Rural Development and Reformation foundation (RUDERF), registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission with CAC/IT/NO – 88105, is a non-profit organization founded in February 2016 to serve rural communities in Niger- Delta , Nigeria.
Our mission is to create opportunities for people living in rural and semi -urban communities from disadvantaged groups and backgrounds towards ending extreme poverty.
Our vision is to be recognized as an organization that sets the pace for innovative and sustainable development of people living in rural and semi-urban communities from disadvantaged groups and backgrounds motivating them to drive change and end poverty.
CORE GOALS
• The development of women and girls
• Creating access to education for all (www.ruderfngo.org).

The OLEJU Project
The Problem: In Nigeria over 13.7 million single mothers are affected by unemployment according to Benin Journal of gender studies, University of Benin Vol. 1&2. The research further show that 70% of women in rural and semi-urban areas of Nigeria live below the poverty margin , which means they survive on less than Two dollars ($2) per day of which most are single mothers. Also, majority of these women are unskilled, uneducated and stand very slim chances of acquiring decent jobs.
Our Solution: OLEJU provides economic empowerment opportunities for marginalized females in under-served communities, especially single-mothers, through skill acquisition training, job creation and employment to reduce extreme poverty and improve the quality of their life and of their immediate dependents.
Our Model: OLEJU’s unique model utilizes creative recycling of solid non-degradable waste as a major tool to make quality products that are exchanged for value (Money), thereby reducing effects of climate change while providing sustainable empowerment.
How we do it: We identify our target beneficiaries through local collaborations with women groups and community partners. Train them in our entrepreneurship hubs for duration of 3 – 6 months. Our beneficiaries are trained on creatively recycling and up cycling of solid non – degradable waste into arts, crafts, stationeries, accessories, interior décor pieces and furniture that are of high quality and can be exchanged for money.
On completion of their training, the women are offered two options to proceed.
 Employment opportunity to become a paid artisan in training and receive 70% of profit made sold per item made by her, while OLEJU covers all production cost and receives 30% of profit to sustain project.
 Receive an SME startup boost from OLEJU by owning an online shop in our web/ app platform where she can have access to buyers globally, thereby incorporating tech into our solution for sustainable income.
 Independent SME start-up: where beneficiaries get business startup, development and growth training and ongoing support to a build sustainable SME.
What makes our solution unique?
• We recycle and up cycle waste to create a safe and clean environment
• We create a cheap and low cost solution for local women to earn extra income and startup SME’s
• We create employment for rural women through our hubs.
• We incorporate tech to create global access for SME’s
• We help low income disadvantaged women startup sustainable SME’s
• Our solution gives the women an unparalleled opportunity to own their own solutions and take pride in being viable part of growing economies in their rural communities.
IMPACT / RECORDED SUCCESS
QUANTITATIVE:
 200 marginalized women trained.
 40 businesses built by our beneficiaries.
 $200, 000 collectively raised.
QUALITATIVE:
Reduced Poverty rate: Increasing the quality of lives of our beneficiaries and contributing to the work force and economic growth of the region in their own capacity.
Increased awareness on environmental preservation: Our initiative is changing the way people dispose waste and creating a safer and cleaner environment. There by reducing associated diseases.

The OLEJU project is set to empower 980 women through her entrepreneurship hubs built in rural and semi- urban communities. The Sapele, multipurpose facility is equipped to serve as a pace setting resource center for the economic development of women from marginalized background in the Niger- Delta through skill acquisition training, employment opportunities and SME development trainings. This project is implemented with the support of GOOGLE.ORG and comes completely free to beneficiaries.
The OLEJU project aims to give women a sustainable platform to develop themselves economically and contribute significantly to the economic growth of their communities. The Sapele entrepreneurship hub for women is one of the 4 hubs OLEJU is developing in the Niger- Delta region.
The OLEJU project is a premier initiative in the Niger- Delta region and it is a sustainability project which is strategically designed and positioned to scale across communities in Nigeria and Africa.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Ogholi Alero Sandra a business development and idea implementation professional, interested in the development of young people and advocates for a purpose driven and impactful life. She is the Founder of Rural Development and Reformation Foundation (RUDERF) a non-governmental organization committed to the development of girls/women and advocating for quality education for children in rural communities. RUDERF was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Sapele, Delta State. She has over 6 years of experience in the community development sector focusing on community development and human rights while working with international organizations in Abuja and Lagos prior to her relocation to Sapele.
Alero is married to Ogholi Kelvin and they have a son. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Language and Education from the University of Abuja, Nigeria. Alero is driven by her commitment to work towards the financial independence of women and one day she hopes to see societies where women are financially independent regardless of background or educational qualifications.
She has a degree from the Young African Leaders Regional Institute an initiative of Barack Obama.
She is a LEAP Africa Social Innovators Program fellow, Global Laureate fellowship, where she was also awarded an outstanding fellow among 20 fellows selected from around the country by Union Bank of Nigeria PLC.
Alero has received training in entrepreneurship from Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A where among 32 delegates from around the world she won the global pitch competition and was appointed an ambassador for the Summit, further receiving awards from the Global Engagement Summit for outstanding work.
Her latest achievement is emerging an award winner and finalist at the just concluded Google Impact Challenge, an international competition where over 5000 applicants were reviewed and 12 emerged winners, this award was presented in Lagos, Nigeria by the First lady to the Vice President.
Alero plans to continue her work focusing on creating opportunities for disadvantaged, uneducated and unskilled women across rural communities in the Niger- Delta, towards economic growth and business development and she hopes to collaborate with her key stakeholders, to implement projects and impact lives in the Niger – Delta.