22
Years Of Experience
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
Founded 4th September 2004
The Richard Coker Foundation has officially become a registered UK charity, marking a major milestone in its 22-year mission to improve the lives of people affected by Sickle Cell and inherited blood disorders in the UK and around the world.
Registered with the Charity Commission under Charity Number 1215492, the Foundation now enters a new phase of national and global expansion, strengthening its work in public health, education, research, screening, genetic counselling and community support.
Today, the Richard Coker Foundation operates with renewed purpose and formal recognition, committed to:
- Health education to the general public.
- Assist in the provision of screening programmes and genetic counselling services.
- Funding research ensuring the useful results of such research are disseminated.
- Facilitating access to emotional, practical, and peer-based support in such other ways as the trustees may determine.
Who are we?
Founded in 2004 in loving memory of the late filmmaker Richard Coker (Enahoro), the Foundation exists to honour his life, compassion, creativity and quiet courage, while advancing practical action for individuals and families living with inherited blood conditions, particularly Sickle Cell.
Richard passed away in May 2004 at the age of 32 following complications related to his Sickle Cell condition. His life and legacy continue to inspire a movement rooted in dignity, access to care, education, research and global solidarity.
The Foundation was established by Richard’s mother, the celebrated broadcaster, musician and cultural icon Dame Julie Coker, alongside his lifelong friend and fellow humanitarian Baba-Jallah Epega, an entrepreneur and global events leader whose personal journey is inseparable from the charity’s origins.
Together with close family and friends, they created the Foundation to ensure Richard’s life would continue to make a difference far beyond his years.
For Co-Founder and Trustee Baba-Jallah Epega, the Foundation represents a lifelong commitment.
“Richard was one of the most courageous people I have ever known. Even as a child, he carried himself with dignity, resilience and quiet strength. Standing beside him taught me what it means to lead with compassion and integrity. Those lessons have shaped every chapter of my life.”
That friendship would become the foundation of Baba-Jallah’s journey, from Lagos to London, where he went on to build an international career as an entrepreneur in finance, media, culture, global events and humanitarian work.
The Foundation is a member of the Sickle Cell Alliance UK and collaborates with leading institutions including the Imperial Sickle Cell Group, reinforcing its commitment to credible, ethical and impactful work.
“This charity registration is not an endpoint,” said Trustee Olatunji Bada. “It is our responsibility to honour Richard’s life through action, to serve communities too often overlooked, and to turn compassion into lasting change.”
As the Richard Coker Foundation enters this new chapter, it invites healthcare institutions, policymakers, funders, corporate partners and communities worldwide to join in building a future where no child, family or individual living with inherited blood disorders is left behind.
What is Sickle Cell Disease?
Sickle cell disorder is an inherited condition of the red blood cells. The serious form of this disorder is known as Sickle Cell Anaemia. Other disorders include Cooley’s anaemia, haemoglobin SC and hemoglobin SD disease. Normal red blood cells are round like doughnuts, and they move through small blood tubes in the body to deliver oxygen. Sickle red blood cells become hard, sticky and sickle shape. When these hard and pointed red cells go through the small blood tube, they clog blood flow and break apart. This can cause pain, tissue damage and a low blood count, or anaemia.
You inherit the abnormal haemoglobin from parents if both are carriers of the sickle cell trait. The abnormal haemoglobin can also be inherited if one of your parents has sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is not contagious. You are born with the sickle cell haemoglobin and it is present for life..
Sickle Cell Anaemia is a disorder that appears in many forms and affects many nationalities. In the black population of the United States for example, 1 in every 400 individuals are affected by the serious form of the disease, Sickle Cell Anaemia. The carrier state (SICKLE CELL TRAIT) has been found in one of every 12 black Americans in the United States. Sickle cell diseases have been described in persons and their descendants from Black Africa, Greece, Italy, Middle East, Syria, Southern India, Caribbean Islands, South and Central America.
