In a significant boost to local entrepreneurship and social rehabilitation, the Gold Heart Foundation has returned to Iyin-Ekiti to provide #150,000 in scale-up grants to four beneficiaries of its Gbemiro: Survivor Intervention Program (SSIP). The disbursement, held today, serves as the second phase of a project launched in September 2025, which initially provided teenage mothers in the community with vocational training and startup kits.
Omotayo Faith, the Health & Advocacy Officer for the Gold Heart Foundation, emphasized that this financial injection was a fulfillment of a pledge made during the program’s inception. “We promised to come back to support them financially, and here we are today,” Faith stated. “This is a follow-up to the startup support for our skill acquisition project. We are providing them with the funds necessary to scale their businesses and move toward true independence.” She also extended a special thank you to the Little Bird Charity Foundation for their partnership in making the intervention possible.
Mr. Tosin Obadare, Administrator of the Community Skills Acquisition Centre in Iyin-Ekiti, lauded the foundation’s consistency in supporting teenage mothers and widows.
Obadare noted that such initiatives align with the vision of the Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti, Oba Adeola Ajakaiye. He described the monarch as “enthusiastic about initiatives that benefit his community” and assured the foundation that the King would be formally briefed on the success of the exercise.
The final moments of the event belonged to the beneficiaries, whose stories underscored the human impact of the intervention. Oluwadare Tofunmi, who received a significant #100,000 grant, expressed deep gratitude as she outlined her plans for growth. “I am so happy to receive this,” Tofunmi said. “I will use it for the pastries business I learned when the organization first came to teach us. Beyond running the business, I plan to save from my profits through ajo (a local savings scheme). Ese gan ni oo (Thank you very much).”
