
At the 2025/2026 Genesis House Graduation Ceremony held on Saturday, 4th July 2026, at The Verandah Lounge, The Dome, Freedom Way, Lekki Phase 1, Freedom Foundation Nigeria went beyond handing out certificates, equipping each of its seven graduates of the Genesis House programme with a business starter kit, bringing the total investment in the cohort’s economic independence to over N2,100,000.
The kits given were tailored to each graduate’s vocational specialisation, reflecting the organization’s commitment to ensuring that graduation marks the beginning, not the end, of each woman’s journey toward independent living and sustainable livelihood.
Freedom Foundation’s Executive Director framed the starter kits as a deliberate extension of the organisation’s rehabilitation model. “Recovery does not end with certificates; it continues with the ability to stand on one’s own feet. That is why Freedom Foundation invested in the tools, machines, and materials our graduates need to start again, this time on their own terms.” Chidi Koldsweat, Executive Director, Freedom Foundation.
Also speaking, Genesis House Chairperson, Toyin Bakare, who has walked closely with the beneficiaries throughout the programme, described the transformation she has witnessed. “I’ve watched women who came to us with nothing, but today we are seeing transformation.” Toyin Bakare, Chairperson, Genesis House-Freedom foundation.
Each graduate now moves forward equipped in fashion designing, make-up and event décor, hairdressing, or baking and catering, skills acquired over the course of the programme and now backed by the tools to put them into practice. Freedom Foundation notes that this business starter support is core to Genesis House’s holistic approach: restoration first, followed by the practical means to sustain it.
Genesis House is a residential rehabilitation and reintegration home for vulnerable young women, and is an expression of Freedom Foundation Nigeria’s over two-decade commitment to restoring dignity and transforming lives. Founded in 2001 by Pastor/Dr. Tony Rapu, Freedom Foundation Nigeria has reached more than 20,000 beneficiaries across Nigeria through programmes spanning rehabilitation, youth empowerment, education, and community support.
Disclaimer
Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.