Meet Our Founder
Michael Kay O. LawalFounder & President, MKO Foundation
Michael Kay O. Lawal is the visionary founder of MKO Foundation, a humanitarian organization established on the principles of compassion, service, and the unwavering belief that every person deserves the opportunity to live with dignity and hope.A graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Michael’s passion for serving humanity began long before the creation of the Foundation.
From 2007 to 2009, he served as a Public Administration Assistant to the Commissioner for Social Welfare, Culture, and Tourism in Kwara State under the late Hon. Helen Olabisi Popoola. During this period, he witnessed firsthand the daily struggles faced by vulnerable families, people living with disabilities, widows, and underserved communities.His involvement in providing wheelchairs, mobility aids, and social support to disadvantaged individuals left a lasting impression on his heart. These experiences ignited a lifelong commitment to humanitarian service and inspired a vision of creating lasting change for those most in need.Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Michael established Gemini De Crystal International Limited in 2010, creating employment opportunities and supporting economic development in Nigeria.
He later expanded his business interests to the United States with the establishment of Gemini De Crystal Enterprise, while never losing sight of his passion for giving back to society.After becoming a citizen of the United States, a simple but profound moment changed the course of his life. As he watched his children playing, he reflected on the opportunities they enjoyed and wondered how different their lives might have been if they had been born into poverty or without access to quality education and healthcare.
He asked himself: “What if my children had been born under different circumstances? What if they had never had the opportunities they enjoy today? How many children across Africa are waiting for someone to believe in them?”
Those questions became the foundation of a greater purpose. Inspired by his experiences and guided by compassion, Michael founded MKO Foundation to become a bridge of hope for vulnerable communities. His vision is to provide humanitarian relief, medical assistance, educational support, food security, disaster response, and empowerment programs that restore dignity and create lasting opportunities for individuals and families in need. The middle son of the late HRH Bello Lawal, an engineer and former State Chairman of the SDP (1992), and Mrs. Caroline Lawal, a retired Chief Nursing Officer, Michael was raised with values of integrity, service, and compassion. Today, he continues to honor those values by dedicating his life to improving the lives of others. Through MKO Foundation, Michael Kay O. Lawal remains committed to building a future where kindness knows no borders, compassion changes lives, and every act of generosity becomes a source of hope for someone in need.
Our Mission
At MKO Foundation, our mission is to bridge the gap between the privileged and the underprivileged by providing hope, opportunity, and humanitarian support to vulnerable individuals and families across Africa and the African diaspora. We are committed to ensuring that no child is denied an education because of financial hardship. Through our scholarship and educational assistance programs, we strive to provide deserving students with the resources needed to complete a full academic year and pursue a brighter future. Beyond education, we work to combat hunger, alleviate poverty, and improve the quality of life for disadvantaged communities by providing food assistance, medical support, clothing, shelter, and emergency relief to those facing difficult circumstances.
Every act of kindness has the power to transform a life. We invite you to join us on this mission of compassion and service. Together, through generosity, determination, and God’s grace, we can restore hope, uplift families, and make a lasting impact one life at a time. Together, we can be the difference someone is praying for.
Our Promise “One act of compassion can change a life forever. Every donation brings hope, every gift creates opportunity, and every helping hand builds a brighter future.”