About the Foundation
We work for empowered, united, healthy and economically resilient Apa-Agatu communities — through education, health awareness, social inclusion and youth engagement.
Organisers of the Apa-Agatu Marathon 2026 — Saturday, 14 November 2026.
To promote education, community development, health awareness, social inclusion and youth engagement across Apa-Agatu communities by building capacity, supporting vulnerable groups, and implementing sustainable socio-economic development initiatives.
To build empowered, united, healthy and economically resilient Apa-Agatu communities where individuals, particularly young people and vulnerable populations, have access to education, opportunities and the support needed to achieve sustainable development.
How it started
The Foundation for Apa-Agatu Development began with a group of sons and daughters of Apa and Agatu who kept returning home to the same conversations: bright pupils dropping out for want of fees, clinics without enough hands, young people with energy and talent but nowhere to channel it, and two communities that share a history yet too rarely gather in one place.
Rather than wait for someone else, they pooled what they had — modest personal contributions, professional skills and the trust of local leaders — and started small: a handful of school levies paid, books bought, a health talk held under a tree. What began informally grew into a structured foundation with clear objectives, community-appointed mobilisers and partners who could see the results for themselves.
The marathon came out of that same instinct. Sport is one of the few things that moves everyone at once — young and old, indigene and visitor, Apa and Agatu. The Apa-Agatu Marathon exists to bring the constituency onto one road on one day, to celebrate what is possible, and to fund the education, health and empowerment work that continues long after the finish line.
What we do
Eight commitments guide every programme the Foundation runs, from classroom support to race day.
Sensitisation and capacity-building programmes that raise the value placed on schooling across Apa-Agatu communities.
Development initiatives and empowerment programmes that grow household and community income.
Educational support for indigent but brilliant students so a lack of fees never ends a promising academic story.
Games, marathons and tournaments that build fitness, youth engagement and a shared Apa-Agatu identity.
Raising the funds, materials and goodwill needed for growth, development and intervention in Apa-Agatu.
Working with individuals, organisations and agencies on sustainable education, health and development projects.
Health awareness, social inclusion and positive behavioural change campaigns taken directly to communities.
Other activities incidental to these objectives, wherever the need in Apa-Agatu is greatest.
Impact
Indicative figures from the Foundation's education, health and youth programmes across Apa and Agatu.
9
Communities reached across Apa and Agatu
120+
Students supported with educational materials
35
Scholarship and bursary beneficiaries
1,500+
People reached through health outreach
The team
A small, hands-on team working with community mobilisers and volunteers across the constituency.
Project Coordinator, Apa-Agatu Marathon
Leads the planning and delivery of the Foundation's flagship marathon, from route design and safety to community mobilisation and partner relations.
Programmes & Partnerships Lead
Oversees the education and health programmes, manages scholarship selection and builds the partnerships that fund the Foundation's work.
Youth Engagement & Operations
Coordinates volunteers, ward-level mobilisers and sports activities, keeping young people at the centre of every Foundation initiative.
Who we serve
Our work is concentrated in the Apa-Agatu federal constituency of Benue State, with priority given to those least able to reach opportunity on their own.
Our values
Every decision starts with what the communities of Apa and Agatu actually need.
Transparent stewardship of every naira, item and hour entrusted to the Foundation.
Women, young people, para-athletes and vulnerable households are deliberately included.
Apa and Agatu, one people — our programmes are designed to bring people together.
We build capacity, not dependency, so gains outlast any single project.
Well-run programmes and well-run events, executed with care and accountability.
Partners & affiliations
The Foundation works through a network of community, institutional and corporate partners.
Traditional rulers, ward heads and town unions across Apa and Agatu.
Primary and secondary schools that host our education programmes.
Churches and mosques that support mobilisation and outreach.
Local clinics and volunteer medical teams supporting outreach and race-day care.
Businesses backing the marathon and the Foundation's development projects.
Sons, daughters and friends of Apa-Agatu giving time, funds and expertise.
Every runner, volunteer and sponsor makes the Foundation's education, health and youth work possible. Registration for the Apa-Agatu Marathon 2026 is completely free.
Get in touch
