Éki Kéré Gift

DESIGNER’S NOTE

My father was born before the war and lost his own father at the age of three. During the war, while still a young boy himself, he carried responsibilities that many adults would struggle to bear. As the first son, he worked to support his mother and siblings, learning early that survival often demanded sacrifice.

Years later, when he became a father, he made a promise to himself: that his own children would never experience the uncertainty he had known. He committed himself entirely to our future, ensuring that we had access to opportunities he never had.

He moved us whenever he believed another school could offer a better education. At the time, I did not always understand the constant change. It made it difficult to form lasting attachments, and for many years I carried that feeling with me. Today, I understand that every decision he made came from a place of responsibility and love.

Looking back, I realize that his greatest gift was not simply provision. It was his refusal to allow his circumstances to define the future of his children.

This Father’s Day, I honor the fathers whose sacrifices become opportunities, whose responsibilities become foundations, and whose love is often expressed not through words, but through the lives they make possible.

— Abasiekeme Ukanireh
Founder & Creative Director
Éki Kéré