IDPs’ Relief: Dangote Foundation Targets 5,000 Displaced Families In North-East

Dangote Foundation last weekend commenced distribution of relief materials to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states, in the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan, targeting a minimum of 5,000 families in the three states.

Managing Director of Dangote Foundation Zuwaira Youssofu, assured the IDPs that the foundation would live up to its promise of supporting them and meeting them at their points of needs, just as she prayed that their travails would soon be over.

She said: “One of our Foundation’s mission is to relieve the suffering of people. We identify where the suffering is and move aggressively to the area to ameliorate their suffering.

“A special victims’ fund has been set up, which we have made a pledge to. Today, we are here in the context of Ramadan, just to let the internally displaced ones in Yola know that we remember them, and we are with them throughout this journey.

“We, the Dangote Foundation, are distributing products like Dangote spaghetti, rice, seasoning, salt, sugar and blankets, to bring relief to the sufferings of the people in this IDPs camp. We are in Yola now, but we are targeting a minimum of 5,000 families in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno. We are physically here in Yola to witness the distribution process. We are partnering with Like Minds, an NGO which has volunteered to facilitate the distribution exercise.”

Coordinator of the non-governmental organisation, Like Minds Fatima Kiyari, praised the Foundation and prayed specially for the Chairman of the foundation Aliko Dangote. “God will bless Aliko Dangote. The number of lives he has been able to touch today is unbelievable, not to talk of other camps we are distributing in, in Yobe and Maiduguri, which are 10 times bigger than the camps here,” she said.

One of the recipients of the relief materials, Malam Ari Gwaza, also lauded the Foundation’s philanthropic gesture and appealed to other prominent Nigerians to emulate the good deeds of Dangote and use their wealth for the poor.

Dangote Foundation recently provided succour to the victims of Nepal’s disastrous earthquake by donating $1 million to the government and people of that country.

The amount was in line with its mandate to provide relief in times of disaster, with a message that the Chairman of the Foundation Aliko Dangote, and the people of Nigeria shared in that country’s moment of grief.

The chief executive officer of the Foundation, Zuwaira Youssoufu, said on behalf of Dangote during the cheque presentation to the prime minister of Nepal, Mr. Sushil Koilara, at Kathmandu, the country’s capital, that the gesture was to support the government’s emergency efforts in providing relief to the victims of the earthquake.

These tragic events were recorded as the worst quakes to hit the Himalayan nation in nearly a century, causing a high number of deaths, injuries and an avalanche at Mt. Everest, the world’s highest mountain.

Over 600,000 homes were reported to have been destroyed in the catastrophe.

In his message to the prime minister, Chairman of Dangote Foundation Aliko Dangote, conveyed his sympathy to the government and people of Nepal, assuring them of the Foundation’s support in rehabilitating the victims of the unprecedented tragedy.

Dangote said: “We join the rest of the world to express our sympathies over this unfortunate incident. We hope this donation will help alleviate the sufferings of the Nepalese people who have been devastated by the earthquakes.”

Responding to this kind gesture, the prime minister expressed the gratitude of the people and government of Nepal to Aliko Dangote and the Foundation, for their humanitarian support at this difficult moment of his country’s history.

The Dangote Foundation has been touching lives both within and outside the shores of Nigeria since its establishment in 1993, providing opportunities for social and economic transformation through investments and interventions that improve and promote health, education and broaden economic empowerment opportunities.

In September 2010, the Foundation also made a similar donation of $2 million, through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to assist survivors of the flood that ravaged Pakistan. Through this donation, the Foundation extended its support to more than 325,000 children in need in that country.

Dangote endowed the Foundation with $1.35 billion in March 2014 to ensure that the Foundation had secure and steady funding to carry out its mission as it significantly scales up its work both within and outside the shores of the country.