Iyanda Ahmed@Ahmed

Iyabo Adenekan Foundation,  a non-governmental organization dedicated to reaching out to the needy, orphans and the less privileged children,  on Saturday provided food items and cash donations  to over 200 families to alleviate the sufferings of the less privileged in Akoni Community, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

This comes a day after the foundation donated educational materials to over 100 pupils of OLG Primary School Ajumbu, Odeda local government of the state.

The founder, Iyabo Adenekan, who is  a native of Akoni,  said she chose to support the community not only as a gesture of goodwill but also as a way to give back to her roots. 

Known for its lack of basic amenities, Akoni faces chronic electricity shortages and limited access to essential services, making everyday survival a challenge for its residents.

“I grew up here, and I understand the struggles many of these families face. This initiative is part of our commitment to alleviating hardship in vulnerable communities, and I hope that our small contribution can bring relief and spark hope.”

According to the philanthropist, the intervention programme tagged “Project share a smile” was aimed at fighting hunger and poverty in the country, stressing, “Our mission aims to provide holistic care and support to the needy, orphans and less privileged children, ensuring they live healthy lives, access quality education and achieve their full potential.”

“In the face of hardship and Inflation in the country,  many families are struggling to afford basic and essential requirements such as  food. Many of them can barely feed three times a day. So, we decided to provide food items for the vulnerables.”

“Our targets are  the needy, orphans and the less privileged children within the communities. This, among many reasons, we came  up with an initiative to help the people cushion the effect,” Iyabo said.

She noted that the foundation hopes to sustain the philanthropic gesture and extend it to other states of the federation, adding that the initiative aligns with the foundation’s core mission to uplift marginalized communities through sustainable and impactful support.

“We have programs ranging empowerment support for marginalized woman,  Entrepreneurship classes and support youth, free meal at school, financial literacy for youth, and many more.”

Speaking in the same vein, the foundation’s Programs Manager, Sodiq Adebiyi, said that the cash  and foodstuff  donations were another demonstration of the foundation’s commitment to upholding the values of compassion and solidarity.

Sodiq stressed that with the initiative, the foundation aspires to ameliorate some of the burdens faced by vulnerable communities across the State.

In her reactions to the philanthropic gesture, Mrs Ojuolape Esther Adeogun, one of the beneficiaries of the gift items, expressed her gratitude to the foundation for its timely intervention.

She urged the foundation to continue the good works, hoping that more organizations would emulate the kind gesture by lifting the vulnerable in the hard times.  

A commercial  driver, Mr. Kazeem Badmus praised the foundation’s humanitarian spirit, and for coming to their aid.

“What we have seen today is a conscious effort on the part of the organizers to see to the eradication of poverty, eradication of hunger in Akoni community,” Kazeem added.