By Philomina Attah
An NGO, John and Rebecca Ebokpo Foundation (JARE) has distributed food items to no fewer than 100 families in Waru Village, Abuja, as part of its outreach programme to vulnerable communities.
The initiative, tagged “Zero Hunger Project Phase VI’’, aims to alleviate poverty and hunger among indigent families and communities.
The foundation also disclosed that the food items were sourced from its farm situated in Nasarawa State.
The Chairperson of JARE Foundation, Mrs Rebecca Ebokpo, on Saturday, said the organisation’s passion was to eliminate hunger in communities.
She explained that hunger was a major challenge responsible for many social ills, including death, crime, and mental health crises.
‘’The foundation has a charity farm in Nasarawa State, where we cultivate crops to distribute to vulnerable communities.
“Our charity farm is the backbone of our initiative. We are proud to say that most of the food items we are distributing today, except for rice, are sourced from our own farm.
“We have approximately 1.7 hectares of farmland in Uke, Nasarawa State, where we cultivate crops, specifically to support vulnerable communities and help alleviate poverty and hunger.
“We believe in empowering people, not creating dependency. Our goal is to meet immediate needs, not to discourage hard work.
“We recognise that many individuals work hard, but struggle to earn a decent living, and that is why we are here to support them,” she said.
Ebokpo appealed for partnerships with well-meaning individuals and organisations to support the foundation’s work, to do more and be able to expand its reach.
She said, however, that the foundation was faced with some challenges, including security threats to its farm and theft of farm produce.
“We urge the government to enhance security measures, as our farm faces constant threats from herdsmen and thieves.
“In spite of our efforts to cultivate the land, herdsmen often destroy our crops, while thieves steal from us, forcing us to spend heavily on replacement.
“For instance, we recently had to spend nearly N600,000 to buy yams to supplement our farm’s yield due to theft.
“We need partnerships with kind-hearted individuals and organisations to help us overcome these challenges, ‘’ she said.
The chairperson said that in spite of the challenges, the organisation remained committed to its mission including supporting the government.
According to her, the government cannot do it all, therefore, the need for more engagement with NGOs like JARE, who have grassroots penetration and can provide credible information on community needs.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that each family received a package of 5kg of rice, yams, sweet potatoes, groundnut, maize, melon (egusi), salt, and 5kg of cassava (garri).
The foundation expressed gratitude for the support that made the initiative possible and happiness in being able to make a difference in the lives of the beneficiaries.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the foundation for the kind gesture.
They urged the government and other NGOs to emulate the foundation’s example and provide similar support to those in need. (NAN)
Edited by Esenvosa Izah/Tosin Kolade
