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Monday, May 11,
2020 / 9:23 PM / WIMBIZ
The current economic situation
triggered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains and
business activities across countries, including Nigeria. To combat this
pandemic, general lockdown strategies have been implemented. This has resulted
in a decline in economic activity, a dip in oil prices and a reduction in
disposable income. The impact on the poorest and most vulnerable segments of
the population has been magnified with people who depend on daily wages to fend
for their families, feeling the brunt of these restrictions.
It quickly became apparent to the
WIMBIZ team, that Nigerian women within the low-income bracket would be hit by
the impact of the lockdown and they would need support to comply with the
government's lockdown restrictions designed to flatten the curve as well as
stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
The WIMBIZ COVID-19 Relief
Project, is an initiative borne out of the challenges associated with the
pandemic and the need for a collective action to combat the spread of the
virus. Initially, we considered three communities to distribute the relief
packs to – Ijeh in Obalende, Idiaraba in Surulere and Mushin. However, due to
the scale of the adverse economic impact of the ongoing pandemic and in
response to the overwhelming support and feedback from our donors, we increased
our relief package distribution target to 10,000 relief packs.
In addition, we diversified our
geographic focus and extended our donation window to enable us expand our
reach. Our relief packages have so far been distributed in these communities
across the country: Ijeh, Shomolu, Orile, Aguda, Mushin, Ikorodu, Seriki Ado,
Ikeja, LAWMA, Makoko, OkeIranla Ojo, Yaba, Onikan , Addo, Langbasa, Garki,
Gwarimpa, Tungan, Maje, Jikwoyi, Durumi, Bundu, Okrika, Diobu Waterside, Bonny,
Akinyele, Iddo, Lagelu/Egbeda and
Ona-Ara.
We leveraged our diverse network
of associates and received immense support from members of our Board of
Trustees and Executive Council. There was also representation of our
secretariat staff led by the Executive Director of WIMBIZ for this well-needed
outreach initiative. The collective effort from those within the WIMBIZ
organisation resulted in effective execution of this outreach and strengthened
our desire to continuously remain the catalyst that elevates the status of
women as well as promote nation building.
The WIMBIZ COVID-19 Project Relief
Program distributed 11,919 relief packs, directly impacting over 71,514
Nigerians across 28 communities in 4 states within Nigeria, with donations from
503 cash donors and 18 in-kind donors. Sector demographics covered include
healthcare workers, waste management staff, widows, law enforcement households,
internally displaced individuals and an old people's home.
With Nigeria's population estimated
to be close to 200m and a large proportion of our citizens living below the
poverty line, the pandemic has been catastrophic. The restriction of movement
as part of Government's efforts to stop the spread of the virus, has
significantly impacted livelihoods, particularly those that depend on daily
cash incomes. More focus is required to identify the vulnerable members of
society across the nation and create safety nets to provide respite. The WIMBIZ
COVID-19 Relief Package has assisted (and continues to assist) with supporting
some of these households but there is still a lot more to be done to reduce
inequality and achieve gender equality.
We continue to focus on growing
our network of professional women, delivering value-added programs, creating differentiated
benefits for our Associates, advocating for increased female participation at
all levels & supporting our communities.
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