Ruth Isabella Peters FoundationDonate
Children writing at a long wooden table in a brightly coloured workshop space

It starts with picking up the pen

The Ruth Isabella Peters Foundation works with Nigerian children to teach emotional literacy through poetry, creative writing and faith-based community spaces.

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Aligned with the UN SDGs

Our work contributes to four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

  • UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality EducationQuality Education
  • UN Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender EqualityGender Equality
  • UN Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced InequalitiesReduced Inequalities
  • UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice & Strong InstitutionsPeace, Justice & Strong Institutions
Read a workshop impact summary (PDF)My Voice, My Space · Nahous Lagos · Nov 2025
Our Mission

Teaching children to feel, and to say so

The foundation is led by Ruth Isabella Peters, a Nigerian poet who believes language shapes how a child thinks about themselves. When children write down what they feel, they start to make sense of it. So do the adults around them.

We run free workshops in classrooms, churches and community halls across Nigeria, and train the teachers who stay behind once we leave.

This is education, yes, but it is really about creative expression. We are helping shape the thinkers of tomorrow through creative writing, giving children a way to put their inner world into language they own.

"When a child can name what they feel, they can begin to carry it."
Programs

What we do

Four programs, all free to attend. We bring the materials and the facilitators.

Child pinning her handwritten poem to a Poetry Wall display board
Poetry

Poetry Workshops

Weekly circles where children read, write and perform their own poems, building courage, vocabulary and self-knowledge one stanza at a time.

Close-up of a child writing 'I listen, I care' on a foundation worksheet
Creative Writing

Storytelling for Healing

Guided writing sessions where children turn what they have lived through into a story they can hold, share or set down.

Students writing together in a bright classroom
Teacher Training

Emotional Literacy for Teachers

We train teachers in practical emotional literacy tools they can use every day in their own classrooms, so the work continues long after we leave.

Large group of children holding certificates after a community workshop
Faith & Community

Community Spaces

We support local institutions, particularly churches, to open safe spaces where families can gather, be heard and find belonging.

Partners & Trust

Schools and institutions we work with

  • Taqwa Schools
  • Mindbuilders School
  • Nahous
  • Senior Model College, Igbeokuta

Endorsed verbally by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Arts, Tourism and the Creative Economy; written endorsement pending.

Registered Nigerian charity · RC 7629684

Close-up of a child's hands writing in a notebook during a workshop
In their words
"I wrote my fear down. Then I wasn't afraid of it anymore."

Workshop participant, age 11

Black and white portrait of Ruth Isabella Peters, founder, smiling with her hand resting against her cheek
About the Founder

Ruth Isabella Peters

Ruth Isabella Peters is an award-winning Nigerian poet and writer, author of the collection A Heart of Glass, with more recent poems and short stories published under The Art of Belonging.

She started the foundation in 2023 because she has seen, first-hand, how language shapes the way a child thinks about themselves and the world. The foundation is her way of handing children the same tools she works with, and making space for what they have to say.

Follow Ruth on Instagram Read the latest feature
A teacher reading aloud from a notebook beside Ruth Isabella Peters during a foundation workshop
From the workshops

When the teacher gets a turn to write

We hand a prompt to the teachers too, and ask them to write. What ends up on the page often surprises everyone, and changes how they sit with their students afterwards.

Impact

Where we have been so far

Since 2023, we have run free workshops in churches, schools and IDP communities across Nigeria, including Lagos, Jos and Abuja.

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Free to attend
Give

Fund a workshop

₦5,000 covers a notebook for one child. Larger gifts fund full workshops, teacher training and new partner communities.

Donate today
Volunteer

Help run a session

We work with writers, teachers, pastors and good listeners to facilitate, mentor and host workshops in their communities.

Volunteer with us
Partner

Bring us to your community

We partner with congregations, schools and NGOs across Nigeria to bring workshops to the children who need them. If that's you, get in touch.

Start a partnership