Around the world, there is a broad category of people who are considered as the most likely to be affected by the widespread of the COVID – 19 pandemic. They include people with limited or irregular income, who cannot build up emergency reserves of money or food; people in poor health (especially malnutrition, chronic disease, and compromised immune systems); those living with stigma (people living with HIV, prisoners and their families, the mentally ill, the disabled); the isolated (living in a remote location or having no social network); the homeless or internally displaced; the elderly; those with little or no transportation; orphans and vulnerable children. According to the World Health Organization, these group of people and those who are struggling with hunger, health and poverty are the hardest hit by the pandemic.
It is with this understanding that our network of social innovators and alumni members decided to reach out to these array of vulnerable people, giving hope to thousands of households and cushioning the effect of the pandemic. Social innovators are a network of non-profits, community-based organisations and social enterprises providing services/products that address social problems in communities across Nigeria. They work in communities across Nigeria using innovation to solve social issues and creating simple, affordable solutions.
Mamamoni is a Fintech social enterprise that empowers low-income rural and urban women with instant money loans to support/start small businesses. Dreams from the slum initiative is an initiative committed to making the dreams of vulnerable persons living in remote and desolate communities a reality through Education, Empowerment and Mentorship. Hope behind bars Africa provides access to justice for underserved prison inmates in Abuja.
When the hope of daily meals become uncertain…
Mrs Agnes Nwachukwu is a 65-years old widow who depends mostly on gifts from people to go through the day. Of course with the lockdown, the hope of getting anybody to drop by and give her any gift was almost impossible so she had resigned herself to fate. However, during one of the outreaches, she happened to be a beneficiary. On sighting the COVID_19 Response team, she began to smile as she headed towards the distribution area. After she received her package, with the help of her grandson, she placed the food box on his head; almost moved to tears, she prayed fervently for the sponsors. Her grandson was very excited and told the team that her grandma won’t have to depend on anyone in the next few weeks before they can feed again.
The echoes were the same everywhere the team visited; Lagos, Kwara, Abuja, Osun, Ondo, Delta, Ogun state. Many of the community dwellers said they were weighed down not just by the fear of the virus itself but the uncertainty of where their next meal would come from. They were happy to welcome the team and grateful for the bags of goodies. Mrs Victoria Gbadamosi; a pregnant woman with two children, thanked the team profusely after receiving the food items. She narrated how her husband (who has not gone to work for weeks due to the lockdown) and her children had barely had any decent food to eat for some days. According to her, prioritizing what the children would eat was more important and even that, was becoming nightmarish. She said the COVID-19 response team were God sent and the food supply she received was a miracle just in time.
When information is truly power…
With the news going round among some locals invalidating the existence of the COVID-19 virus, many believed that the novel disease was a false alarm. On our visits to some of these communities, sensitization and awareness became an important part of our intervention.
Almajiri Child Rights Initiative is an advocacy and educational support platform that amplifies the call for social inclusion of vulnerable children in Northern Nigeria. Mohammed Sabo Keana, founder and his team were on ground to educate and sensitize almajiri children in Abuja and its suburbs while also providing them with food and safety materials.
At one of the outreaches to Oke Aro Community, the Chairman of the community expressed his appreciation and noted that the sensitization would go a long way in empowering his people to understand the true and authentic stories about the virus and the right guidelines to follow. He also noted that the relief materials will serve as an incentive for the community dwellers to always remember to uphold the guidelines and reflect on the dangers in non-adherence in the fight against the deadly virus.
Together we can beat this…
No time in the history of the world has collaboration across sectors; public, private and social, matters the most. We are grateful to Citi and Dow Chemical for partnering with us on this journey and supporting our social innovators to do more. A wide range of corporate and individual actions can cushion the effect of the pandemic and preserve the lives of many, and it is heartwarming to see organizations and individuals taking action and providing various interventions. In the end, we have come to discover that we need each other because except the least of us is taken care of, the best of us cannot survive. Play your part.
