How can I help during COVID-19?

The last three weeks have seen us trying our best to respond to the myriad of growing humanitarian and medical needs engulfing us. Most of us have probably felt a growing sense of anguish during the lockdown, as pandemic figures rise worldwide. Helplessness and guilt plague us, as we listen to the news of growing hunger and poverty due to the cessation of income-generating activities and jobs for marginalized people in our metropolis.

Having scrolled through endless social media posts with men and women crying out for help and demanding accountability from the government, we have become emotionally and mentally exhausted. We flip from international news channels, broadcasting the shocking data of deaths in the thousands in developed economies where healthcare is good, to local reports about extreme hardship being inflicted on hungry and angry urban populations. Opinions are rife that the pandemic could not only decimate the health of our population but also poses security concerns if we don’t seriously address the needs around us.

But everywhere life is full of heroism. Some amazing civic-minded individuals are rising to the challenge during these surreal times, and are spearheading grassroots initiatives which are bringing much-needed relief. Most of these activities have grown organically as an urgent response to our current lockdown. They are not perfect, but they are making a significant impact and bringing much-needed relief.

If we pool our resources, we can overcome this pandemic together, and in the process, celebrate homegrown solutions at our fingertips. We will renew our sense of hope that we can make a difference by being our brothers’ keeper.

No amount is too small. Thank you for giving. Thank you for keeping hope alive. Together we shall overcome.

PHOTO: FEED IKOYI

Feed Ikoyi

Feed Ikoyi is a grassroots initiative which was started by Adeju Thompson, a young fashion designer. The meals provided by the initiative cost N300 per meal and includes serving of rice, a piece of meat, a pure water sachet, and a fruit).

These meals have become a lifeline for construction workers, hawkers, petty traders, day laborers who are jobless during the lockdown.

Meals are distributed by out of work Uber drivers and volunteers in all immediate streets around the area, this would include, (but not limited to), Probyn, Thompson, Glover, Cooper, Mosley, Queens drive, Alexander, park view, Awolowo road, Dolphin, Obalende and the Panama density area (behind Alagbon.)

The meals are prepared by an Ikoyi-wide network of female food vendors, which has ensured that women-owned small businesses stay afloat during this tough period and also provides income for their families.

@FEEDIKOYI is sponsoring the meals, with money raised from generous donors within the community and security provided by the Nigerian army.By April 22nd, @FEEDIKOYI had provided 4,300 meals.

For more information: Instagram: feedikoyi
Tel. +2349098715203
To Donate: Stanbic IBTC Account No: 0009823906

Young Presidents’ Organisation
YPO is a global leadership community of business executives in multiple countries who are driven by the belief “when disaster strikes, leaders take action.” This community of peer leaders is committed to lifelong learning and idea exchange, while fostering a safe haven of trust, respect and confidentiality for their community. The YPO Lagos Chapter has 97 members and 74 spouse partners of diverse cultural backgrounds, representing entrepreneurial and family businesses as well as multinationals.

The YPO Lagos chapter has spent the last 3 weeks building a field hospital treatment and isolation centre in Victoria Island, including the capacity for 10 ICU beds, 76 hospital beds and 4 ventilators. They have recruited and trained almost 100 medical personnel (intensivists, doctors, pathologists, and nurses) and have developed a fully equipped and operational setup with the support of the Lagos State Pandemic control experts. The centre opened and began accepting patients on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. The group continues to raise funds to cover salaries of medical personnel, medication, testing kits, PPE’s, telemedicine support by global medical specialists, intensive care training etc. to keep the centre running during the pandemic.

Organisers: Fola Laoye, Ola Brown, Yemi Osindero, Ali Safieddine, Fadi Jarmakani, Richard Ajayi, Olaniyi Yusuf, Tatiana Nouri, Suraj Chulani

For more information: +234-909-331-1996 ypolagosca@gmail.com
For donations:
Young Professional Leaders Organisation
Stanbic IBTC Account 0035440522

Women At Risk International (WARIF)
Data across the world has shown that domestic violence and rape has increased during the global lock down. In Nigeria there has been an alarming increase in cases of rape and sexual violence against women and children as more are forced into quarantine with their abusers. Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) is a non-profit organization founded in 2016 by Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru MD,in response to the high incidence of sexual assault, rape and human trafficking occurring amongst young girls and women across Nigeria.

The organization runs the WARIF Rape Crisis Centre, which offers free forensic examinations and treatment, HIV and other sexually transmitted disease tests, provision of post exposure HIV drugs, psychos-social counselling services and social welfare services such as shelter and legal aid. A 24 hour confidential helpline with trained counsellors as responders is also available to all women at risk. As part of the WARIF COVID-19 Response protocols; The Centre urgently needs personal protective equipment (PPE) kits for all their front line health workers so they can be adequately protected and prevent cross contamination between survivors.

The organisation also needs financial aid and assistance to ensure that the WARIF Centre remains open to address the increasing number of cases being reported, especially over this period of the pandemic.

Organiser: Dr. Kemi DaSilva-Ibru

For more information consult www.warifng.org; tel: (234)-809-210-0008 email: info@warifng.org 24 hour confidential helpline : (234)-809-210-0009

For Donations: Account Name: WOMEN AT RISK INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
Bank: GTBank Naira Account Number: 0232742469 USD Account Number: 0232742476

The Lotus COVID-19 Food Drive @ Give Food Stamps
The Lotus COVID-19 Food Drive is an initiative which delivers 3,500 cooked meals every day to the needy in high density neighbourhoods of Lagos. The campaign is being hosted

on www.givefoodstamps.com a technology platform, which allows donors to monitor how the foodstamps and meals are being distributed in Makoko, Idi-Araba, Ebute Metta, Ajegunle and Lagos Island, using a vibrant network of food vendors scattered across the metropolis. They hope to expand to other locations such as Obalende and Ikoyi, funds permitting. The first phase served over 35,000 cooked meals to the needy.

The Give Food Stamps program is funded in collaboration with various organisations (including Lotus Capital) and individuals who purchase food stamps which are distributed either directly by the donor or through accredited NGO’s working in various communities. The beneficiaries may redeem the food stamps for a hot meal from our network of food vendors spread out in various locations throughout the country. The program started as the first of its kind in Lagos, Nigeria where over 4,000 street food vendors have been enrolled onto the GFS Food Vendor Network. The enrolment provides the food vendor with financial inclusion by access to financial services and the ability to buy food at wholesale prices by leveraging on economies of scale

Lotus COVID-19 Food Drive Organisers: Lotus Capital, led by Hajara Adeola; and Give Food Stamps, led by Eyewumi Oghoetuoma

For more information click the link https://bit.ly/LotusFoodDrivePresentation

Donate to Give Food Stamps Ltd., Access Bank A/C 0723406536; Reference: Lotus Covid19 Food Drive

or pay directly online to http://www.givefoodstamps.com; To register, donate and track your food stamps redemption via our online campaign click the link https://bit.ly/Lotuscovid19fooddrive

The Project Ark
The Project Ark initiative collects, repackages, and distributes food items to those in need within communities across Lagos by working with community leaders and a wide network of volunteers. So far the initiative has distributed 4,500 “love bags” of food stuffs (including rice, beans, garri, salt, oil, tomato pure, spice and soap. Each relief pack cost N5000(regular) and N6000 (large)) to marginalized communities in Ikeja and the Lekki-Ajah axis, including Ikota and Jakonde.

Organisers: Alero Ayida-Otobo, Emmanuel Dania, Imo Oyewole, Simi Nwogugu

Donors and collaborators include Lagos State Government, Citizen for Citizen, Nestle, Media Link Ltd, Union Bank, AACE Foods, Susi, Value Media, Bella Naija, Primlaks, Highlife Church and the House of Prayer.

Donate to:
Bank: Union Bank
Account Name: The Project Ark Initiative
Account Number: 0134073809

Culinary Arts Practitioners Association CAPA
The Culinary Arts Practitioners CAPA is an association of workers in the hospitality industry, committed to raising the standard and awareness of food, culinary and pastry arts, cooking and hospitality service. The association provides educational programs, lectures and demonstrations by local and international chefs and catering experts to strengthen and develop practitioners in the food service industry. Since most hotels and eateries have shut their doors during the COVID-19 lockdown, thousands of workers in the hospitality industry have found themselves jobless. Many of the lowest cadre of hospitality workers live on-site in many of the restaurants and hotels, and have become homeless since the shut-down.

CAPA has provided short term N5,000 relief funds for 31 of the lowest cadre of hospitality industry workers so far and is raising awareness for mid to long term policy driven palliatives during and post COVID-19 in the form of:

•Tax Relief for an initial period of six months.
•Utility Bill Freeze for an initial period of six months.
•Existing Loan & Grant repayment of Principal and Interest Freeze for an initial period of six months.
•Collateral & Interest free stimulus packages and grants for the hospitality industry.
•Rent Moratorium for 3 months
•You can sign the petition for policy change on change.org via this link http://chng.it/2rBXzKHmdM
•You can speak to as many people you know who can change and influence policy.
•You can donate food items, masks and gloves. Drop off point at Culinary Academy

Organiser: Chef Tiyan Alile
For more information contact www.culinaryacademy.com.ng

Donate to: Culinary Arts Practitioners Association; Access Bank A/C 1387846294

Growing Businesses Foundation (GBF)
Growing Businesses Foundation combats poverty by enabling enterprise and creating development interventions and training for sustainable economic development. It has served entrepreneurs at the bottom of the economic pyramid (BOP) since 1999.

The GBF Covid-19 Intervention focuses on engaging an existing GBF network of 4,000 grassroots women in 14 States (Oyo, Ogun, Enugu, Imo, Anambra, Edo, Delta, Nasarawa, Benue, Ebonyi, Plateau, Kaduna, Niger & Kwara) supported by a team of 170 staff, in 150 LGAs, spanning 950 communities with the ability to expand its current scope of 400,000 touchpoints (largely households) per week (covering approximately 2m people). These beneficiaries are reached as part of GBF’s Last-Mile, Unilever-funded door to door hygiene and nutrition supplies program (nicknamed ‘Gbemiga’ and ‘Mbuli’). This resource network is being leveraged to distribute relief items, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), as well as facilitate basic enlightenment campaigns on preventing COVID-19 infection. GBF is able to work with other partners to distribute basic necessities in peri-urban communities and support families in cushioning the negative financial impact of the lockdown.
]ad]
On behalf of the women, GBF seeks support from institutional and individual sponsors to empower local communities to assemble and distribute COVID-19 relief packages, alongside trusted credible messaging to improve adherence to social distancing guidelines in the above listed states; emphasizing personal hygiene and masks to reduce the virus spread.

Each relief package would cost approximately N5,000 and would include a mask, information on social distancing, hygiene and skills on how to make masks, plus any

Donations and food items: 4kg bag of rice, a 3kg bag of Garri, Groundnut oil, 2 packs of spaghetti, 2 sachets tomato puree, hand sanitizer and antiseptic/medicated soap etc.

GBF’s unique value-add is its credibility, 20 years of BOP experience and ability to guarantee a wide outreach, track precise beneficiaries impacted, whilst maintaining social distancing practices. Our 4000 women across 150 LGAs in 14 states currently conduct door to door intermediation for 400,000 touchpoints, availing millions of families with basic necessities for their communities (which structure GBF has been running since 2015). Recent campaigns executed by GBF include a Lifebuoy soap hand-washing campaign (March 2020) and through a generous donation the bank accounts of 30 northern widows in critical need were credited with cash grants (April 2020). GBF is able to deploy donations across 150 LGAs.

Trustees: Dr Myma Belo-Osagie, Dr Ndidi Nnoli Edozien.

Advisory Board: Evelyn Oputu, Caren van Rooyen, Ebun Jackson.
Coordinating Management Team: Tolagbe Martins, Seyi Dare, Jelili Alarape, Lolade Phillips
Auditors: PricewaterhouseCoopers;
Company Secretary: Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie

For more information contact:

www.gbfng.org
info@gbfng.org
+234.8034658145
+234.8033691016

Donate to:
Name: Growing Businesses Foundation/Endowment Fund
Bank: Zenith Bank Plc
Sort Code: 057150275
Account Number: 1014453303
Swift Code/BIC: CitiGB2L

Ike Chioke And Friends (ICAF) COVID-19 Appeal for Medical Consumables for Missionary Hospitals in Enugu State

Ike Chioke And Friends (ICAF) COVID-19 Appeal for Medical Consumables for Missionary Hospitals in Enugu State

Many doctors and nurses in hospitals in Eastern Nigeria are desperately in need of personal protective equipment in order to attend to patients who may or may not have COVID-19.

Background: The ICAF COVID-19 Initiative started on 2nd April with an appeal to provide PPEs to the ESUT Hospital Parklane in Enugu to contain the spread of the coronavirus in Enugu State. Within two weeks, the campaign had raised nearly N5mm from 33 donors by which time the state government had delivered medical consumables to ESUT Hospital Parklane.

As a result, the ICAF COVID-19 Initiative decided to broaden its mandate to include missionary hospitals in Enugu state which cater to the masses. In partnership with Uni-Medical Healthcare Ltd, ICAF has delivered N5mm worth of medical consumables including the following items to four hospitals:

The beneficiary hospitals are: (1) Mother of Christ Specialist Hospital (Ogbete, Enugu), (2) The Good Shepherd Specialist Hospital (Uwani, Enugu), (3) Bishop Shanahan Hospital, (Nsukka), and (4) Ntasiobi Hospital (Trans Ekulu, Enugu). Now in its third week, the ICAF COVID-19 Initiative recognises that the challenges of the pandemic is going to be with us for a long time and has therefore formalized its fundraising under a trust account with Emerging Africa Capital Trustees.

Goal: New funds raised will be used to supply medical consumables to other missionary hospitals in the state.

Organizer: Ike Chioke

For more Information: +234-703-417-4888 ike@chioke.ng

Donation to:
Account Name: EAC Trustees Private Trust Account
Account Number: 1022197316
Bank Name: United Bank for Africa Plc
Purpose: Enugu State COVID-19 Response

International/Other payment options: Donation Link: https://flutterwave.com/pay/eactrusteeslimited9ped