Long a dream of his father, an obstetrician/gynecologist who moved to Chicago from his Nigerian home in 1974, the project has becaome an all-consuming passion for Onyema ’07. Along with his studies, he has spent the better part of his law school career refining a business plan, enlisting support, and raising funds to make the hospital a reality.

The hospital will serve a profound need. Nigeria has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the world—87.5 deaths per 1,000 live births—and HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases are serious threats. The life expectancy is 48.2 years for females and 46.8 years for males. Health care is woefully inadequate.

“If a society is truly going to go from developing to developed, people have to feel secure about their health. You can’t have more than 300,000 people die of malaria each year and expect the country to advance,” says Onyema.

Via his family’s foundation, Onyema has raised $80,000 of the $1 million he needs for the project’s first stage, which will lay the groundwork for construction of an outpatient facility in 2008, followed by a 200-bed hospital in 2009.

Several members of the Stanford legal community have aided Onyema in his quest. Six of his fellow students serve on the foundation’s advisory board, and several faculty members have made personal donations. Onyema has also secured pledges from outside firms, including free legal representation from Mayer, Brown where Onyema worked before law school and accounting guidance from Ernst & Young.

“We’re fighting both disease and doubt,” says Onyema, who plans to work full time on the project after graduation. “There’s a significant amount of uncertainty about whether a project of this scale and quality can succeed in an environment plagued by poor infrastructure and government corruption. That’s why we’ve been meticulous about building our case and marshaling partners who are widely respected.”