About Us

About the Hold a Hand Project

We fund the education of underprivileged Nigerian students who are already leading in their communities.

Our Mission

Education as the deciding factor, not finances.

The Hold a Hand Project provides financial support to underprivileged Nigerian students who are community leaders. We aim to empower these promising students to continue to strive for excellence amid adversity.

Nigeria has little in the way of scholarship programs and no student loan opportunities, so families that become financially unstable often end up unable to educate their children. As students ourselves, our founders recognized how societal and economic factors hinder capable people from finishing their education — and built this organization to remove that one obstacle.

If not for the goodwill of my uncle, I too may have been forced to abandon my education. That's the vision this organization was built from.
Founder's Statement

Why this exists

Arinzechukwu C. Nwagbata
Arinzechukwu C. Nwagbata
Founder

When my father passed away in 2013, my family struggled to afford my tuition. An uncle's generosity gave me the chance to relocate to the U.S. and finish my education — an opportunity most students facing the same hardship never get.

That experience is why I started the Hold a Hand Project: to give qualified, ambitious Nigerian students the same financial assistance and hope that changed the course of my own life.

Arinzechukwu C. Nwagbata
Our Team

The people behind the project

A small, mostly volunteer team spanning the US and Nigeria.

Julliet Ogu

Julliet Ogu

Director of Development & Communications
Baylor College of Medicine
Ugochukwu Ezeani

Ugochukwu Ezeani

Finance Director
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University
Charles Osamor

Charles Osamor

Internal Affairs Coordinator
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth
Somtochukwu Nwagbata

Somtochukwu Nwagbata

Technical Manager
Georgia Institute of Technology
Jennifer Onwukwe

Jennifer Onwukwe

Recipient Project Coordinator
Baylor College of Medicine
Shawn Uduji

Shawn Uduji

Recipient Project Coordinator
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth
Charles Anukwonke

Charles Anukwonke

Campus Representative
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University
Ebubechukwu Dim

Ebubechukwu Dim

Campus Representative
University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Hold a hand. Leave a print.

100% of donations are tax-deductible under our 501(c)(3) status.

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