Chioma Umeha
Hollandia, the leading dairy brand from Chi
Limited, has said that it is determined to fight child hunger and malnutrition
in Nigeria, hence its donation of dairy products to vulnerable Nigerian
children.
This it is doing through the Hollandia No Kid
Hungry Foundation, the vehicle for the brand’s corporate social responsibility initiative
which aims to alleviate child hunger and malnutrition in Nigeria.
Believing that no kid should go to bed hungry, the
foundation recently stormed the Bogije Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp
in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State and donated dairy products to more than 500
children.
Speaking during the visit, the Managing Director
CHI Ltd, Mr. Deepanjan Roy, represented by the Head of Administration, Mr.
Ebere Osunkwo, said, “As a socially responsible company, we are naturally
passionate about child nutrition. And in cognizance of the unsatisfactory
situation with child nutrition globally and nationally, we initiated the
Hollandia No Kid Hungry Foundation as a vehicle for contributing, in our own
way, towards slowing down the spiraling number of cases of hunger and
malnutrition amongst children.”
According to UNICEF, about 2.5 million Nigerian
children suffer from severe acute malnutrition. The report further states that
Nigeria has the second highest number of stunted children in the world, mostly
resulting from child malnutrition and hunger. Being a dairy brand loved by children
in households across Nigeria, the beverage brand is passionate about children
and views these facts as further impetus to battle against hunger and
malnutrition among Nigerian children.
He added that the Bogije IDP camp visit marked a
notable milestone in the Foundation’s drive towards alleviating child hunger
and malnutrition.
Going further, he stated, “Many children have
found themselves in certain adverse conditions due to no fault of theirs. When
you think of these children in the IDP camps, you can imagine how many go to
bed hungry every single night. Even when they get to eat, how nutritious is the
food they consume? So we thought to ourselves, what better way to identify with
them than on their day. This is why we chose to celebrate the Children’s Day
and World Nutrition Day with them and at least put smiles on their faces.”
Responding on behalf of the community, Chief
Tajudeen Oniwolu, the Baale of the Bogije Oniwolu Estate, expressed his
gratitude and joy at the event which he described as auspicious. He said, “I am
very grateful to the management of CHI Ltd for this special visit and the
donation of their products to the children today being Children’s Day. It is
obvious for all to see that the children are very happy and as the Baale of
this community, this really gladdens my heart. I call on other companies to
emulate this kind gesture. I also beckon on CHI Ltd to continue with this very
laudable initiative.”
Commenting on the initiative, Mrs. Regina
Ayomanor, Project Coordinator, Web of Hearts Foundation said, “As seen on the
faces of the children, we are indeed happy and grateful to Hollandia for this
act of kindness to the IDP children in this community. It is true that children
ought to live up to their dreams, but some of these children have no food, not
to talk of a future. We say a big thank you to Hollandia No Kid Hungry
Foundation for the huge impact they have made today and look forward to more
partnerships with them in the future.”
