By Faidat Bello
A Lagos-based Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) “Helpgate Foundation” has distributed relief support packages to over 600 people comprising aged and underprivileged in some parts of Lagos as part of efforts to cushion the effect of the ongoing sit-at-home directive by the government.
The relief support packages which contained rice, beans, garri and sweet potatoes were presented to the beneficiaries on Wednesday (April 15, 2020) in some selected areas in Lagos such as Aguda, Itire road, Lawanson, Falolu and Obele in Surulere area of Lagos State.
The gesture, according to the Founder/C.E.O of the Helpgate Foundation, Pastor (Mrs) Temitope Emovon, was borne out of the foundation’s resolve to put smile on the faces of the less privileged especially at this trying time of coronavirus that is ravaging the whole world.
Pastor Emovon said the need for this kind of a program at this critical time was due to the lockdown the state is currently going through to ameliorate the hardship people are passing through.
She explained further that the gesture was part of the foundation’s hunger fighting responsibility it has always been playing in that part of Lagos state.
According to her, the relief materials were not only limited to the people in those areas, it also included its beneficiaries of the daily soup kitchen the organization has run for over six years where the old, poor, students and less privileged have come to feed.
“There’s a lockdown, people can’t go out, people don’t have money. We must still be at the for front fighting hunger”. Regarding feeding people as their ‘business’, “it has been our business to fight hunger for years, we are not tired and we won’t be tired”. Adding that the sorry sight of the beneficiaries of the NGO also gave rise to organising the program.
She admonished the government to improve on the management of the food distribution as the distribution of food items to people is not as difficult as it seems; as all it requires is to properly keep data. Encouraging the government to reach out to the NGO as it is closer to the people and food can be easily distributed to the less privileged.
She also called on the government and well meaning Nigeians as well as financial institutions to sponsor and partner with the NGO to enable it reach out to more people during and after the lockdown.
One of the beneficiaries at Lawansson,
Henry Ojo, who is a Telecom consultant described the process of food distribution as an orderly one as it involves using a ticket that has a unique code that has been sent to the beneficiaries before the day of the distribution and only the ticket qualifies a person to get a pack of the food.
He advised the government to take a cue from what the organization has done. He said ” I want the government to take a cue from what you people have done as the one done by the local government was rowdy”.
Adeola Opeloyeru, one of the beneficiaries at Itire Road, described the program as a very good one that needs to be commended. She advised the government to extend hands of fellowship to NGOs that can get to the less privileged in the society.
She said ” the government should try and extend hands to NGOs that can reach individuals because in the last two weeks I learnt that government provided some things to people but it didn’t get to individuals”.
Chibueze Duru, one of the beneficiaries at Falolu Road decribed the action as a nice and fantastic one as the organization has done something good and impressive by helping people and putting smiles on their faces.
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