When Compassion Meets with Humanity: the Amb Uche Iro Model

By Chigozie Uzosike

More often than not, a heart that gives for the sake of giving, remains within the canvass of human, a casual giver sometimes misses the real interpretation of what being a social safety nets for the society means.

An emergency supporter of an individual brings tangential meaning to import of helping the essence of life.

A man that supports the cause of human beings from a compassionate heart defines and embodies the benefits of humanity. A human is an individual member of the biological species homo sapiens, while humanity refers either to the collective human race as a whole or to the moral and compassionate qualities that define being good-natured.

HRtn. Amb. High Chief Dr. Sir. Uche Iro, who’s the Founder and President of THE STRIVAD FOUNDATION (TSF) has continued to bring real definition of and shown virtues like compassion, empathy, mercy, and kindness towards another.

Amb. Uche does not only occupy space, he creates spaces for humanity to strive. He draws individuals out of the quagmire of despondency. As Jesus Christ stretched forth His hands to keep Peter from sinking, Amb. Dr. Iro has brought practical impetus and interpretations to the biblical injunction as found in Matthew 14: 22-31.

Uche Iro model throws the social safety nets to individuals who are sinking and nearing the poverty line. His philanthropic gestures have consistently remained trajectory in the support of humanity.

Uche Iro believes in economic mobility which is one of the social questions that’s posing a challenge today.

In addressing the issue of economic mobility, he has employed the approach of See, Judge and Act which is a structure in the Catholic social teaching. ‘You See a situation – that’s, one sees an ugly human situations that are ignored and neglected by the society, one judges the impact of that situation and how it speaks to the shared humanity of everyone, which is degrading, unfortunate and painful and then one acts by offering philanthropy to improve the situation. This action brings genuine contribution to the members of the society so that they can reaffirm their sense of dignity. This is one model that Dr. Iro does not renege.

A man of impecability whose sense of community development has remained consistent and indelible in the hearts of many especially within his Eziudo in Ezinihitte Mbaise hometown.

Let me speak from original by introducing this effigy of personality to you.

Amb. Dr. Iro has positively impacted many lives and supported many rural communities across different regions of Nigeria includng his native community Eziudo through massive funding of community development projects in the areas of water supply, electricity supply, healthcare services, education, social welfare and more.

He has empowered many Nigerian youths through provision of scholarships and educational support grants for students at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, offering business start-up capital to upcoming enterprising youths, supporting widows, encouraging female-child education among others.

HRtn. Amb. High Chief Dr. Uche Iro (JP), the Chinemeze 1 of Eziudo Mbaise Ancient Kingdom, Nigeria, an international investor, diplomat entrepreneur, philanthropist has sustained his
provisions of medical support grants and palliatives for the aged and the needy as well as giving out youth and women empowerment.

A good number of past beneficiaries of his philanthropy and mentorship in Nigeria and in Germany, have in the course of the last over two decades since he founded THE STRIVAD FOUNDATION, become successful in life and are in turn today supporters of other needy people.

Dr. Iro is an advocate of the public school system in Nigeria and has in the last 10 years alone committed several millions worth of his personal resources into sponsoring various social intervention projects which are aimed at supporting and sustaining public schools in rural communities in Nigeria. Through his Charity Foundation, Dr. Iro has recruited and financially maintains qualified Nigerian Teachers and deploys them to public schools in rural communities. where lack of enough and adequate teachers have been a very serious challenge to the survival of public schools since many years now. The TSF-Nze Sir Raphael O. Iro Memorial Teachers Merit Award is typical of such interventions.

At the International level, Amb. Dr. Iro has facilitated the availability and access to international scholarship opportunities for post graduate studies in Germany for many qualified Nigerian youths. Through his multinational business conglomerate the STRIVAD GROUP, Amb. Dr. Iro has provided employment opportunties and sources of livelihood for many people both natives and foreigners in Nigeria, Germany, USA and in the United Arab Emirates.

If in the course of life, the likes of Dr. Uche Iro becomes in dearth supply, humanity certainly hangs on the precipice of erosion whereupon human life loses its definition and deviates from the sanctity of existence.

Journalist Chigozie Uzosike
Writes from Imo State, Nigeria