Rural Linkage Network (RULIN) began its journey in 2001 as a voluntary, non-formal support group established by Patrick and Rosemary Okoh. The couple, from our Saviour’s Chapel at Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria, were deeply moved when they visited a village orphanage home and saw the dire conditions in which the children lived. The orphanage was housed in an uncompleted building with no concrete flooring, leaking roofs, and inadequate shelter for the widows and children.
Inspired by the biblical teaching in James 1:27 (NIV)—“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”—Patrick and Rosemary mobilized resources to improve the conditions at the orphanage. Their efforts, supported by financial aid from the European Union under the MPP3 programme, led to the completion of the GBI orphanage home in 2004.

Recognizing the need for a more formal structure to expand their support, RULIN was officially registered in 2003 as a non-profit, non-governmental organization with the Delta State Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture and the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja, Nigeria.By 2014, RULIN had made substantial progress in alleviating poverty in rural communities. Today, the organization supports thousands of vulnerable children and caregivers (primarily widows) across Delta State. Our support encompasses:

– Food & Nutrition
– Shelter & Care
– Protection
– Health
– Education
– Psychosocial Support
– Economic Strengthening

RULIN addresses serious issues such as child exploitation, including sexual abuse, child labor, trafficking, and organ harvesting. The organization’s success is evident in the achievements of the children under its care. Many have pursued higher education and secured employment, while others have acquired skills in trades such as hairdressing, barbing, tailoring, and petty trading. Moreover, RULIN’s economic strengthening initiatives have enabled caregivers to attain financial independence, allowing them to better support the children in their care. RULIN works in collaboration with health care policy-makers; environmental protection policy makers; gender experts, managers, service providers, and other key stakeholders in a bid to help close the gap between knowledge and action in various aspect of human development. RULIN has worked with USAID, UNDP, MSH, Ministry of Environment Delta state, ministry of health, Africare, EU-MPP3. DELSACA and IHVN.