our WASH Project that focuses on the provision of boreholes and water filtration kits. She has worked in the charitable sector for over twelve years and has used her hands-on knowledge to help individuals in the troubled communities of Benue, Lagos, Kano, Jos and Abuja. Alice has worked on several USAID funded programs targeting physically displaced, mentally distressed and emotionally desolated people living across Nigeria. She has been on the field setting up, delivering, monitoring, evaluating and researching systems for the WASH project.
ELIAS OKEDE IKPE
A PHD holder in Safety and Environmental Studies from the University of Wolverhampton, Elias is an inspiration and mentor at ACORN initiative. He has worked with local charities in Abuja, Kano, Borno, Yobe and Benue state, as a leading advocate in education, health care, poverty eradication and education for young women. He hails from Benue State and volunteers his resources and time on the camps alongside communities that have been badly affected by the current disasters. He spends his time between Nigeria, Canada and the UK.
ANIEKAN ESTHER BASSEY
A graduate of International Relations, an independent speaker of French and 5 other languages, an Aspiring Diplomat, SDGs Advocate, Founder of (GET) Go Educate Them International, an organization birth with the sole purpose of educating the Girl Child through (Mentoring, Scholarships etc.) Aniekan believes in the potentials that the girl child possess and sees proper mentoring as the doorway to having full expression of such into full blown reality. She volunteers at ACORN to provide her wealth of knowledge and experience in situations involving the Girl Child.
MARY IKWUE
Mary has been passionate about charitable works with over fifteen years of her life devoted to bringing relief and rescue to widows, orphans, the poor and needy in the troubled communities of the Benue and Abuja IDP camps. She has coordinated relief efforts for orphanages and internally displaced persons in camps and shelters in the ravaged communities. Mary has worked with several charitable organisations and demonstrated keen interest in developing communities with project ideas that directly impacts the victims of communal conflicts. She volunteers most of her time at the camp by teaching and training basic skills like baking, tailoring, and arts and crafts.
PETER ITODO
A Medical doctor with over 13 years of practice in health. He has worked with different NGOs in creating awareness of cervical cancer amongst women and served as a marriage and family planning counselor. He volunteers at ACORN Initiative to deliver medical care and counseling to those in need of such services. Peter also delivers health care lectures in form of awareness campaigns and conducts NEEDS assessment to facilitate the provision of medical facilities for IDPs. He currently works as a registrar in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Federal Medical Centre Makurdi and fully certified in Economic Evaluation in Global health and introduction to Epidemiology for Global health from the University of Washington.
EMMANUEL OGELEWA
A full-time committed member of ACORN initiative and a health practitioner, Emmanuel uses his two decades of experience in delivering health care services to communities ravaged with communal and tribal crisis in the Benue Valley. His passion for charitable works has seen him open up his own personal home to over 10 families during the Herdsmen’s and Farmers crisis. He has coordinated several charitable projects targeting rural communities that have directly impacted the physically displaced, mentally distressed and emotionally desolated. He has good knowledge of designing and developing projects that directly target victims of crisis ridden communities.
ANDREW ENENCHE
Andrew has been passionate about charitable work and has over had over nine years’ experience in both the hospitality and charitable sector. As a Senior Human Resource Officer in the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) based in the North East region of Nigeria. He has been involved in setting up, delivering, monitoring, evaluating and learning systems for projects across Nigeria. He holds a degree in History from the Benue State University and a master’s degree in Human Resources from the University of Salford in Manchester, but currently volunteers his time and resources towards the growth and wellbeing of young people at the IDP camps ACORN Initiative is involved in.
BENEDITA ODOH
After the Agatu Massacre in 2016, being personally affected by communal clash and displacement, she started a shelter camp for displaced widows and orphans affected by the horrific event that left over 7000 individuals displaced. A full-time employee at ACORN initiative, she continues to cater for the needful around the Benue communities, with every bit of resources at her disposal.
SUNDAY MARGARET ENEKOLE
A banker at First City Monument Bank in Abuja, Nigeria. She is passionate about humanitarian activities especially as it relates with the inhabitants of Northern Nigeria having been brought up as a child in Kaduna state. Her passion to reach out to the poor and less privileged has seen her volunteer in different NGOs in Northern Nigeria. Margaret volunteers at ACORN and has bridged the communication gap as regards reaching out to the Hausa speaking individuals and communities on different occasions. She has also brought her Customer Service Experience to bear on communicating professionally and relating to matters as the need may arise.
United Kingdom
Registered Charity Number 1185516