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who we are

We’re a catalytic grant-making foundation focused on disability inclusion in Nigeria.

We believe every child deserves to be seen and supported—and we’re building a future where children with disabilities can live with dignity and independence.

Our Values

Our Why

Disability is one of the most overlooked drivers of exclusion in Nigeria.

An estimated 95% of children with disabilities are out of school. Many lack access to the assistive devices, rehabilitation services, or community support they need to move, communicate, or participate in everyday life

Despite national and global frameworks on inclusive education and disability rights, children with disabilities remain some of the most invisible and underserved. Grassroots disability organisations are frequently undervalued, underfunded, and excluded from mainstream development initiatives, indicating that the problem extends beyond a mere lack of awareness.

At REF, we believe every child deserves the chance to move freely, learn with dignity, and thrive in their community. But progress doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens when local solutions are trusted, resourced, and scaled. That’s why we exist.

See What We Fund

Vision

A Nigeria where children with disabilities are fully included, empowered, and equipped to live with dignity, independence, and boundless opportunity.

Mission

To provide children with disabilities access to life-changing assistive technology and rehabilitation services while building a robust ecosystem of local leaders, organizations, and proven solutions that drive sustainable and inclusive change.

Founding Story

I’m Chika Ogunnaike, Founder of the Roseline Emenike Foundation (REF), a fund dedicated to closing Nigeria’s disability inclusion gap by strengthening and scaling what already works.
After nearly three decades in the United States, I built a Choice Home Care Inc., an in-home care agency in California, Los Angeles, that now supports thousands of individuals with developmental disabilities and employs over 1,800 caregivers and nurses. This experience has shown me what’s possible when systems are designed not only to care, but to include, when people with disabilities are empowered to thrive, not just survive.
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Our Values

Our values are more than guiding principles; they’re our blueprint. They shape how we partner, how we fund, and how we show up in this work. In a space where words often outpace action, these five values keep us grounded, focused, and accountable.

If they resonate with you, we invite you to learn more, partner with us, or help amplify the mission because real change starts with shared conviction.

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Impact

We exist to deliver measurable, life-changing results, beginning with the child. We support what works, monitor what matters, and remain relentlessly focused on outcomes.

Proximity

We trust the wisdom of those closest to the problem. That’s why we invest in grassroots leaders, community-based solutions, and organisations rooted in lived experience.

Scale

We fund beyond survival, we fund for scale. We help high-impact disability interventions grow, replicate, and influence systems so they reach more children, sustainably.

Visibility

We challenge the invisibility of children, of solutions, of the sector. We elevate voices, spotlight stories, and ensure disability inclusion is no longer sidelined or silenced.

Collaboration

We don’t go it alone. We convene, connect, and co-create, knowing that real change requires shared vision, mutual respect, and cross-sector action.

Our Board

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Meet the Team

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Advancing opportunities, inclusion, and dignity for children with disabilities in Nigeria.

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Founding Story

I’m Chika Ogunnaike, Founder of the Roseline Emenike Foundation (REF), a fund dedicated to closing Nigeria’s disability inclusion gap by strengthening and scaling what already works.
After nearly three decades in the United States, I built a Choice Home Care Inc., an in-home care agency in California, Los Angeles, that now supports thousands of individuals with developmental disabilities and employs over 1,800 caregivers and nurses. This experience has shown me what’s possible when systems are designed not only to care, but to include, when people with disabilities are empowered to thrive, not just survive.
Each visit to Nigeria brought a painful reminder: children with disabilities were being left behind. Not because their families lacked love, but because the systems around them weren’t designed to help them succeed. Without access to therapy, mobility aids, education, or structured community care, families were left to shoulder an impossible burden alone. This wasn’t invisibility by choice; it was exclusion by design.

Before there was a foundation, there was my mother— Chief Roseline Emenike. Every trip she made to the U.S., she would collect unused wheelchairs, walkers, and other aids, bringing them home to distribute to children who had none. Her quiet acts of compassion planted the seed that became the Roseline Emenike Foundation. Her generosity became my inspiration to build something that could continue her legacy and create a system of inclusion for children across Nigeria.

Today, an estimated 7.7 million children in Nigeria live with disabilities, yet only a small fraction have access to the technology, therapy, or education they need to reach their potential. While the 2019 Disability Act was a crucial step forward, enforcement remains weak and funding inconsistent. Too often, organizations doing meaningful work are underfunded, despite their proven impact.

The Roseline Emenike Foundation exists to change that, by identifying and empowering those already making a difference. We provide flexible, purpose-driven grants to community-rooted organizations that are improving lives on the ground, helping them expand, deepen, and sustain their impact. Our focus spans assistive technology, rehabilitation services, and community-based care, ensuring that inclusion begins where people live and learn.

Every child deserves the right to move, learn, and live with dignity. My hope for REF is simple: that we continue to nurture what’s working, amplify local solutions, and make inclusion not the exception, but the standard.

Chika Ogunnaike,
Founder,
Roseline Emenike Foundation