Monday, May 11,2020 / 9:23 PM / WIMBIZ

The current economic situationtriggered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains andbusiness activities across countries, including Nigeria. To combat thispandemic, general lockdown strategies have been implemented. This has resultedin a decline in economic activity, a dip in oil prices and a reduction indisposable income. The impact on the poorest and most vulnerable segments ofthe population has been magnified with people who depend on daily wages to fendfor their families, feeling the brunt of these restrictions. 

It quickly became apparent to theWIMBIZ team, that Nigerian women within the low-income bracket would be hit bythe impact of the lockdown and they would need support to comply with thegovernment's lockdown restrictions designed to flatten the curve as well asstop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The WIMBIZ COVID-19 ReliefProject, is an initiative borne out of the challenges associated with thepandemic and the need for a collective action to combat the spread of thevirus. Initially, we considered three communities to distribute the reliefpacks to – Ijeh in Obalende, Idiaraba in Surulere and Mushin. However, due tothe scale of the adverse economic impact of the ongoing pandemic and inresponse to the overwhelming support and feedback from our donors, we increasedour relief package distribution target to 10,000 relief packs.

In addition, we diversified ourgeographic focus and extended our donation window to enable us expand ourreach. Our relief packages have so far been distributed in these communitiesacross 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 andOna-Ara.

We leveraged our diverse networkof associates and received immense support from members of our Board ofTrustees and Executive Council. There was also representation of oursecretariat staff led by the Executive Director of WIMBIZ for this well-neededoutreach initiative. The collective effort from those within the WIMBIZorganisation resulted in effective execution of this outreach and strengthenedour desire to continuously remain the catalyst that elevates the status ofwomen as well as promote nation building.

The WIMBIZ COVID-19 Project ReliefProgram distributed 11,919 relief packs, directly impacting over 71,514Nigerians across 28 communities in 4 states within Nigeria, with donations from503 cash donors and 18 in-kind donors. Sector demographics covered includehealthcare workers, waste management staff, widows, law enforcement households,internally displaced individuals and an old people's home.

With Nigeria's population estimatedto be close to 200m and a large proportion of our citizens living below thepoverty line, the pandemic has been catastrophic. The restriction of movementas part of Government's efforts to stop the spread of the virus, hassignificantly impacted livelihoods, particularly those that depend on dailycash incomes. More focus is required to identify the vulnerable members ofsociety across the nation and create safety nets to provide respite. The WIMBIZCOVID-19 Relief Package has assisted (and continues to assist) with supportingsome of these households but there is still a lot more to be done to reduceinequality and achieve gender equality. 

We continue to focus on growingour network of professional women, delivering value-added programs, creating differentiatedbenefits for our Associates, advocating for increased female participation atall levels & supporting our communities.  

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