Newsletters

Welcome to this festive season. We are fortunate to keep the Foundation going thanks to the support you provide as our partner over the years. We have made meaningful progress since the beginning of the year, and we are deeply grateful for your continued support. In response to the increasing and exceptional demand for support, we remain dedicated to providing assistance as community members face challenges associated with escalating living costs. Your unwavering support has been instrumental in enabling us to respond with agility and impact to these evolving needs. Formal Partnership with the United Community of Ukrainians in Azerbaijan L-R – Wilson, Ms. Tamilla Musayeva and Lydia – And the kids during our visit on the 21st of December. We are pleased to announce that the Lydia Wilson Foundation has entered a formal partnership with the United Community of Ukrainians in Azerbaijan (www.ukrdiaspora.az). This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to supporting those most affected by the ongoing conflict in the region. As many are aware, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in the displacement of numerous families. Through this partnership, our organizations aim to bolster care and support for displaced children by providing consistent welfare assistance, ensuring access to education, offering psychosocial services, and delivering structured humanitarian aid. Ms. Tamilla Musayeva, Head of the Ukrainian Community, has warmly welcomed this partnership, and we look forward to working closely together to make a positive impact. We visited the Sumgayit residence, where we donated materials to the children on November 11, 2025, and again on December 21, 2025. During our recent visit, we joined the Christmas celebrations and provided additional supplies to help alleviate the challenges faced by these children. We encourage and welcome any support from our community to further assist these vulnerable children in need. Annual Football Tournament The kids displaying their football talent with the 3 scholarship recipients from the tournament. In partnership with WestDyke Community Football Aberdeen, 5 Stars of Egbeda, and Football Ambassadors, the 2025 annual football tournament was held in Lagos on the 5th of July, this tournament featured over 100 children from both the Football Ambassadors FC and the 5 STARS football club Egbeda Lagos. The Football Ambassadors lifted the cup after an incredible display of football talent!!! This annual event is targeted at children from slum areas to provide a safe space away from the trauma at home. The children displayed their excellent football skills and received medals with scholarships provided to the top 3 players of the tournament. This annual event has gained so much popularity, and we thank our partners for making it happen.Widow Empowerment through Farming Widows receiving fertilizers and other farming items in June and the harvest gathered in October.In June 2025, we partnered with RADi to empower 20 vulnerable rural women farmers located across three Local Government Areas in Southern Kaduna. Through this collaboration, each participant received essential agricultural inputs, including liquid fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, and hybrid seedlings. The primary objective of this initiative is to enable these women to cultivate their land effectively, thereby ensuring food security and generating income to support their families. Our team conducted a follow-up visit in October to assess the progress of the programme. We were greatly encouraged by the advancements made by the women, witnessing firsthand the positive impact the support has had on their farming activities and livelihoods. For a more personal perspective on the program’s effectiveness, we invite you to listen to a testimonial from one of the beneficiaries here. Baku Half Marathon fundraising Success In an inspiring show of commitment to our charitable mission, Wilson took part in the Baku Half Marathon on 4 May 2025. Running an impressive 21 kilometres, Wilson not only crossed the finish line but also helped to raise £2,500 in support of the Lydia Wilson Foundation’s ongoing efforts to aid vulnerable members of our society. We invite all those passionate about making a difference to contribute to this cause. Your donations will help us continue our vital work in supporting those in need. To donate, please visit our website page or follow this link: https://bit.ly/4hXIBDA Sustained support for the vulnerable during festive season Our commitment to supporting vulnerable individuals within our communities remains steadfast. Currently, the foundation provides empowerment and educational aid to a growing number of beneficiaries, including 102 widows and 130 children. These individuals rely on our programmes for vital resources and opportunities to improve their quality of life. Throughout the year, and especially during festive periods such as Easter and Christmas, we distribute food parcels to selected widows. These packages are intended to bring both joy and much-needed relief during times that can be particularly challenging. Despite our efforts, many beneficiaries continue to face hardships due to persistent food poverty and rising inflation, which further threaten their wellbeing. Strengthening Our Impact and Partnerships in 2026 We extend our sincere gratitude to all our volunteers and change agents who have worked tirelessly with us to advance the charity’s mission. Their unwavering dedication is fundamental to the delivery of our programmes and the progress we have achieved so far. However, to widen our reach and amplify our impact, we are seeking to engage more change agents. We warmly invite individuals who are passionate about making a difference to join our team and help extend our support to even more vulnerable communities. We are also committed to deepening our partnership with the Ukrainian community in Baku. There is a present need for an English-speaking teacher for the students within this community, with an annual cost of £15,000. To address this, we are actively seeking additional grants and financial support. Your support will be instrumental in making this educational opportunity a reality for these students. In pursuit of our commitment to education and empowerment, we are eager to set up partnerships with educational charities and pursue grants. Collaborating with like-minded organisations will enhance the educational support we provide and further develop our widow empowerment programme, ensuring broader and more sustainable

Happy new year to you and welcome to 2025. We are fortunate to keep the Foundation going thanks to the support you provide as our partners over the years. As we start the year, we want to share our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support during what has been a challenging year for many in 2024. We’ve witnessed an unprecedented demand for support as vulnerable members of our communities struggle with the rising cost of living. Yet, through it all, your unwavering help has enabled us to respond swiftly and effectively to these growing needs. Our Year in Review Supporting Vulnerable Families This year has seen significant growth in our support network. We now assist over 74 widows and over 110 children through direct financial support and empowerment programs. We’ve provided essential food parcels and helped with basic living expenses, ensuring families can maintain their dignity during difficult times. Festive Support December has been a particularly active month for the foundation. We provided festive food parcels to over 40 widows in Nigeria, bringing joy during the holiday season. Locally in Scotland, we partnered with Westhill community church to prepare and distribute festive hampers to Foodbanks, ensuring everyone could celebrate during this special time of year. Education Support We’re proud to report that all children in our program have continued their education without interruption. We have recorded new Universities and high schools admissions, with amazing results from high schools and lots more. Our support has included but not limited to providing: Annual Football Tournament – The 2024 LWF football tournament was held in Lagos, Nigeria, on October 5th. This exciting event saw over 100 children displaying excellent football skills. In partnership with WestDyke Community Football Aberdeen, 5 Stars of Egbeda, and Football Ambassadors Lagos Nigeria, we supported over 100 kids. Healthcare Making a Difference In May 2024, we celebrated World Menstrual Hygiene Day with a groundbreaking initiative. Working with RADi, one of our local partners in Kaduna Nigeria, we trained over 11 women in making reusable sanitary pads. These women are now sharing their skills within their communities, creating a sustainable impact. We’ve also continued providing emergency medical support to vulnerable community members, with a special focus on maternal healthcare. Refugee & Asylum Seeker Support Our partnership with Westhill Community Church Aberdeen in Scotland continues to flourish. We’ve provided essential care packages including clothing, hygiene items, and toiletries to those arriving with minimal possessions and currently hosted as refugees. Our Change Agents A special thank you to our dedicated volunteers – Our Change Agents. Their tireless commitment has been crucial in delivering our services and responding to increasing community needs selflessly. Looking Forward to 2025 Growing Our Support Network Building on our current base of 74 widows and 110 children, we aim to extend our reach to more vulnerable families. With the cost-of-living challenges continuing to affect our communities, we’ll strengthen our food security programs and essential support services. Our goal is to develop more sustainable solutions that help families build long-term resilience. We would also like to extend an invitation to more volunteers from any background. Expanding Educational Support We’ll continue our successful education programs while looking to increase the number of children we can support through our annual scholarship programme. By working closely with schools in Nigeria, we aim to create more comprehensive educational support packages that include not just fees, but all essential materials and uniforms. New Trustees Announcement We are pleased to welcome John and Christine to the leadership as trustees of the foundation. Both will be bringing invaluable experience to help shape our activities as we look forward to more successes in the years to come. Summary Finally, LWF would love to continue to do more in this area if we can grow funds for operation. All we have achieved and still hope to achieve is only possible with your continued financial support. Your donations make the following difference: To make donations, please visit our website, www.lydiawilsonfoundation.org. Alternatively, if you wish to make a One-off payment or to set up a frequent donation please drop us an email at lydiawilsonfoundation1@gmail.com and we will respond with the bank account details. Please help us share with your friends and families the good work we are doing. This is by far the easiest way to grow financial support for the foundation. How You Can Help, visit our website today – Donate – Lydia Wilson Foundation Thank You Your support makes all of this possible. Together, we’re building stronger and more resilient communities. Lydia Balogun-Wilson

Welcome to spring and we hope you and your loved ones enjoyed the season. As we recently rounded up the first quarter of 2024, we give gratitude to each one of you for your support over the years. Below are some of our activities since you received our last newsletter back in December 2023: Continued support for Widows, Widowers and Orphans The high cost of living is truly biting hard and several of our widows are struggling to feed their families. We’ve had to occasionally send out food parcels and cover basic living expenses for them. We have four (4) more widows join our books and five (5) additional children bringing the total number that we support to 74 widow(er)s and over 110 children (including orphans) that are direct beneficiaries of our financial support and beneficiaries of our charity empowerment. Where required, we paid school fees for the second term and are currently getting ready to pay fees for the final term of the year. UK Refugee and Asylum seeker support The charity continues to partner with the local Westhill churches to support the provision of basic supplies of underwear, socks, shower gel, toothpaste and toothbrushes for the asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland. Most of these people fled with just the clothes on their back, so receiving these basic care packages could be precious. Beneficiary of the 2023 AfBE Gala award night fundraising event The Association for Black and Ethnic Minorities (AfBE) chose our foundation as one of the charities spotlighted at their 2023 Gala award night. We received a generous donation. Supports like this goes a long way to making a difference to our beneficiaries, we are truly grateful. Summary Our committed volunteers called Change Agents, help us to achieve most of our activities and we appreciate them. Finally, LWF would love to continue to do more in this area if we can increase funds for operation. All we have achieved and still hope to achieve is only possible with your continued financial support. Your donations make the following difference: £20 pays for 1 child’s school stationery for a £30 pays for 1 child’s school fees for 1 term £60 pays for a child’s uniform over the school year £80 pays for a child’s clothing essential for a year £150 provides emergency medical bills for pregnant women with no support and relief materials to £300 pays for a child on our annual scholarship To make donations, please visit https://ugs.gpl.temporary.site/website_4bdce1bd/donate. Alternatively, if you wish to make a One-off payment or to set up a frequent donation please drop us an email at lydiawilsonfoundation@gmail.com and we will respond with the bank account details. Please help us share with your friends and families the impactful work that we are doing. This is by far the easiest way to grow financial support for the charity. We wish you all a joyful festive break and hope 2024 will be a much better year for us all. With gratitude, Lydia Balogun-Wilson President

Season’s greetings to you and your loved ones. As we begin to wrap up the year 2023, we have witnessed a high demand from many vulnerable people in our communities who have struggled to cope with the rising cost of living. The Russian – Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas wars along with numerous natural disasters, have not helped the situation. While we are unable to meet every request tabled before us, our limited responses have been made possible by your financial commitment to the foundation and for this, we are profoundly grateful. Below are some of our activities since you received our last newsletter: Support for refugees in Scotland We continued our collaboration with our local partners and provided basic household items and winter clothing (winter socks, boxers, hats, gloves etc.) to the refugees in their care. Please pray for these refugees as they are separated from their families who are still stuck in the war-torn countries. Continued Support for widows and orphans in Kogi State We have continued to provide foodstuffs to multiple widows and their families during this festive season so that they have a meal on their table on Christmas and new year day. These items were purchased and distributed by one of our volunteers and the heartfelt gratitude and prayers offered by the recipients are a testament of how much the items made a difference. Support for kids in Egbeda Akowonjo slum areas of Lagos State The year 2023 has been an eventful one as one of our partners, Westdyke Community Football club donated vast amounts of used football kits to the youths and most of who are orphans in Nigeria. These items were delivered in September 2023, and they have all been put to effective use during their football training matches. During this festive season, we also provided foodstuff to the football team to give them a taste of Christmas. Continued support for Widows, Widowers, Orphans The foundation continues to support numerous widow(er)s and their children who are struggling. We now have 70 widow(er)s and over 105 children (including orphans) that are direct beneficiaries of our financial support and business empowerment. Where required, we pay school fees and GCSE exam fees for some of these children. Our desire is to reach out to more. Bursary support for tertiary tuition fees We now support 12 Nigerian university students that we sponsor through tertiary education. Three of the students we support, recently graduated and are heading off to Nigerian National Youth Service (NYSC) programme. Local UK community support We continue to donate to the local foodbank of Westhill community church. We know that some members of our local community are suffering, and we want to help as best as we can. Summary Finally, LWF would love to continue to do more in this area if we can increase funds for operation. All we have achieved and still hope to achieve is only possible with your continued financial support. Your donations make the following difference: £20 pays for 1 child’s school stationery for a £30 pays for 1 child’s school fees for 1 term £60 pays for a child’s uniform over the school year £80 pays for a child’s clothing essential for a year £150 provides emergency medical bills for pregnant women with no support and relief materials to £300 pays for a child on our annual scholarship To make donations, please visit our donation page, https://ugs.gpl.temporary.site/website_4bdce1bd/donate/. Alternatively, if you wish to make a One-off payment or to set up a frequent donation please drop us an email at lydiawilsonfoundation@gmail.com and we will respond with the bank account details. Please help us share with your friends and families the impactful work that we are doing. This is by far the easiest way to grow financial support for the foundation. We wish you all a joyful festive break and hope 2024 will be a much better year for us all.   With gratitude, Lydia Balogun-Wilson President

Spring is here and it seems only a few weeks ago we were celebrating Easter. We hope you had a lovely and peaceful time with your family. The year 2023 has started with a lot of activities for the foundation. We paid a visit to Nigeria between March and April to support and assess some of our projects. The world continues to feel the impact of the Russian – Ukraine war and this in turn has driven the demand for support from the foundation. We are aware that we cannot solve nor meet all the numerous demands however, we will continue to do our best within reasonable means. We are truly grateful to consistent supporters like you. Association For Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK) nomination We are excited to announce that one of our partners in the UK, the AFBE-UK has nominated our foundation a one of the charities to be supported during their annual Gala event which is scheduled for November 2023 in Aberdeen the United Kingdom. The event schedule is detailed below. For more information, please visit (www.afbe.org.uk/events/afbe-gala-and-awards-2023). AFBE Gala & Awards 2023 Time: 6:00pm – 10:00pm Widow Empowerment In partnership with Archibol cake and events based in Nigeria. We are currently running a 4-week widow empowerment course that is training six widows to bake cakes and make sweet treats. The programme started on the 12th of April,2023. At the end of the course, each widow will receive an oven and basic baking kit that will help them to kickstart their own business and provide for their families. 2nd Annual Partnership Football Tournament In March 2023, the foundation hosted the second annual partnership football tournament in Lagos. Over 65 kids participated in the tournament where we witnessed great football skills! Our partnership with Ambassadors football Nigeria, Westdyke Community Club Aberdeen, UK, and the Five STARS football club of Egbeda Lagos moved to a new height through this football tournament. We desire to provide more continued support to these kids. We also need training certification support for their coaches. Football is a way to get these kids off the streets. The football kits donated by the Westdyke community FC were a blessing to these kids as shown in the images here. Continued support for Widows, Widowers, Orphans The foundation continues to support numerous widow(er)s and their children who are struggling through these difficult times. We now have 59 widow(er)s and over 46 children (including orphans) that are direct beneficiaries of our financial support and business empowerment. Where required, we pay school fees and GCSE exam fees for some of these children. Our desire is to reach out to more. We are glad to share with you that one of the kids that we have been supporting in the last few years, Isaac, has recently gained admission into one of the Nigerian Universities to study Physics education. We are so proud of him. The foundation will continue to support him until he graduates. Bursary support for tertiary tuition fees We now support 8 Nigerian university students that we sponsor through tertiary education. Local UK community support We continue to donate to the local foodbank of Westhill community church. We know that some members of our local community are suffering, and we want to help as best as we can. Summary Finally, LWF would love to continue to do more in this area if we can grow funds for operation. All we have achieved and still hope to achieve is only possible with your continued financial support. Your donations make the following difference: £20 pays for 1 child’s school stationary for a term. £30 pays for 1 child’s school fees for 1 term £60 pays for a child’s uniform over the school year £80 pays for a child’s clothing essential for a year £150 provides emergency medical bills for pregnant women with no support and relief materials to many. £500 pays for our annual undergraduate fees and upkeep £1200 can fund the entire annual funding needed for a child on our scholarship programme. To make donations, please visit https://ugs.gpl.temporary.site/website_4bdce1bd/donate/ Alternatively, if you wish to make a One-off payment or to set up a frequent donation please drop us an email at lydiawilsonfoundation@gmail.com and we will respond with the bank account details. Please help us share with your friends and families the good work we are doing. This is by far the easiest way to grow financial support for the foundation. With gratitude, Lydia Balogun-Wilson (President) Lydia Wilson Foundation (LWF)

As we started the year 2022, we had no idea that recovery from 2 years of COVID will be disrupted by an unprovoked war on Ukraine by Russia. This war has extended beyond the borders of both countries and the high rise in the cost of gas prices is creating untold hardship globally. We are fortunate to keep the Foundation going thanks to the support you provide as our partners. Partnership, Football Tournament and Scholarship for Sixty (60) kids in Africa Our partnership with Ambassadors football moved to a new height with our recently concluded plans to sponsor 60 kids in the first week in May 2022. They will be playing football in Lagos as a tournament, after the game, its our desire to sponsor the academics of these kids’ majority of whom are orphans. Two local football clubs in the UK, Westdyke community FC of Westhill, Aberdeenshire & Mickleover FC of Derby have donated old football kits for use. In addition, Westdyke Community FC, also donated a cup for the tournament and 60 medals with the inscription of Westdyke Africa! This is truly a commendable step in terms of support. The football tournament is scheduled for 2 May 2022 in Lagos, Nigeria. Additional support for this event would be appreciated. Continued support for Widows, Widowers, Orphans The foundation continues to support numerous widow(er)s and their children who are struggling. We now have 42 widow(er)s and 32 children (including orphans) that are direct beneficiaries of our financial support and business empowerment. Our desire is to reach out to more. Bursary support for tertiary tuition fees We now support 5 Nigerian university students, who approached us for help with their tuition fees. This is an avenue we wish to explore further to provide youth empowerment. Local UK community support In our local community, our support for food and basic amenities continued. We also made donations to relief materials for the people in Ukraine by partnering with parents of Repton preparatory School in Derby. Summary Finally, LWF would love to continue to do more in this area if we can grow funds for operation. All we have achieved and still hope to achieve is only possible with your continued financial support. Your donations make the following difference: • £20 pays for 1 child’s school stationary for a term. • £30 pays for 1 child’s school fees for 1 term • £60 pays for a child’s uniform over the school year • £80 pays for a child’s clothing essential for a year • £150 provides emergency medical bills for pregnant women with no support and relief materials to many. • £1200 can fund the entire annual funding needed for a child on our scholarship program To make donations, please visit our website, www.lydiawilsonfoundation.org. Alternatively, if you wish to make a One-off payment or to set up a frequent donation please drop us an email at lydiawilsonfoundation1@gmail.com and we will respond with the bank account details. Please help us share with your friends and families the good work we are doing. This is by far the easiest way to grow financial support for the foundation. We wish you all a joyful Easter break and celebration while trusting God for an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia. With gratitude, Lydia Balogun-Wilson (President) Lydia Wilson Foundation (LWF)