Dele Awe Foundation logo Dele Awe FoundationHearts of Compassion Inc.

Empowering students to hope for a brighter future through education.

Since 2010 the Dele Awe Foundation has funded university scholarships, vocational training and school supplies for young Nigerians — so that no child's future is decided by the circumstances they were born into.

Give today See our programs
Primary school pupils holding new backpacks from the Project Hope backpack drive
Project Hope Backpack Drive, Nigeria
$100K+in university tuition sponsored since inception
~100scholarships awarded each year across Nigeria
200+WAEC & NECO exam registrations paid for
400+pupils reached yearly by the Project Hope assembly
What we do

Three ways we open doors

Each program meets students at a different stage — from a first backpack to a university degree to a first business.

Pupils seated in a hall with new school bags

Project Hope

School supplies, motivational assemblies and academic challenges for grade-school pupils in rural Nigeria.

Learn more →
Secondary school students in uniform gathered outdoors

Scholarships & Exams

University tuition scholarships and WAEC / NECO exit-exam registration for students who could not otherwise afford them.

Learn more →
A speaker addressing a crowd of students under palm trees

Vocational & Community Empowerment

Trade training and start-up equipment so artisans can open their own businesses after learning a skill.

Learn more →
Who we are

An arm of Hearts of Compassion Incorporated

The Dele Awe Foundation operates under Hearts of Compassion Incorporated, a Texas non-profit recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity since 2005. The corporation's larger vision is all-round skill development among young people; the Foundation carries that vision to communities across Nigeria.

Foundation volunteers and guests standing in front of a Dele Awe Foundation banner
Partner with us

Each dollar funds a scholarship, a toolkit, a backpack — a future.

No amount is too small. Your gift is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Donate now
About the Foundation

Education is the surest road out of poverty. We help students walk it.

The Dele Awe Foundation has been providing university scholarships, vocational career assistance and educational materials to young Nigerians since 2010.

Our mission

The Dele Awe Foundation is dedicated to providing educational and career assistance to young Africans, and to the economic empowerment of artisans and tradesmen and women, in order to transform lives.

Our vision

A future where every African child, regardless of socio-economic background, has equal access to educational opportunities, and where artisans and tradesmen and women have the tools and support to build sustainable livelihoods.

Our values

Hope, hard work and the grace of God — the same three things the professionals who speak at our assemblies credit for their own journeys from villages much like the ones we serve.

A speaker in traditional dress addressing rows of pupils in white and blue uniforms
Our structure

Hearts of Compassion Incorporated

The Foundation is an arm of Hearts of Compassion Incorporated, a non-profit corporation based in Grand Prairie, Texas and registered under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. The corporation's ruling year with the IRS is 2005, and it is classified as a multipurpose human-services organization.

Operating under a U.S. public charity means every donation is tax-deductible for U.S. donors and every program is run with the accountability a registered charity requires.

Legal name
Hearts of Compassion Incorporated
Doing business as
Dele Awe Foundation
EIN
20-1426059
Status
501(c)(3) public charity, ruling year 2005
Headquarters
Grand Prairie, Texas, USA
Field of work
Communities across multiple states of Nigeria
Our story

From one scholarship to a movement

2005

Hearts of Compassion Incorporated is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charity in Grand Prairie, Texas.

2010

The Foundation begins providing university scholarships and educational support to young Nigerians.

2013

The annual scholarship program is formalized across several communities in Nigeria, funding roughly 100 scholarships a year.

2023 – 24

Project Hope launches: a Youth Empowerment Assembly and Backpack Drive brings together more than 300 pupils from several towns.

2024

The Project Hope Essay Competition & Reading Challenge engages senior students at Ipoti Community Secondary School and Ipoti High School.

Today

Over $100,000 in tuition sponsored, 200+ exam registrations paid, and a growing number of artisans running their own businesses.

"Professionals who had a similar background but achieved success with hope, hard work, and the grace of God."How our Project Hope speakers are chosen — and why students listen.
Our Team

Board of Directors

Volunteers on two continents who give their time, professional skills and resources so that students in Nigeria can go further than they imagined.

Draft: photos and biographies for each director are still to be added.

Founder & Visioner

David Dele Awe

Founder of the Dele Awe Foundation. [Biography and photo to be added.]

Chairperson

Dr. Oluyemisi Awe-Aina

[Biography and photo to be added.]

Vice Chairman

Mr. Olabisi Babalola

[Biography and photo to be added.]

Secretary

Siji Deleawe

[Biography and photo to be added.]

Director

Pastor Kayode Awe

[Biography and photo to be added.]

Director

Dr. Temilade Aladeokin

[Biography and photo to be added.]

Director

Dr. Olakanmi Deleawe

[Biography and photo to be added.]

Two Foundation supporters smiling at a Project Hope event
Volunteers & partners

Speakers, mentors and local schools

Every assembly relies on professionals who return home to tell pupils their own stories, on teachers at partner schools such as Ipoti Community Secondary School and Ipoti High School, and on volunteers in Texas who organize drives and fundraising.

Programs

Meeting students at every stage

From a pupil's first backpack to a graduate's first business, our programs build on one another.

Rows of pupils lined up on a school field beside sacks of school supplies
Grade school

Project Hope

Project Hope is designed to empower grade-school students in rural Nigeria to hope for a brighter future through education. It combines three things: practical school supplies, motivational messaging from people who grew up where they did, and academic challenges that reward curiosity.

  • Youth Empowerment Assembly & Backpack Drive — more than 300 pupils in 5th and 6th grade from several towns gathered to receive backpacks, supplies and messages of hope.
  • Essay Competition & Reading Challenge — students in grades 10–12 at Ipoti Community Secondary School and Ipoti High School were asked to identify a technical, environmental or health problem in their community and write a two-page essay on how they would solve it.
A large crowd of secondary school students in blue and white uniforms
Secondary & university

Scholarships & Exam Sponsorship

Since inception the Foundation has sponsored more than $100,000 in college tuition through roughly 100 scholarships each year across multiple states in Nigeria. Because many bright students never sit their exit exams simply because of the fee, we have also paid WAEC and NECO registration for more than 200 students.

A guest speaker addressing students gathered under trees
Young adults

Vocational & Community Empowerment

Not every path runs through a university. For young people who learn a trade, the biggest barrier is often the cost of tools. The Foundation supplies equipment so that newly trained artisans — tailors, welders, hairdressers, mechanics and more — can open their own small businesses and begin earning immediately.

Scholarships

Apply for a Dele Awe Foundation scholarship

Each year the Foundation awards roughly 100 scholarships to Nigerian students who show academic promise and financial need.

Who is eligible

  • Students from the Nigerian communities where the Foundation operates
  • Admitted to, or in good standing at, an accredited Nigerian university, polytechnic or college of education
  • Demonstrated financial need
  • Secondary students may apply separately for WAEC / NECO registration sponsorship

What the scholarship covers

Tuition support for the academic year, paid directly to the institution. Selected students may also receive textbooks and learning materials.

[Confirm details: award amount, renewal terms, application window and required documents.]

Request an application

Email deleawefoundation@gmail.com with your name, school and year of study, or collect a form from your school's coordinator.

Submit your documents

Completed form, admission letter or current results, and a one-page statement about your goals.

Selection & award

Applications are reviewed by the Foundation's committee; successful students are notified and tuition is paid to the institution.

In their words

What our scholarship recipients say

[Recipient testimonial][Name], [Institution], Class of [Year]
[Recipient testimonial][Name], [Institution], Class of [Year]
[Recipient testimonial][Name], [Institution], Class of [Year]
Impact

Fifteen years of opening doors

Numbers tell part of the story. The faces in the photos tell the rest.

2010year the Foundation began its work
$100K+in university tuition sponsored since inception
200+WAEC & NECO registrations paid
Multiplestates served across Nigeria
Gallery

Images from our past programs

Pupils lined up on a school field beside sacks of supplies
Project Hope Backpack Drive — pupils assemble before supplies are handed out
Speaker addressing students
A guest speaker shares his journey
Girls in school uniform
Students at a partner school
Crowd of students in uniform
Youth Empowerment Assembly
Speaker in traditional dress with pupils
Messages of hope from professionals who grew up nearby
Group in front of DAF banner
Foundation team and guests at a Project Hope event
Pupils with backpacks
New backpacks, ready for the term
Pupils seated with school bags
Backpack distribution in the school hall
Founder seated with pupils
Sitting with the pupils after the assembly
Two supporters smiling
Supporters at the assembly
News & Events

Updates from Nigeria and Texas

Follow the Foundation on Facebook for photos and videos from every event.

Partner with us for this year's Project Hope

The Foundation launched its annual appeal for the Project Hope Youth Empowerment Assembly and Backpack Drive, inviting supporters to help empower students to hope for a brighter future through education.

Project Hope Youth Empowerment Assembly & Backpack Drive

More than 300 fifth- and sixth-grade pupils from several towns gathered for a day of encouragement from professionals who share their background, and went home with new backpacks and school supplies.

Essay Competition & Reading Challenge, Ipoti

Senior students at Ipoti Community Secondary School and Ipoti High School were challenged to identify a problem in their community and propose a solution in a two-page essay.

Scholarship awards

Each academic year the Foundation funds roughly 100 scholarships and sponsors WAEC and NECO registration for students across Nigeria.

Donate

Make an impact that can save generations

Each dollar you donate helps fund university scholarships, vocational training and equipment, educational outreach, and many more resources to change lives. No amount is too small.

$25A backpack and school supplies for one pupil
$60WAEC or NECO exam registration for one student
$250Start-up equipment for a newly trained artisan
$500A year of university tuition support

[Confirm the tier amounts above against actual program costs.]

Donate online Give by check or Zelle

Hearts of Compassion Incorporated is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 20-1426059). Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. [Donate button is a placeholder — point it to your PayPal, Givebutter, Zeffy or bank link.]

God bless you as you invest in a brighter future for all.

Contact

Get in touch

Mailing address
Hearts of Compassion Incorporated
Grand Prairie, Texas [add street address & ZIP]
Phone
[add phone number]
Nigeria office
[add contact]

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