Across bustling city streets and quiet rural hamlets from Nigeria to Uganda and Senegal to Zambia, a quiet but powerful gesture of compassion is unfolding, one tin of food, school supplies and heartfelt conversation at a time.
Between November 2025 and January 2026, the UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, launched an expansive humanitarian push that reached more than 100,000 vulnerable people across Nigeria and 19 other African countries.
The initiative wasn’t just about charity, it was an act of solidarity aimed at easing the emotional and financial strain associated with the year-end and new year period, especially for those living on the margins.
Reaching the Most Vulnerable
In Nigeria, the reach was both deep and wide. From orphanages in Abia and Lagos, to internally displaced person (IDP) camps in Niger and Borno, and care homes in Oyo, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Taraba, Kebbi and Jigawa, the Foundation distributed food supplies, school materials and cash support.
These essential supplies helped fill immediate needs, from nourishing growing children to providing learning tools that offer long-term opportunity.
Meanwhile, across the continent, hundreds of thousands more benefited from similar support. In Benin Republic, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and beyond, vulnerable families, students and community members received aid that went beyond food, it brought momentary relief and enduring hope.
Compassion in Action
The moral force behind the initiative was personified in the actions of Bola Atta, managing director/CEO of UBA Foundation, who personally visited some beneficiary sites, including the Destitute Home in Okobaba, Lagos, where she met face-to-face with adults and children receiving support.
“True development begins with compassion and action,” she said, underscoring that the Foundation’s work goes far beyond seasonal generosity. “We are restoring hope and creating pathways for children and families to learn, grow and thrive.”
This message that giving must be consistent, inclusive and dignity-centred, reflects a growing belief within Africa’s philanthropic community: that sustainable change is not a one-off event but a constant relationship with communities in need.
A Tradition of Making a Difference
The UBA Foundation’s pan-African outreach is part of a broader tapestry of programmes that touch lives in meaningful ways, from food banks and educational drives to economic empowerment and environmental sustainability projects.
By weaving these efforts together, the Foundation is building a narrative where corporate support meets human resilience, and generosity becomes an engine for long-term transformation rather than short-term relief.
As the sun set on another year, and as many families braced for hard choices, UBA Foundation’s efforts brought nourishment, materials, and most importantly, hope to corners of Africa where hardship often overshadows possibility.
In the smiling eyes of a child receiving a school book or the grateful embrace of an elderly beneficiary, the message was clear: Africa’s strength lies not just in its markets or resources, but in its capacity to care for each other.
