By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Nima Memorial Care Foundation, has made giant strides in community health, recently as they provided sanitary towels for over 300 teenage girls in Ogun State, sink bore holes in several communities, as part of its efforts to providing essential resources for clean water, sanitation, and period hygiene for girls in disadvantaged communities across Nigeria.
Speaking during the annual symposium/grand ball in Memory of the foundation, founder Nimatallahi Motunrayo Alake Fashipe recently with the theme: Empowering Futures: Clean Water and Hygiene Support for the Girl Child, the keynote speaker, Professor of Strategy and Development, Common Wealth Institute of Professional and Advanced studies, Anthony Kila commended the foundation’s effort in providing solutions to community health and period hygiene for teenage girls in rural communities who do not have resources to take care of themselves and equally giving portable and clean water which has become a public health challenge.
Kila stresses the urgent need for the government to acknowledge and actively confront the challenges surrounding access to portable and clean water. It is essential that officials do not turn a blind eye to this critical issue or make false claims about progress when it is clear that significant problems persist.
On her part, the co- founder of Nima memorial care foundation and Convener of the initiative, Zainab Mohammed Abdulmalik said the organization prioritize clean water sanitation, hygiene and education to help in empowering girls in our communities. This was my daughter’s core vision before she passed on. I had supported her humanitarian deeds and have continued to empower teenage girls and communities including orphanage homes my daughter took care of while she was alive. This was only to rekindle her memory is to ignite her passion and that what I have been doing since three years ago
Also, a member of the Executive Management, Mr. Lanre Ijaola said having established a strong support base for the foundation while residing in the United Kingdom and he had returned to Nigeria to join the founder’s mission to uplift marginalized communities. Our commitment to addressing the pressing issues of water accessibility and hygiene safety highlights the Foundation’s dedication to improving lives.
“Our focus today is on portable water, sanitation, and period hygiene, especially for young girls,” Ijaola stated as we kicked off the latest project. “We have been implementing numerous projects across Nigeria to meet these critical needs, including the sinking of boreholes in communities that lack access to clean water.”
“The need for clean water and sanitation services has never been more pressing, with many young girls facing challenges that jeopardize their education and health during their menstrual cycles. By providing access to clean water and hygiene products, the Nima Memorial Care Foundation aims to empower young girls and ensure that they can continue their education without interruption.
Ogun State Commissioner of Education, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu who was represented by the Director of Quality Assurance and Teacher Development Duze Mary Aminat commended the thoughtfulness of the foundation to combat the challenge of accessing clean water.
“Cleanliness and hygiene can’t be achieved without clean water. Nima foundation has been providing so much in our locality for communities and schools in Ogun State. As a child I experienced the challenge of accessing clean and portable water, I have to walk miles before I can get water, the stress alone was unbearable so I understand the effort and I truly appreciate them. I pledge support for the foundation and we will collaborate to ensure that every community access clean water.
“Also, the initiative of providing sanity pads for teenage girls in Ogun State is a laudable initiative. Most teenagers in rural communities are faced with this challenge of keeping themselves clean cause of the access to sanitary supplies but with the foundation help it will ease the burden.”