From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
As a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Access Bank on Monday donated foodstuffs to 27-year-old Hope for the Village Child Foundation, Jakaranda, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Since when it was organised in 1996, the Foundation has given hope of survival to thousands of people in need of a lifeline through the provision of feeding, and medical care including surgery, (in partnership with a hospital in Jos, Plateau State) nutrition, and shelter, especially for the poor and vulnerable children.
Speaking shortly after the donation which included cartons of noodles, and spaghetti among others, Access Bank Regional Manager, Kaduna II, Mr. Uche Eke said, the visit and donation to the Foundation became necessary after a need assessment was conducted by his team.
“We thought it wise for us to come together and carry out this CSR for a Foundation like this which reaches the people in the hinterland.
“The choice of this Foundation was premised on a need assessment which revealed that they do more than just orphanages or what many call motherless baby homes.
“They are taking care of all manners of people in need including displaced people as a result of escalating insecurity in their ancestral homes. We learned they also provide handheld rural water facilities for communities in need.
“So we felt it is good to give them this little support just to show them that people are watching and seeing what they do. We hope to do more in the future as our economy improves”, he said.
Responding to the gesture, Deputy Director and Head of the Health Section, Hope for the Village Child Foundation, Sister Julianah Ekwoanya thanked the Bank for finding her organisation worthy of the donation.
“Their visit is quite challenging and strange coming at a time we are having a lot of people coming here to ask for one help or the other because they know they would not be leaving here without being attended to.
“Having displaced people living around us who come regularly to ask for food and medical support is of serious concern to us and our supporters. So, with what they have brought, it will go a long way in helping us to reach out to those in need thereby putting smiles on their faces.
“On behalf of this Foundation, we thank the bank. This is the first time of their coming here and they have come in this way. We appreciate them as one of our partners and because we respect donours’ intentions, the items they brought would be used for the purpose they were given,” she said.
She added that “the Foundation is doing a lot. For example, we have sunk 30 handheld boreholes in different communities in 2023 alone. We have already been supported to sink an additional 23 handheld boreholes for the year 2024 even though we set a target of 20 for ourselves.
“The facility is 27-year-old having started in 1996. Under our Rickets (a disease that softens and weakens bones in children usually due to inadequate vitamin D) programme, we have over 1,000 year alone. Even though we could not do much in terms of food support this year due to inflation, between 2019 and now, we have given food support to over 4,000 people,” she said.