About Us
Who We Are
Tosan & Combra Hesse Foundation is a nonprofit committed to empowering women and girls and supporting families facing vulnerability through education, maternal access and community initiatives. Our work begins in Warri and surrounding communities in Delta State.
Our Mission
To empower women and girls in Nigeria by creating access to education, maternal support, essential resources and opportunities that promote dignity, independence and a better future.
Our Vision
A Nigeria where women and girls have the education, healthcare, resources and opportunities they need to thrive.
What We Believe
Education matters.
A girl's circumstances should not determine whether she gets the chance to learn and build a future.
Mothers matter.
Women deserve to give birth with access to appropriate care, support and dignity.
Community matters.
People closest to a problem often understand what is needed better than anyone else.
Opportunity matters.
Sometimes what changes a person's path is not a handout, but the opportunity to move forward.
Our Values
Compassion
We lead with empathy and humanity.
Dignity
Every person we serve deserves respect.
Integrity
We are committed to honest and responsible stewardship.
Accountability
We take responsibility for our decisions, resources and results.
Community
We believe lasting change happens through relationships.
Opportunity
We focus on helping women and girls move toward greater possibilities.
WHY I CREATED THIS FOUNDATION
I was born and raised in Nigeria, and from an early age I saw the importance of community.
I grew up watching my parents help people around them. They did not always have a lot to give, but they understood that sometimes a helping hand, a meal, support during a difficult moment or simply showing up for someone could make a meaningful difference.
Those experiences shaped the way I see community.
When I moved to Canada, my perspective grew. Experiencing pregnancy and childbirth in Canada gave me an even deeper appreciation for the importance of access to healthcare, resources and support during one of the most vulnerable moments in a woman's life.
It also made me think about the women I knew and the women I had grown up around in Nigeria.
I knew that there were women and girls whose circumstances could look very different, not because they had less potential, but because they had fewer resources and fewer opportunities available to them.
My experience founding and leading Black Girl Collective also taught me something important: meaningful change begins with people who are willing to build.
Tosan & Combra Hesse Foundation brings these experiences together.
I created this foundation because I believe women and girls deserve more than temporary help. They deserve opportunity. Girls deserve the chance to remain in school and imagine a future for themselves. Mothers deserve access to care and support when they give birth. Families facing hardship deserve to be treated with dignity.
Our work begins with practical programs for women and girls.
And our vision is bigger.
Over time, I hope we can build the partnerships, resources and capacity needed to establish a women and children's hospital in Warri, Delta State—one that provides quality, dignified and affordable care to women and children.
This is not a vision that will happen overnight.
It is a vision we will build carefully, responsibly and together.
That is why Tosan & Combra Hesse Foundation exists.