HELPING FAMILIES IN NEED

As we approach this joyous Easter season, I want to extend my warmest wishes to

you and your loved ones. May the blessings of love, peace, joy and the new life that come with the Risen Lord's resurrection fill your hearts and homes.

I’d like to update you on the Nigeria Family Helper Program and the Boniface and

Paulina Okafor Memorial Hospital (BAPOM Hospital). Our program presently

operates under The India Family Helper Program, a Canadian Registered Charity

dedicated to providing essential healthcare to the underserved in Isuochi, Abia

State, Nigeria.

Since our beginning in 2017, we have successfully conducted 4 free medical outreaches, serving approximately 1,400 patients who received free consultations and medications. Today, our dedicated team consists of 15 staff members, including doctors, nurses, and healthcare assistants, committed to improving lives in our community. We have 10 students undergoing a 3-year training course in health care assistance. However, our operational costs are significant, averaging $3,000 CAD

monthly, which covers salaries, family support, and hospital operations.

Currently, we provide food, education, and medical support to over 60 families, with

the goal of improving their living conditions. We also have 64 students on

scholarships, allowing them the opportunity for a brighter future. However, there are

still countless other families who would greatly benefit from our assistance.

With your generous support, we recently completed a new hospital building

equipped to accommodate 27 patients. We have secured medical equipment, such

as a Blood Chemistry Analyzer, surgical bed, infant incubator, a Sienna van to serve

as an ambulance and launched community programs. Yet, our mission is far from

complete. We continue to seek funding for critical equipment, including a scan

machine, Blood Bank fridge, X-ray machine, solar panels, and for expanding our

services to those have critical needs.

Every Wednesday, hospital staff and the patients at BAPOM Hospital offer prayers

for all the benefactors who make these resources, programs and services possible.,

They ask God to abundantly bless and reward all our benefactors, those with us

today and those no longer here, for their generosity, selflessness and kindness.

Furthermore, I wish to invite our Benefactors to a Special Mass that I will be offering

for all our Benefactors on Saturday June 14, 2025, at 4pm at St. Thomas More

Church, 15 Caledonia Road, Dartmouth. There will be a reception after Mass. It will

be a chance for us to come together in gratitude for your kindness and unwavering

support. Those who cannot attend in person are welcome to join us spiritually.

On behalf of the hardworking team in Canada and the dedicated staff in Nigeria, I

want to extend a heartfelt thank you for all that you do to support this mission. God

is using you to change the world, to give quality life and hope to the less privileged in

our society. In Mathew’s Gospel chapter 25, Jesus said, “Whatsoever you do to the

least of my people, that you do onto me.” This project has been sustained to date

through the miraculous hand of God and the intercession of St. Joseph and our

Blessed Mother Mary.

God bless you and grant you eternal reward in his Kingdom.

Warm regards,

Fr. Toochukwu Okafor