On a humid morning in November, a team of volunteers arrived by boat in Agudama, a remote community in Bayelsa State. Flooded canals had turned the streets into waterways, submerging homes and cutting off access to essential services like potable water.
The volunteers, representing the Enibo Albert Charity Foundation, had come with supplies—bags of drinking water, insecticide sprays, and mosquito nets—to help distressed residents navigate the aftermath of the flood.
“A lot of the residents had the same experience of being rendered homeless and having to live in flooded houses with no access to clean water and good healthcare,” said Enibo Albert, the foundation’s founder and leader of the humanitarian drive.
Albert’s passion for community service is rooted in personal experience. Raised in Bayelsa by a single mother and maternal grandparents, all of whom were small-scale farmers, Albert grew up amid hardship. To make ends meet, young Albert sold firewood to buy clothes. Were it not for a woman who was moved by her story, “I wouldn’t have finished my basic education,” she said.
This act of kindness became the cornerstone of Albert’s mission to inspire change. “I just wanted to help in the simplest way that I can to aid people in distress and empower them through education, humanitarian aid and advocate for their welfare,” she said.
Tackling Bayelsa’s Challenges
Since founded in 2022, the Enibo Albert Charity Foundation has delivered humanitarian services to over 4,000 women and children in 20 Bayelsa communities. Many of these beneficiaries were victims of the catastrophic 2022 floods caused by relentless rainfall and the release of water from Cameroun’s Lagdo Dam. An estimated 1.3 million people were affected by the deluge, according to the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency.
In Agudama, the foundation distributed mosquito nets and disinfectants to 25 households, aiming to reduce the risk of waterborne diseases and malaria.
But the foundation’s efforts extend beyond emergency relief. “We go to rural communities, foster creativity among children, and build connections within the community,” Albert explained. These initiatives seek to create equitable opportunities for underserved populations.
In 2024, the foundation launched its Project Smart Seed initiative to boost basic education in rural areas. The project provides schoolchildren with essentials like uniforms and stationery and works with local communities to reintegrate out-of-school children.
Albert recounted the story of Bishop Ankra, a once high-performing student who dropped out due to bullying and his family’s inability to afford textbooks. Through Project Smart Seed, Bishop is now back in school, along with 10 other children.
Another beneficiary is Samuel Krilah, who previously attended school with little more than a notebook. “Two months after we provided him with essential school materials, Samuel is now the head boy of his school,” Albert said, emphasising how access to resources can transform self-esteem and academic performance.
The foundation aims to reintegrate 10,000 out-of-school children over the coming years, cementing its commitment to education as a tool for change.
Addressing Environmental Challenges
The foundation is also turning its focus to environmental advocacy, particularly in response to the oil spills that plague the Niger Delta. Between 2011 and 2022, over 10,000 spills were recorded in the region, devastating local agriculture and worsening poverty in the region. “We will be going into climate advocacy, especially as it relates to proper waste disposal,” Albert said.
This initiative underscores the foundation’s holistic approach to addressing the interconnected challenges facing Bayelsa communities.
The foundation’s work is powered by a core group of about 20 volunteers, driven by a shared passion for societal change. For volunteer Peter Oyinmiebi, the organisation offers a platform for advancing community impact. “Individual efforts are laudable, but community-driven efforts are sustainable,” he said, highlighting the impact on personal growth. “It is not just advancing community, but we’re also advancing individual development.”
Despite its successes, the foundation faces significant challenges, especially around funding. “Most times we have to do rural communities that are not too far because it’s very expensive to access most underserved communities,” Albert said. While grants remain a long-term goal, the foundation currently relies on donations to sustain its programs.
Despite the funding woes, Albert remains unwavering in her mission “to reach out to people who are going through the similar challenge of lack and poverty just like I did,” she said. Through its education, humanitarian aid, and environmental advocacy initiatives, the Enibo Albert Charity Foundation is offering a lifeline to some of Bayelsa’s most vulnerable populations.
This story was produced with the support of Nigeria Health Watch through the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems.
In November, the Enibo Albert Charity Foundation provided essential aid to the flood-stricken community of Agudama in Bayelsa State, offering drinking water, mosquito nets, and insecticide sprays. The foundation, established by Enibo Albert, who was inspired by her personal experiences of hardship, has been committed to addressing community challenges since its inception in 2022. Beyond flood relief, the foundation is focused on empowering underserved populations through education and environmental advocacy.
To tackle education challenges, the foundation launched the Project Smart Seed initiative, delivering school supplies and reintegrating out-of-school children, benefitting individuals like Bishop Ankra and Samuel Krilah. This educational initiative aims to support 10,000 children over the coming years. In environmental advocacy, the foundation is addressing oil spills in the Niger Delta to combat poverty and support local agriculture.
With a volunteer-driven approach, the foundation seeks sustainable community impact despite funding challenges. It relies on donations to sustain its efforts in education, humanitarian aid, and environmental advocacy, aiming to aid vulnerable populations in Bayelsa affected by poverty and environmental disasters.
