Scholar

In Yoruba there is a prayer: Kaleyewa — a request that God grant a better evening than morning, that old age come with dignity, care, and peace. Dr. (Mrs.) Olukemi Celina Adamolekun (née Ajayi) built her life around that prayer.

Born on July 14, 1946 in Iju, Akure North, she chose a life of service from the beginning. She attended Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School, Akure (1966 set) — the same school this scholarship now serves — before training as a nurse at the University Teaching Hospital, University of Ibadan, and later as a midwife at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, England.

She went on to earn a degree in Psychology from Marymount Manhattan College in New York, and a Master’s and PhD in Guidance and Counselling from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), where she later taught in the Faculty of Education for nearly a decade.

In the 1990s, while volunteering in hospices, hospitals, and HIV/AIDS care centres in the United States, she saw closely what compassionate care could look like — and what its absence cost. She also saw that Nigeria’s changing family structures meant many elderly people could no longer rely on living with their children, and could face old age in loneliness and neglect.

In 2000, merging decades of work and study — including a Master’s in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University — she founded Kaleyewa House, a non-profit dedicated to helping Nigeria’s elderly age with dignity. She was tragically murdered on May 4, 2002, while travelling for Kaleyewa House’s work in Ibadan. Her family and community carried her vision forward, and Kaleyewa House marked 20 years of service to Nigeria’s elderly in November 2023.

This scholarship honours her belief that education should be used in the service of others.

The scholarship supports a graduating student of Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School, Akure, who has gained admission into a qualifying first-generation Nigerian university and demonstrates academic excellence, leadership potential, compassion, integrity, and a commitment to service.

“First-generation Nigerian universities” refers to the first set of federal universities established in Nigeria, recognised for their long academic traditions and rigorous standards:

University of Ibadan (UI), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Benin (UNIBEN).

University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) does not meet the first-generation criteria, but prospective students will be considered because its strike-free academic calendar makes it a highly sought-after option.

Nursing, Midwifery, Psychology, Guidance & Counselling, Education, Social Work, Public Health, Community Development, Gerontology, and related helping professions.

The scholarship is renewable until graduation, subject to satisfactory academic performance, good character, and continued participation in service activities.

Coverage: full tuition, accommodation, and other fees required by the university. To avoid the delays often associated with direct university payments, funds are disbursed to the student, who is responsible for settling these costs and providing proof of payment.

1. Maintain good academic & disciplinary standing supported by annual transcripts.
2. Participate in at least one service activity annually.
3. Submit an annual reflection letter.

Upon graduation, Scholars automatically become members of the Kaleyewa Scholars Network — a community of young women committed to scholarship, service, leadership, and nation-building, carrying forward Mrs Adamolekun’s belief that education and opportunities are to be used in the service of humanity.