About Lady Helen Child Foundation
LHCHF - The Inspiration
LHCHF was incorporated in October 2017 from private financing in memory of Lady Helen Odeka, a devoted healthcare and social worker who dedicated over 50 years of her working life to care for mothers and children in the Western part of Nigeria.
Initially, she trained as a teacher and was engaged in Christian charity work which exposed her to the plight of nursing mothers and babies. This inspired her to train as a nurse and midwife.
After gaining both qualifications, she embarked on a long meritorious service in the health sector of the western region of Nigeria.
She progressed to become a Sister, Nursing Administrator and an Educator. She advanced the training and quality of nursing and midwifery service in her own way in the former Western Region and later Old Bendel State of Nigeria.
The Foundation founded in her honour is geared towards improving the health outcomes for children and mothers by promoting a strong culture of preventive and quality measures in healthcare provision. This will be advanced by supporting good communication of essential health information, relevant topical research information, conducting relevant seminars in addition to the direct provision of immunization support and directing patients to suitable referral portals for consultations.
Mission & Core values
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To improve health outcomes for children by encouraging a culture of informed preventive medical practice and the use of best evidence for managing children’s medical needs. We are also geared towards lifting the spirit of the Nigerian vulnerable children through on going best medical practice. We are therefore connected to the larger goal of facilitating the development of our future by the improvement of life of children.
OUR CORE VALUES
The Lady Helen Core Values are: • Quality Assurance • Patient Treatment Assistance Programme (PTAP) • Integrity • Financial stewardship • Continuous Learning Development • Research • Child Rights Advocacy • Partnership, Commitment and achieving best outcomes for those we support
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In promotion of excellence, LHCHF will facilitate the use of up to date research evidence, good governance structure in line with continuous professional development and incorporation of evidenced based material on e-learning portal to improve the lot of children’s health.
Board of Directors
Dr. Benjamin Odeka - MBBS DCH MA (health care Law) FRCP (L) FRCPCH
Director/ Chief Executive and Founder
Dr Benjamin Egware Odeka MBBS DCH MA (health care Law) FRCP (L) FRCPCH – Chief executive and founder of LHCHF a Consultant in paediatric medicine, paediatric gastroenterology, medical educator, researcher, medical manager and expert in medico-legal paediatrics. His practice of paediatric clinical medicine and management earned him clinical excellence award in the national health service of United Kingdom.
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Born in Nigeria and graduated from the College of medicine of the University of Ibadan in 1980. Studied post graduate paediatrics in England and Scotland and has continued to practise clinical and research paediatrics to date. Studied for his Masters Degree in Health Care Law from Salford in 2010 to enhance good practice of safeguarding children’s rights and also the regulation of health practitioners. A diplomate of the Royal College of physicians and surgeons of Glasgow 1986, Member Royal College of
Physicians1987, Fellow Royal College of Paediatrics and child health 1994, and Fellow of Royal College of Physicians London 1996. Was an Honorary Senior Lecturer of the University of Manchester and an examiner to the Manchester University Medical School. An examiner in paediatrics at the Royale College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Has been a research lead for paediatrics and been involved in many research projects, published and reviewed peer journals. He has held senior medical management positions in the health sector. Worked as RCPCH tutor for 2 years, Clinical director for children’s services for 10 years, and medical director for women and children’s service at the Pennine acute trust for 4years. Engaged in the promotion of the quality of child health in clinical research, education with assessment and management of resources. As an advocate for quality and best practice, he has continued to work for the General medical council UK as a performance assessor and also work for the Care quality commission of the UK – inspecting quality/standard of paediatrics provisions in hospitals in the UK.(Professional and clinical advisor) In his desire to provide and promote best practice in paediatrics and honour the memory of his mother Lady Helen Emiatse Odeka, he decided to establish this foundation to avail children in Nigeria the opportunity of receiving good and evidenced based care irrespective of their financial standing in the society. This he believes will help to address the challenges encountered by the majority of children in getting consistent and adequate health care support.
Dr Francisca Odeka BSc (Mass Com) Msc (Mass Com.) PhD (Glasgow, UK) Social Policy
Director and Foundation Secretary
Dr. Francisca Odeka is the Managing Partner of Frandek International Consulting Limited an affiliate of Lady Helen Child Health Foundation. Dr. Francisca Odeka is a Public Sector Reform Expert especially in the area of Performance Management, Capacity Building, Quality Assurance, Policy Development and Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation.
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Dr. Odeka is a seasoned consultant with extensive expertise in Capacity Building and Training Delivery, these expertise that she is making use of in all sphere of the Public Sector. Over the years she has worked in collaboration with the Primary Health Care to develop Capacity Building Programmes including Performance Management Tools to support the Sector in its effort to ensure that its employees are working to its optimum. Dr. Odeka is a top management coach; she has attended courses in business management and women entrepreneurship in Harvard Business School. Other areas of expertise are in the area of Human Resource Management, Strategic Leadership, Risk Management and Public Protection. Dr. Odeka who is a trained Mass Communication Expert, returned to Nigeria in 2010 to play her part in the development of the Country. She is passionate about Change in all aspects of the public sector and advocates this through her Change Management Lectures.
Mrs Ufuoma Claire Odeka – Howell M.Pharm
Director
Ufuoma is a trained pharmacist with a masters degree. A member of the pharmaceutical council Uk is one of the directors with a very strong ethos for social engagement and humanitarian work. She is a manager under the Tesco pharmacy retail chain in Manchester Uk and previously worked as a Pharmacy retail manager at Boots the chemist UK. She is involved in charity work and a trained sign language teacher.
Non Executive Directors
Mr. Christopher Osarumwense
Non Executive Director
Justice Gladys Kpenikpe Olotu
Non Executive Director
Mrs. Laditan Bolatito Arinola
Non Executive Director
LHCHF Ambassadors
Dr Ms Bibian Nwanyioma Ofoegbu
Ambassador
Dr Ofoegbu is a Consultant Neonatologist and Clinical risk Lead (Neonatology) currently based in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) since 2014. Currently she is the Clinical Chief of Neonatology at the Corniche Hospital, which houses the largest NICU in the UAE.
Previously she was an established Neonatal Consultant in the UK where she had received post graduate specialized neonatal training.
She is an MRCPCH (UK) Part 2 clinical examiner, an avid teacher and trainer and educator.
Within her day to day clinical work, she has an avid interest in clinical governance and clinical risk management- developing guidelines to reduce risk and harm to patients.
She is a proud medical graduant of the University of Benin, Nigeria and is actively involved with her alma-mata.
Outside of formal clinical work, she has a keen concern to reduce inequitable access to health care that is attributable to the socio-economic gap in Nigeria.
She has several publications in peer-reviwed journals and has spoken at various local and international conferences.
Dr. Yemi Oluwole
Ambassador
Dr. Oluwole has many years of NHS practice as a Consultant in paediatric practice.
She has interest in managing Children with Allergies and she is engaged in philanthropist activities.
She contributes to the education of Doctors in Training.
MBBS FRCPCH
Consultant Paediatrician (UK)
Lead and College Tutor Rochdale/Oldham
Ambassador Lady Helen Child Health Foundation
Mrs. Hart-Uta Agnes
Ambassador
Mrs Hart-Uta attended Ahmadu Bello University and Graduated with B.sc Sociology. She was employed into the Service of FCTA as Social Welfare Officer II and rose to the peak of her career in the Civil Service as a Director, Gender Department, FCTA.
Mrs. Hart-Uta Agnes has rendered a meritorious service to humanity in general and to FCTA in particular. She is a lover of children and the vulnerable. She has touched so many lives within and outside the FCT and Children in Orphanage homes. She is a passionate mother of all FCT Children, a seasoned Social Worker and a Philanthropist par Excellence.
During the course of her service, she attended to many training courses Locally and Internationally. She also won so many Awards for Excellence. To mention just a few:
- Ambassador of Peace
- Award of Recognition for the Enormous Contribution to the Needs of Families and Families in Dispute in FCT and Supporting the Peace Campaign of Youth Initiative for Diversity in Nigeria.
- A meritorious Award of Fellow of Social Work Administration (FSWA)
- Recognition Award for Efforts Towards Ending Violence Against Women
- Honorary Doctorate Degree by the Institute of Public Administration.
