food
Operation LADDER
In 2022, Nigeria faced devastating floods due to heavy rains causing loss of life, displacement, and destruction of houses, farms, and infrastructure. It was considered the worst flood in over a decade with 603 deaths, 2,400 injuries, and over 1.4 million displaced people as reported by NEMA in October 2022. The situation was exacerbated by the release of excess water from the Lagdo dam in Northern Cameroon into Nigeria through River Benue, causing further harm to vulnerable communities.
The floods resulted in the destruction or damage of over 300,000 houses and an estimated 569,251 hectares of damaged farmland, leading to the loss of food sources and income for affected households.
In response to the plight of victims of the flood and in line with our mission and vision of no poverty, we set out to bring relief and support to flood-disaster victims, especially in the southern states of Nigeria. An initiative named Operation LADDER (Laugh At Deluge, Drink, Eat, and Rejuvenate) was launched by WF and its partners to bring relief and support to flood survivors and their households.
Then, in November 2022, Whitefield Foundation was awarded a humanitarian aid grant to provide relief materials to flood disaster victims under the project Operation LADDER by The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF).
The goal of the TCCF-sponsored initiative was to provide aid to flood-affected communities in Anambra and Delta States.
The relief project was implemented over a 2-month period, engaging with relevant government agencies such as State Emergency Management Agency in Delta and Anambra State, local authorities like Local Government Chairpersons, and community leaders, with a focus on working with women leaders. The relief materials were distributed directly to the communities, ensuring that the victims and their households received them.
In Anambra State, the flood-ravaged communities in over one-third of the LGAs in the state. 5700 households (34,200 people indirectly) in 57 communities received relief materials, which included food, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) supplies, and empowerment materials.
In Delta State, the intervention was laser focused in four LGAs; Isoko South, Ughelli North, Ndokwa East, and Oshimili South. A total of 3,059 households (18,354 people indirectly) across 21 communities and villages benefited directly from the relief intervention implementation in Delta State.
The partners involved in the operation included:
- The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) provided the funding for food and WASH supplies.
- Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC) provided cartons of bottled water and juice.
- Chi Pharmaceuticals Limited (Chi Pharma) supplied over-the-counter drugs, such as antimalarial, decongestants for adults and children, and multivitamins.
- Capstone Resource Center (CRC) contributed logistics and funding for cassava and rice seedlings.
- Sterling One Foundation (SOF) provided funds for the distribution of cassava stems.
- Individual donors offered logistics support and funding for seedlings.
- Anambra State Emergency Management Agency facilitated the warehousing of relief materials.
Operation LADDER provided relief to 8,759 households and 52,554 people indirectly in 78 communities and villages across 12 local government areas in the two states. The Food and WASH supplies were enough to sustain an average family of 6 individuals for 4 weeks.
In addition to the food and WASH supplies, Operation LADDER, in partnership with organizations such as the Capstone Resource Center, Sterling One Foundation, and individual donors, provided seedlings to 2,800 small-holder farmers, 80% of whom were women. The provision of 700,000 high-yield cassava stems and 100 bags of high-yield rice seedlings will also impact the community in several ways including the following;
- Cultivate a total of 490-560 acres of cassava and 100-140 acres of rice farmlands leading to the restoration of about 700 acres of farmland (Estimation)
- The cassava plantations will also yield up to 3,120-3,580 tons of cassava tubers upon harvest (with proper cultivation practice)
- Produce 5,600,000 to 8,400,000 high-yield stems for farming by the next planting season (Estimation)
Paga Partners with Whitefield Foundation To Help MSMEs in Lagos
Paga Limited – Nigeria’s leading mobile payments platform- has in keeping with their ethos of “Making Life Possible” partnered with the Whitefield Foundation to identify SME business owners who were caught in the cross-hairs of the unfortunate events of #ENDSARS protest in Lagos State.
The initiative called PAGA BOOST has benefited small business owners across Lagos State with about 60% of the beneficiaries located in the Lekki Axis.These include Artisans, Plumbers, Uber drivers, small event place owners, shop owners, petty traders, and more.
Building on the current work of driving efficient payments for online and offline businesses of which they currently have over 26000 agents across Nigeria. Paga’s intention is to help in making life possible once more for these young entrepreneurs and contribute to the rebuilding of our country.
The beneficiaries expressed gratitude to Whitefield Foundation and Paga for this timely intervention that has made life possible again.
185 #EndSARS Victims Benefit from Medical Intervention Fund
Medical Relief Initiative with CocaColaNG
185 #EndSARS Victims Benefit from Medical Intervention Fund Coca-Cola/Whitefield collaborate for Project Health Safety Support, HSS
In response to the widespread violence across the country that marred the peaceful #EndSARS protests and led to some deaths with many people injured and hospitalized, Coca-Cola Nigeria and its bottling partners (NBC) provided a N20 million donation to an NGO, Whitefield Foundation, to help defray the medical bills of some of the hospitalized victims.
Over the past three weeks, Whitefield Foundation has processed over 900 requests from across the country, most of which were found to be unrelated to the #EndSARS incidents. In the end, 185 patients being treated in 23 hospitals across 9 States Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Lagos, Edo, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Plateau as well as the FCT, Abuja, benefited from the intervention fund.
The patients are being treated for various degrees of injuries, including gunshots, and amounts ranging from N10,000 to N300,000 were disbursed directly to their respective hospitals on their behalf. Unfortunately, some of the patients have had to undergo amputation and will be provided with prosthetic limbs, to enhance their ability to function normally post-recovery.
About 30% were outpatients while 70% were on admission of which 21% had been discharged as of Thursday, 12th November 2020.
Speaking on the intervention, Funmi Johnson, CEO, Whitefield Foundation said “This has been an eye-opening, hope-restoring, and sometimes heart-breaking experience for me. Going round hospitals in person, and also reviewing reports from agents and patients across Nigeria leaves me grateful to Coca-Cola Nigeria.
Several people have been saved from untimely death by their support. I appeal to corporate organizations and people of means to support NGOs to bring more relief initiatives to the helpless. The healthcare system in this nation needs all the help and support it can get. I plead with all Nigerians to shun violence at all cost.”
In a statement released on its Twitter handle on the 23rd of October, 2020, Coca-Cola Nigeria, while announcing the intervention and partnership with Whitefield Foundation said, “Coca-Cola along with our bottling partners Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd, are committed to making a difference in our communities as such we have made a donation of N20million to our NGO Partner Whitefield Foundation to help defray the medical bills of victims in hospitals”
Whitefield Foundation over the years has committed itself to social intervention, community capacity building, and socially meaningful and impactful programs that have helped hundreds lead a more meaningful life.
In 2002, the NGO in the aftermath of the unfortunate bombing episode in Lagos, Whitefield distributed free food support to over 4000 households impacted by the incident. During the COVID lockdown, the NGO produced and distributed over 5000 bottles of hand sanitizers to high-risk households as well as managed food distribution networks to families in the Yaba axis of Lagos.
The partnership with Coca-Cola Nigeria and other stakeholders in the medical sector across the 10 states is yet another meaningful intervention designed to help save lives.
Coke Cares Save Lives And Children
CokeCares Volunteer Program Outreach
Whitefield Foundation, a non governmental organization committed to poverty eradication has been deeply involved in mobilization and distribution of food relief to those whose life has been impacted negatively by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Her training and resource center at 25, McEwen Street, off Herbert Macaualay Street, Sabo, Yaba now serves temporarily as a food relief packaging and distribution center. With focus on families, women, widows and the elderly, the foundation hopes to reach at least 10,000 families with food relief before the end of July, 2020.
Across the world, Coca-Cola employees marked the beverage giant’s 134th anniversary in humble fashion, with most activities focused on community good and on corporate reflection on how to make a difference in a world that has been bedeviled by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Lagos, the epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, has been hard hit economically, with the megacity recording over 1,800 out of the 4300 cases in the Country. The four weeks lockdown inadvertently crippled economic activity hitting the urban poor acutely with many families unable to fend for themselves. Rising crimes of opportunity were recorded with an uptick in domestic violence, all evidence to a city pressed to the wall.
In a bid to uplift hearts and put smiles on the faces of residents in the Sabo Community of Yaba, Lagos, associates, under the auspices of the Associate Volunteer Program- CokeCARES, in partnership with the Whitefield Foundation, launched a Food Support Program, committed to sharing the special anniversary moment with 134 vulnerable families living in a small urban community in Lagos.
In a pleasant twist and with the matching grant support of West Africa BU Leadership Team, the group surpassed their target and ended up with more food than anticipated.
At the end of the day, a total of 161 families had received food supply for a week while about 100 more beneficiaries, living within the community, received smaller food packs to last them a couple of days. 10 old women who could not get to the venue had food supplies taken to their houses to support them.
Each weekly food supply pack contained 10kg of Garri (local carbohydrate meal), 7.5Kg of rice, 5Kg of Beans, 1 carton of noodles (40 packs), 1 crate of 30 eggs, a pack of milk, a pack of Eva water, a bottle of hand sanitizer and a small basket of fruits.
Whitefield Foundation, with over 10 years’ experience in social programs and community sustainability initiatives, managed the logistics of the CokeCARES Volunteer Food program. The NGO only recently concluded a TCCF Funded women empowerment program that trained about 600 women.
Speaking about the experience, Mrs. Funmi Johnson, CEO of Whitefield Foundation expressed her joy with the event as it contributed towards helping the foundation achieve her goal of feeding 10,000 families by July 2020.
“providing food relief to people especially the elderly, widows, and families will go a long way to help more people stay home and stay safe. Proving food relief at this period is a responsibility we must all rise up to fulfill, not just the governing authorities. We appreciate the CocaCola staff for this novel support to mark the company’s anniversary. It is indeed remarkable and we hope more corporate bodies will follow in their footstep.’
One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Kayode, a 71yr old retiree with young children, was full of praise for the food relief received. ” It has been a very difficult time for my family. I have even applied to the government and several outlets for assistance and food support during this period without any success. This pack will not only feed my family for a week but will last us for up to three weeks. Thank you to Whitefield foundation and CocaCola staff, now I feel a sense of relief”
Another beneficiary, Kafayat, a petty trader and mother of two children, said, ‘This is the biggest food relief pack I have ever received. It is very much more than I expected’
Whitefield foundation ‘feed a family’ project provides foodstuffs that can feed a family of five for an average of 10days. The food pack is made up of the main staple foods in Nigeria proportioned in a healthy and balanced way along with fruits for wholesome living.
Covid19 Food Relief
Feed A Family Food Relief Initiative
The Feed A Family Project has been an initiative of the Whitefield Foundation for over ten years. In our commitment to Zero hunger and poverty eradication, we usually maintain a food bank for welfare purposes. Distribution is normally based on application.
With the global pandemic and the ensuing four weeks lockdown, economic activities have come to an abrupt downturn. Many families’ income has become badly hit, with job losses, halved or unpaid wages, and in case of artisans, no income at all.
In response to the challenges bedeviling the society and armed with community information, we upgraded our food bank and activated the ‘Feed A Family Project’. The objective was to reach at least 10,000 families with food support for a week. The food package comprises of balanced meal packs of Rice, Garri, Beans, Egg, and Fruits.
Our focus group are women in families, single mothers, widows, the elderly, and artisans whose daily income has been badly affected by the pandemic-induced economic crisis. Based on support from well-meaning Nigerians locally and in the diaspora, we have so far been able to reach close to 1,000 families.
Given our track record of performance, the CocaCola Care Food Program in celebration of the organization’s 134th anniversary recently reached out to us.
The food pack for a family consisted of 10kg Garri, 5Kg Beans, 5Kg Rice, a crate of egg, a carton of noodles, a pack of fruits, a roll of milk sachets and a bottle of hand sanitizer.
Beneficiaries were all arranged according to the standard social distancing rules. Seats and floors were marked as appropriate. It is important to note that the resource center has also been fumigated since the last exercise was held.
However, the movement of people out of the facility with bountiful food packages created a ripple effect in the community leading to more needy people coming for supplies. In order to cater to the need of the community, about extra 100 mature women benefitted from the food distribution.
The Food Support Program’s objective of reaching 161 families was not only met but exceeded; reaching additional 100 families.