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Our Beginnings
I have always had the desire of establishing an organ through which to help  underprivileged people. But I never really knew when to start. I feared the risk beginning and failing, beginning and not carrying through what I had started. On the eve of the silver jubilee of my ordination, I found the unusual courage to begin something. Was that the inspiration from the Holy Spirit? I don’t know. I just felt an inner courage to go on. I followed that instinct. That was how Hope Rising Foundation was born, conceived on the night of January 1, 2016 and publicly pronounced on January 2, 2016. It wasn't until August 18, 2016 that the foundation became incorporated in the state of Florida, USA as a non-profit organization.

A proof that I have been contemplating such a move for years is the fact that in 2007, I did provide some minimal financial support to some widows in my kindred to help them begin or enhance their little businesses and thereby help support their families and provide for their children. In addition, we sunk two boreholes in my village, thanks to the help of a donation from a German priest-friend, Pfarrer Josef Nieberding. After several years of experimenting on that small scale, we thought of broadening the scope. We hope that this foundation will help us with the goal of reaching a larger group of beneficiaries.

My mother is a widow. I remember how she labored after the sudden death of my father to make sure we had food on our table at the end of each day. It wasn’t easy for her, but she labored hard and trying various means to provide for us, her children. At one point, she couldn’t even afford the 20 Nigerian Naira that I needed for a dental surgical procedure. It was thanks to the help of a distant uncle from my kindred that this became possible. Considering how hardworking she was, I believe, if she had the financial support she needed, she could have grown a viable and steady business. She didn’t have that, so we had to live from day to day, and feed from hand to mouth each day, not sure of what the next day will bring. I see in many widows today, hardworking women, who like my mom, desire to better their conditions and those of their children, but lack of financial support. To help alleviate this, I thought of beginning this foundation, hoping that the little financial support we provide such women would create better opportunities for them. The proceeds from my silver jubilee celebration and additional personal funds formed the first batch of money that we used to kick off the program. We set up a team to serve as board of directors. They worked in conjunction with the local pastors in screening prospective recipients. Twenty widows and indigent women in the community benefited from our first loan of 50,000 Nigerian Naira each.

This foundation is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria as Lucent Esperanza Initiative for Development. Our next plan is to erect a health clinic in a rural community. We are currently negotiating with the men and women leaders of Iho Dimeze autonomous community of Ikeduru Local Government in Imo State Nigeria, for land. They are very excited about this proposal and have shown willingness to support, including the possibility of donating a piece of land. They also favor the inclusion of skills acquisition center to train the young men and women of the community. We continue to pray for the best for all.
Our Goal
  1. Two provide small interest-free loans to widows and indigents of the communities we serve to enable them to be self-reliant entrepreneurs, and able providers for their children and families.
  2. To provide a suitable setting for the provision of basic healthcare in such communities and seek sponsorship for periodic healthcare missions in these communities.
  3. To assist in organizing annual sporting and cultural events and other tournaments among the youth of these communities, thereby helping them develop the spirit of sportsmanship, teamwork and other leadership skills.
  4. To source for funds (scholarships) to support the educational aspirations of hardworking and deserving young girls and boys of these communities.
  5. To provide suitable learning environment and materials for the education of the young girls and 
  6. boys of these communities.
Our Motto
Our motto is, “light a candle of hope, better a life” or also “light a light, better a life’. Like every drop of water on the ocean causes a ripple, so too does every candle lit, reduces the force of darkness. This makes evident the sense behind the old Chinese proverb that, “it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”. This is so true because every candle lit, helps in overcoming the darkness. Even though we do not pretend to be able, through what we do, to solve all the problems of all the needy, we are convinced that it is better to do the little that we can than to do nothing, as every little bit helps and every bit makes a difference.
Board of Directors
​Rev. Edmund Aku, the president and founder of this foundation, is a priest of the archdiocese of Owerri, Nigeria. After his seminary training and ordination, he continued his studies at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, completing his PhD in Theology in 1997. He also has a master’s degree in Educational Administration and Psychology from Fordham University, New York and Southern Connecticut University, New Haven, Connecticut. He taught for several years in the Connecticut State community colleges system and was adjunct lecturer in some other colleges in the State. He is currently the director of pastoral care with Catholic Health Services of the archdiocese of Miami, Florida.
Roberto Chavez is a member of the board of directors of the foundation. He is a civil engineer graduate from the Autonomous University of EL Salvador. He obtained a Master’s degree in engineering from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He later completed graduate studies in Business Administration from the Catholic University of El Salvador. Up to 1983 when he moved to Miami Florida, he worked in El Salvador both as an engineer and business administrator. On arrival to Miami, he did graduate studies in Florida International University(FIU). Between 1983 and 2009 he worked as engineer in the department of transportation in Miami, Florida and in the private sector. Since retiring in 2009, he volunteers in various areas including the prisons, Baptist Hospital Kendall, and at St. Anne’s nursing home. He is married to Norma Chavez and they have three kids with ten grandchildren.​
Dr. Ricardo Jose Sanchez-Rivers is presently a Primary Care Physician at the Continucare Health Center in Miami Florida. Prior to this, he worked at Doctor's Medical Centers and Finlay Medical Centers, both also in Miami Florida, in the same capacity of a Primary care Physician. He studied Medicine at the Autonomous National University of Mexico. Before coming to practice in the United State, he practices medicine in various levels in Managua, Nicaragua from graduation 1970, including working as Assistant Medical Director at the Occidental Health Public Centers since 1997. He is the vice president of the foundation.
Ms. Elly Martin, the financial secretary of the foundation,  is a retired State farm agency franchise owner. She started one of the agencies and worked there for 33 years before retiring. She is also a veteran of the United States Armed Forces, where she served during the Vietnam War. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Criminal Justice from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She currently volunteers at St. Anne’s Nursing Home and Residence and was active at St. Joachim Church, Miami for over 38 years. Ely is a mother of three and has seven grandchildren. She is married to Mr. Joel Martin.
Luz A. Cortes – Born in Puerto Rico, Luz moved to New York at the age of 7. In her professional life, she worked for 11 years as a bookkeeper in a manufacturing company in Brooklyn, New York. Luz later relocated to Miami where she worked for 29 years with a major cruise line. She was a supervisor at the Information Systems Department of this company for 15 years. Now retired, Luz lives with her 93 years old mother. She has a daughter and two grandchildren.  She is interested in women empowerment, and devoted to the cause of youth and human development. She is an enthusiastic and dedicated member of Hope Rising board of directors.
Our Good Friend
Pfarrer Josef Nieberding is a good friend of our foundation and has always supported our every initiative. He financed our 2007 borehole project, and recently gave us money which we shall be using to start our upcoming projects. In June 2016, Fr. Nieberding celebrated 50 years in the priesthood. He is a priest of the Catholic diocese of Muenster, Germany. He is thankful to God for his being and his calling to serve God and God’s people. As a priest he has lived through joyful and stressful moments, he notes. Meeting people, ministering to them, enjoying their friendship, their appreciation and generosity, are the pleasant moments for him as a priest. It is sad to be the one to bring the sad news of untimely deaths to families. However, being there for the people, to comfort and console them in such hard times is one of the strengths of a priest, he affirms. He retired from administrative ministry in 2014, but is still actively providing priestly services in St. Marien Church in Delmenhorst, Germany. We are grateful for his trust, friendship and solidarity.
Our Name
Embedded in the name, Hope Rising, is a testimony for the resilience and fruitfulness of hope. Hope never dies or fades away. Hope endures. Our goal is to build and sustain people’s hope regardless of the odds confronting them in life. We believe that their hope will keep on rising on the supporting hands of the generous people around them.
Our Logo
Our logo is a lit candle, a burning candle portraying the ever-burning flame of hope. The  rising flame depicts the enduring and resilient spirit of hope. ​