In responding to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic and social well-being of people, Strategy and Innovation for Development Initiative (SI4DEV), rolled out a project titled “COVID-19 Response Project”. This project is aimed at providing food items to support low-income families as they observe Government’s directives of staying at home during this period and to sensitize them on the precautionary measures to be taken to avert contracting the Coronavirus.
This project which cuts across different locations in Nigeria was carried out in Enugu State through SI4DEV’s Partner and volunteers:
Adaobi Ugwu(Project Lead)
Ifeanyi Ugwu(Project Co-Lead)
Ijeoma Ndukwu(Volunteer)
Kelechi Ogbuja(Volunteer)
Mmesoma Ugwu(Volunteer)
Ikechukwu Ndukwu(Volunteer).
The initial targeted location to carry out the exercise was Ugbo-Lawrence (a peri-urban settlement around Independence Layout), but the volunteers encountered near-mob action as the targeted beneficiaries could not coordinate themselves properly after the first five families were given their food items at the inception of the exercise. As a result of this, the volunteers had to move to Ukwa street near Asata to carry out the exercise.
At the new location, the beneficiaries were calm and the food items were given to the families in packs. Each of these packs contained the following items:
1 Tuber of Yam
1 Packet of Salt
20 Cups of Garri
2 Packets of Spaghetti
14 cups of Beans
5 Cups of Rice
4 Pieces of Bar soap
4 Sachets of Vegetable Oil
4 Sachets of Tomato paste
1 Litre of Palm Oil
10 Sachets of Peak milk.
The beneficiaries who were mainly elderly women with no steady or independent sources of income, expressed their gratitude to SI4DEV for their show of rare magnanimity in this critical period in their lives as many of them are already left with limited or no food to feed their families before SI4DEV intervened. In addition, fliers were given out to all those around the neighborhood and they were very much happy with the COVID-19 sensitization.
Enugu State volunteers wish to express their unalloyed gratitude to SI4DEV for remembering their State and for using them to impact these families positively.