Iye’s House is a community home in Benin City, Nigeria. A safe, warm space where children can eat, learn, and grow. Built on a grandmother’s legacy. Funded by people like you.
Give to Iye’s HouseMy grandmother, we called her Iye, never had much. But her home was always full. Neighbors’ children ate there. Relatives stayed for months at a time. If you showed up hungry, you ate. If you needed somewhere to sleep, you slept. That was just how she lived.
She didn’t call it charity. She didn’t have a name for it. It was just what you did when someone needed help and you had a little to share.
Iye passed that belief down to me. And for years, I’ve been supporting families in my community the same quiet way: buying food, paying school fees, helping where I can. No logo. No organization. Just showing up.
Now I want to give that work a home. Literally.
There is a modest family house in Benin City. It needs work: new flooring, fresh paint, a functioning kitchen, proper furniture. But the bones are good. And the neighborhood needs it. We’re going to turn it into Iye’s House: a place where children can come after school to eat a warm meal, get help with homework, read books, draw pictures, and feel safe.
Not a school. Not an orphanage. A community house. The kind of place Iye would have run herself.
In many parts of Benin City, children go without meals during the day. Parents are working long hours in markets, on roadsides, doing whatever they can, but the math doesn’t always add up. Lunch gets skipped. Homework doesn’t happen because there’s no table, no light, no one free to help.
Kids who should be reading are roaming. Kids who should be fed are waiting. Not because their parents don’t care, but because the support isn’t there.
These children don’t need rescuing. They need a reliable place. Somewhere to go after school where there is food, there is help, and there are adults who see them. That’s what Iye’s House will be.
Iye’s House will serve children ages 5 to 14 from the surrounding neighborhood. It’s designed to be simple, consistent, and genuinely useful. Here’s what kids will find when they walk through the door:
A nutritious meal after school, every day. No child leaves hungry.
Tutoring, reading practice, and academic support from trained volunteers.
Drawing, storytelling, and hands on activities that let children be children.
A caring adult presence and access to age appropriate counseling and wellness activities.
Iye’s House is a real home, not an institution. Every room is designed to feel welcoming, safe, and practical for the children who’ll use it every day.
Tables, chairs, shelves of books, and good lighting. A quiet space for homework, tutoring, and reading. The thing most of these kids don’t have at home.
Art supplies, drawing paper, craft materials, and space to play. Where children get to imagine, make things, and just be kids.
A clean, functional cooking space to prepare daily meals. Simple, local food like jollof rice, beans, yam, and soup, made fresh by community volunteers.
A small, calm space for one on one conversations, basic counseling, and emotional check ins. Staffed by a trained support volunteer.
A safe, enclosed yard for games, group activities, and fresh air. Every child needs room to move.
Flooring, roofing repairs, painting, plumbing, electrical wiring, and making the space safe and clean.
Tables, chairs, bookshelves, kitchen equipment, art supplies, and learning materials.
Daily meals, volunteer stipends, cleaning supplies, utilities, and program materials for 12 months.
Site coordinator salary, mental health first aid training, and volunteer onboarding for the first year.
Every dollar goes directly to building and running Iye’s House. Here’s what your gift makes possible:
Feeds a child one nutritious meal a day for an entire month. That’s 30 meals. Real food, real impact.
Give $25Stocks the learning room with books, notebooks, and pens. Gives a child the tools to study and grow.
Give $75Furnishes one room with a table, chairs, and supplies. You’re literally building the space a child will learn in.
Give $150Covers a major renovation milestone like flooring, electrical, or plumbing. You’re making the house safe.
Give $500Want to give a different amount? Every contribution matters. Give what feels right.
Raising initial funds, identifying volunteers, and building awareness in the local community and among supporters abroad.
Structural repairs, painting, plumbing, electrical work, and installing furniture and equipment. Turning the house into a functional, welcoming space.
Onboarding the site coordinator, training volunteers in child safety and mentoring, and completing mental health first aid certification.
Opening doors to the first group of children. Starting with 15 to 20 kids, refining daily programming, and gathering feedback from families.
Expanding to full capacity, launching the creative and counseling programs, and beginning regular reporting to donors.
You can help build a place where 30 children eat, learn, and feel safe, starting this year. The house is real. The children are waiting. Your gift makes it happen.
Donate NowEvery donor receives a detailed breakdown of how funds are spent. No vague “operating costs.” You’ll see exactly where your money went, down to the bags of cement and boxes of crayons.
We’ll share progress photos throughout renovation, and once the house is open, you’ll receive monthly updates showing the children, the activities, and the meals your gift made possible.
Kids Heart Foundation is founder led and community driven. There’s no bloated headquarters or executive salaries. This is one person’s lifetime commitment backed by people who care.
Iye’s House is the first step. Our goal is a sustainable community hub that runs for years, supported by local partnerships, the Women Seed Fund micro enterprise program, and ongoing donor relationships.
Your kindness brings food, care, and brighter days to children and families in need.
Donate Now