Union Bank of Nigeria Plc has announced the launch of the ‘We Lead Mentorship Project,’ (WLMP), an 8-month youth mentorship programme, in Igbodo, Delta State, as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
 The programme being implemented by the Rural Development and Reformation Foundation (RUDERF), in conjunction with the Igbodo Development Union (IDU), is a community–based mentorship programme that utilises local human resources and trained mentors to build and strengthen community youths using a structured curriculum.
The project was designed to address societal issues ranging from illegal migration to violence, extremism and other vices. Another key part of the project is the establishment of a book club in the community to encourage a reading culture among Igbodo youths. At the end of the extensive project, the participants are expected to have benefitted from mentorship, economic empowerment and leadership development opportunities.
Speaking at the official launch of the project, Union Bank’s Head of Transformation, Joe Mbulu stated the need to harness the power of community-based mentors to raise young and purposeful leaders for global impact informed the initiative.
“Union Bank remains deeply committed to improving the lives of the youths of Nigeria. This is why we are investing in education, financial inclusion and talent development, all of which are important pillars of our CSR strategy.
“We believe that the WLMP  and others such as this that we are investing in, will go a long way in making the lives of the youths in our communities better as they strive for a brighter future,†he said.
According to a statement by RUDERF, “The goal of the project is to enlighten and groom young people from Igbodo community to shun the appeal of illegal migration and channel their talents and focus towards self-development for leadership through mentorship and orientation initiatives specially designed to reduce the prevalent trend in several Nigerian communities.â€
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