The Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International (COFI) has responded swiftly and impressively to the victims of the Turkey and Syria earthquakes through its Hope Relief Mission. Over the course of three days, from 1st to 3rd May 2023, COFI volunteers, led by Pastor Victor Uba, in collaboration with Loveworld UK, distributed over 5000 boxes of relief aid to victims in five different cities at the epicenter of the earthquakes.
The COFI team also spent time carrying out humanitarian work and meeting with various government officials. In the city of Tarsus, the first city to be visited, officials were amazed by the overwhelming response of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and COFI volunteers, stating that they were grateful to be remembered all the way from Africa.
COFI volunteers also went to Nurdagi, Islahiye, Hatay, and Kahrenmaresh, where over 1,000 victims of the earthquake benefited from the distribution of relief materials. Many victims received the items with tears of joy and expressed that receiving the materials gave them hope that someone like Pastor Chris was praying for them from across the world.
Speaking to the press, Pastor Victor Uba emotionally said, “This is so heart-wrenching; we just drove past some towns that have been turned to rubble; decent neighborhoods where people lived beautiful lives with dignity, and suddenly waking up and losing their loved ones, livelihood and homes, and they have to now live in makeshift tents on the streets and depending on supplies from people.”
COFI’s mission, founded by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome in 2008, is aimed at eradicating poverty, providing quality education, promoting economic growth, responding to natural and man-made disasters, among others. In 2023, COFI invested $125,000 in the Future Africa Leaders’ Award, donated 500 million Naira towards the development of the Obasanjo Library in Abeokuta, commissioned an ultra-modern twin waiting room facility for the Nigerian Immigration Service Ikeja Passport Office, and built 12 tuition-free schools across Nigeria and one in India.