Frequently asked questions

Cigari Healthcare and Empowerment Foundation is a not-for-profit, non-political organisation headquartered in Gombe State, Nigeria. We work at the intersection of health, education and economic empowerment, and exist to close the gap between what vulnerable communities in Northeast Nigeria need and what they can access.

What sets us apart is that we are not starting from zero. Cigari operates as the funding, advocacy and partnerships arm of an established ecosystem that already includes a functioning clinical service provider and an accredited training institution. Partners are asked to scale a proven, operating model — not to fund an idea.

Cigari is registered as a not-for-profit, non-political association governed by a formally adopted constitution, and is headquartered at No. 10, N & H Plaza, TJ One Junction, Federal Low Cost, Gombe, Gombe State, Nigeria.

The organisation is governed by its members under constitutional provisions that mandate transparency, accountability and non-partisan operation. We are strictly not-for-profit and non-political, serving need alone.

Our structural advantage lies in three interconnected, mutually reinforcing entities that together form a complete value chain — from clinical insight, to trained talent, to funded, accountable programme delivery.

• Kumo Medical Clinic — service delivery, with 26 years of patient data, real community health needs and a trusted clinical brand.
• Barunde College — human capital production, with students, trainers, curriculum and research capacity built over eight years.
• Cigari Foundation — funding and partnerships, providing grant eligibility, structured programmes, governance and compliance.

The model is a closed loop: Kumo Medical Clinic surfaces real health needs, Barunde College trains the people required to meet them, and Cigari secures and stewards the funding that lets both scale — then channels the outcomes back into evidence for the next round of investment.

Our focus is vulnerable communities in Northeast Nigeria, and we are headquartered in Gombe State, Nigeria.

The Free Surgical Outreach Programme is proposed for constituents in Kumo and surrounding communities. The Empowerment & Livelihoods Programme works across target communities in Gombe State, reaching vulnerable women and youth with priority given to widows, single mothers and out-of-school young people.

The programme provides eligible beneficiaries with access to free surgical consultation, investigations, surgical procedures, medicines and appropriate post-operative follow-up — subject to clinical assessment and available resources.

Priority is given to residents of Kumo and surrounding communities who have identified surgical conditions and limited financial capacity to access treatment, with special consideration for widows and vulnerable women, low-income families, elderly persons, and persons living with disabilities where clinically appropriate. All beneficiaries are selected primarily on the basis of clinical need and vulnerability.

Subject to clinical assessment, available expertise and facility capacity, the outreach may address conditions such as hernia, appendicitis and lymphoma. Complex cases requiring higher-level care are referred onwards, with 100% of operated patients followed up after surgery.

The programme delivers vocational skills training, entrepreneurship support and financial literacy education. Trade tracks are selected with community input and include tailoring, soap-making, agro-processing and others suited to local demand.

Participants receive structured financial literacy training so that new income is protected, saved and grown; seed support to launch or strengthen a small enterprise once trained; and a built-in referral link to Kumo Medical Clinic and Barunde College, giving participants and their households a pathway into healthcare and further education.

It reaches vulnerable women and youth across target communities in Gombe State, with priority given to widows, single mothers and out-of-school young people identified through trusted community and traditional leadership channels. In Year One, the programme targets 300 participants trained, financial literacy for 100% of trainees, and 100 micro-enterprises launched.

For the surgical programme, potential beneficiaries are identified through an open and transparent registration process involving community structures and health personnel. Registered beneficiaries then undergo clinical assessment by qualified healthcare professionals to determine diagnosis, eligibility and suitability for surgery.

Across our programmes, selection is based on vulnerability and genuine need, and prioritises those with the least access first — widows and vulnerable women, low-income families, the elderly, persons living with disabilities where clinically appropriate, and out-of-school young people reached through trusted community and traditional leadership channels.

The Foundation is constitutionally governed and built for donor compliance and reporting. We steward every resource entrusted to us with full transparency and accountability, and grant-funded programme delivery is supported by full financial and narrative reporting.

Programmes are documented and reported on agreed indicators — for example, the number of persons registered, screened and operated upon; the types of procedures performed; outcomes and follow-up status; financial expenditure; and lessons learned and recommendations. An independent or designated monitoring mechanism may also be established to document beneficiaries and services provided.

We welcome conversations with donors, institutional funders, government agencies, and local and international organisations who share our commitment to healthier, better-educated and economically empowered communities.

There are several ways to work with us: grant-funded programme delivery through Cigari Foundation, with full financial and narrative reporting; technical and clinical partnerships channelled through Kumo Medical Clinic; capacity-building, curriculum and research collaborations through Barunde College; and joint implementation with local and international NGOs, government agencies and private-sector partners aligned to our seven constitutional objectives.

To discuss partnership, visit our Partners page or contact us. To support a programme directly, visit our Donate page.

Confidentiality of patient information is central to how we work. Our programmes are designed around proper documentation of patients and procedures, appropriate informed consent, and the confidentiality of patient information.

We are also developing a Data Protection Policy in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act and in pursuit of compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC). In the meantime, our Privacy Policy explains how we handle information you share through this website.