The ECOWAS Commission’s Women Forum (ECOCOM) has donated relief items and empowerment tools to some residents of the FCT as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
The relief items, worth over N1.5 million, were donated to residents of the Paduma-1 village in Asokoro village on Tuesday.
They also provided the community with two grinding machines, which would serve as an income generating tool for community development.
Hajiya Raheemat Momodu, President of ECOCOM said the forum was aware of the negative impacts and suffering of the COVID-19 pandemic, hence the need to provide the relief items.
As the number of new infections is declining, it is now that the impact of the pandemic is really biting hard on people, especially as many people have lost their jobs.
“Although it appears that in Nigeria, COVID-19 is going down in terms of new infections, we know that the impact of the infection is beginning to bite.
“People are losing jobs, there is no market for the women, so we know that this is when assistance is really needed by the community.
“That is why we, the women staff of the ECOWAS Commission, under our forum established for purposes like this, decided to contribute our little quota to this community in Asokoro.
“We hope this will be the beginning of such things to come and we want to tell the community that they have not been forgotten,’’ Momodu said.
She assured that the distribution of the items was supervised by law enforcement agents, the village chief and the women leaders.
Mrs Frina Joe, Women Leader of Panduma-1 village, expressed appreciation to ECOCOM for the gesture, saying it was coming at the right time.
Joe said the community had received palliatives from many organisations in the heat of the pandemic.
She noted that the palliatives had been exhausted and now “is when we are really facing the impact of the pandemic’’.
She said that the grinding machines would also be a long term source of income generation to the community, which we are most grateful for’’.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank you people for all the items.
“People have been bringing items for us but this is so much.
“It has not been easy, we have suffered a lot and we appreciate this,’’ Joe said.
The Prince of the Community, Mr Jerry Yohana, who also appreciated the generous support from the ECOWAS women, assured that the items would be shared equitable and the grinding machines used judiciously.
Yohana said the items would be shared among all residents.
The food items include 100 bags of rice, three bags of onions, palm oil, vegetable oil, beans, garri, tin-tomatoes, noodles, spaghetti and salt.
Non-food items include two grinding machines, 80 pieces of wrappers for both men and women and sanitary pads among other items.