On June 22, 2025, the Honourable Commissioner for Youth Development, Alfred Kemepado Nimizigha, personally signed and issued a letter of recommendation for NextGem Foundation.

This is what happens when you do the work seriously.

NextGem Founder Victoria Abiye Kiolawson with Honourable Commissioner Alfred Kemepado Nimizigha, Bayelsa State Ministry of Youth Development.


In 2025, Victoria Abiye Kiolawson arrived in Bayelsa State as an NYSC corps member with an idea: bring together orphaned and vulnerable children from across the state for a sports competition that would give them something that was entirely theirs.

That event, the first NextGem Orphanage Games, caught the attention of government stakeholders, including the Ministry of Youth Development.


6 months later, the Commissioner for Youth Development has put his name and signature to a formal letter of recommendation for NextGem Foundation.


What the Commissioner said — in his own words

The letter, written on official Ministry letterhead and signed by Commissioner Nimizigha, reads in part:


“I have personal knowledge of Miss Kiolawson’s work. During her National Youth Service Corps year in Bayelsa State, she organised an inter-orphanage sports competition. Her vision for the orphans aligns with the Ministry’s commitment to youth inclusivity. Her focus on creating sustainable systems and opportunities for vulnerable children is highly appreciated and supported by the Ministry.
Therefore, this Ministry endorses her work and respectfully encourages your support toward her endeavour and NextGem Foundation.”
— Alfred Kemepado Nimizigha, Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Youth Development, Bayelsa State


What the Ministry of Youth Development has recognised — what Commissioner Nimizigha put his name to — is that this Foundation operates with the discipline and long-term thinking of an institution and , not the enthusiasm of a one-off project.

Honorable Commissioner Alfred Kemepado Nimizigha

We build systems. We maintain partnerships. We show up, again and again, in ways that government bodies can stake their credibility on.


This partnership also connects NextGem to the NYSC ecosystem in Bayelsa State, a relationship we intend to develop deliberately and responsibly as we grow.

The details are still being shaped, but the foundation of trust is already in place.


STATE GOVERNMENT ENDORSEMENTS TO DATE

Also launching: Project ACCESS

Government endorsements expand who we can reach. Project ACCESS is about what happens when we get there.


Project ACCESS is NextGem Foundation’s new computer literacy initiative for children in partner orphanages across Bayelsa State.

For many of these children, a computer is something they have seen but never touched. Project ACCESS changes that, giving them the foundational digital skills that the rest of the world already takes for granted.


We believe that removing a child from poverty is not only about meeting their immediate needs. It is about building their capacity to compete, create, and contribute in the world they will inherit.

Digital literacy is no longer optional. Project ACCESS makes sure our children are not left behind.


Read the full Project ACCESS announcement here

What we are building is bigger than one partnership

NextGem Foundation has earned the trust of Bayelsa State government, and we intend to honour that trust everywhere we go next.


We are actively seeking institutional and funding partners who understand that the welfare of vulnerable children in Nigeria is not a short-term cause — it is a decades-long commitment.

If your organisation is ready to back something built to last, we want to hear from you.


Partner with NextGem Foundation

We are seeking institutional partnerships and funding partners to expand our operations across Nigeria. View our partnerships page, read about the Orphanage Games, or support Project ACCESS directly.


→ Become a partner
→ The Orphanage Games
→ Project ACCESS
→ Support our work (donate)

————————————-
NextGem Foundation is a registered Nigerian non-government-organisation building structured platforms and pipelines for orphaned children across all 36 states of Nigeria. Our programmes include NextGem Spotlight, NextGem Support, and NextGem Refiners.


🌐 nextgemfoundation.com
📧 nextgemfoundation@gmail.com
📱 @nextgemfoundation