By Adedapo Adesanya
The General Electric Foundation has announced a donation of $100,000 to provide immediate relief to Nigeria after several months of heavy rain and devasting flooding.
The donation will fund the international humanitarian agency CARE to support local emergency response authorities and volunteers in Kogi State.
Specifically, the donation will help address the immediate food security and hygiene needs in the region for approximately 800 households, including up to 2,500 individuals.
Speaking on this, Ms Linda Boff, the President of GE Foundation and Vice President of GE, said, “We are proud to work with our humanitarian relief partner CARE to help Nigerian families recover from the devasting flooding.”
On his part, Mr Mohammed Mijindadi, President of GE Nigeria, said addressing the ongoing critical food insecurities and health concerns resulting from the tragic flooding remains a top priority for the company.
“This grant will help alleviate the hardships that many families have to endure, especially as we go into the holiday season. CARE is the best partner for our local team to work with on the ground to address urgent hunger and health needs while spreading goodwill during these trying times.”
In addition to the organisation’s donation, GE employees can support relief efforts through its Matching Gifts Programme.
GE employees who make eligible donations to CARE or other participating charities can register for a match with the GE Foundation’s Matching Gifts programme, which supports employees’ personal philanthropy and charitable giving by providing a 1:1 match.
The GE Foundation created the concept of a corporate matching gift program in 1954. Today, the programme continues to serve as an important element of the Foundation’s portfolio, with gifts matched in 2021 totalling $6.2 million.
“We are honoured to receive this grant from the GE Foundation, which will help us distribute the most important basic needs to affected Nigerians, as well as conduct a public hygiene campaign to help stem the risk of cholera, COVID-19 and other public health threats,” said Mr Hussaini Abdu, Country Director of CARE Nigeria.
GE’s Disaster and Humanitarian Relief program respond to major global disasters and humanitarian crises, drawing on GE’s people, technology, and other resources to reduce suffering and hasten recovery. Since 2020, GE Foundation’s philanthropic contribution to disaster relief totalled nearly $7.2 million, which was largely focused on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
