The Shola Adefolalu Gaska Foundation, also known as The Sholly Smile Factory, is a Nigerian nonprofit focused on helping women and children affected by abuse find safety, regain stability and rebuild their lives.
At the heart of our work is The Sholly Serenity Place (TSSP), our safe home in Lagos for women fleeing domestic abuse.
The foundation is registered with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission and the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
In 2023, we were recognised as the “Most Responsive NGO” by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency.
This work was born from loss. It has become a work of love.
The Shola Adefolalu Gaska Foundation was established in honour of our beloved Shola Adefolalu Gaska, who died in Poland in 2016 at the age of 36.
Sholly was an architect, teacher, writer, filmmaker, sister, daughter and friend. Her death was devastatingly painful.
We chose not to let that pain be the end of the story. Today, we channel it into helping women and children facing abuse and situations that can leave them feeling trapped, afraid, alone or without options.
That is how God is bringing purpose from pain.
For a woman experiencing domestic abuse, getting to safety is a huge step. It is not, however, the end of the journey.
Through our shelter, the Sholly Serenity Place (TSSP), and the support around it, we seek to help women address the practical and emotional challenges that come with leaving abuse, and begin working towards a more stable and independent future.
TSSP provides a safe place to stay for women fleeing domestic abuse, without judgement or pressure.
We connect residents to counselling, healthcare, legal help and other specialist support through trusted partners.
We help residents address practical needs and explore skills and opportunities that can support greater financial independence.
Our hope is that a woman does not simply leave abuse. She gets to a point where she can look ahead and believe that she can build a different life.
The Sholly Serenity Place is a Jesus-centred safe home in Lagos for women fleeing domestic abuse, with space for their children where they come with them.
We want TSSP to feel like a home, not an institution. A woman can arrive, feel safe, rest, receive support and begin to think about what comes next.
Since opening in 2021, TSSP has welcomed women and children who needed somewhere safe to go. We are committed to making that safe place stronger and to helping residents take the next steps after crisis.
Learn morewomen and children welcomed through TSSP
TSSP opened its doors
providing a safe place for women and children
Running a safe home takes more than providing a bed. There is rent, food, power, water, healthcare, counselling, security, transport and the everyday cost of keeping a home running.
Your support helps us keep TSSP open and provide the practical support residents need while they work towards more stable lives.
You can give. You can partner. You can refer. You can pray. There is room for all of us in this work.
TSSP is more than a shelter. It is a safe place for a woman to stop, breathe and begin to think about what comes next.
We want that beginning to lead somewhere: to stability, independence and the confidence to rebuild.
