Dow partners with Citi and LEAP Africa to Provide Food Relief and Safety Support to Over 8,000 people in Nigeria

Nigeria 26th May 2020: Dow has partnered with Citi and LEAP Africa, a youth-focused leadership development NGO to provide relief support to low income communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The project targeted nine states, reaching 2,039 homes households with an average of four family members. The families received a relief basket with assorted food items and hygiene products. Dow also engaged local women tailors to produce reusable face coverings and local liquid soap, which is helping communities to continue with their economic activities safely.

“This project is timely. We have witnessed cases where people have been totally locked out of their daily economic activities, leaving them in dire need of food and other necessities. Others are not able to fully engage due to lack of PPEs, especially face coverings. Our efforts will not only help vulnerable communities access their daily nutrition needs, they are also creating economic streams for women in the community,” said Edosa Obayagbona, Managing Director, Dow Western Africa.

LEAP Africa, the implementing partner aims to reach 1000 people with face coverings and over 4,000 families with food relief at the end of the project. “In the past few years, Dow has supported our interventions that enable youths to transition successfully into decent and fulfilling employment. This partnership has proven even more beneficial in these unprecedented COVID-19 times. Our network of young social innovators are on the front-line of providing food relief to vulnerable households across Nigeria and we are supporting them to scale up these efforts”, said Femi Taiwo, Executive Director, LEAP Africa.

The beneficiaries were not left out of sharing their gratitude for this impactful intervention. “This Ramadan (fasting) has really been tough for me and my family. I have been looking for how we would sustain ourselves until this lockdown is over. There are no customers now and we are not allowed to go to market to sell. I am grateful for this support and may God bless you and your partners” said Sanusi, an upholstery maker in Kano state during the outreach by 100,000 Smiles Project, one of LEAP’s network partners.