Kole Akintujoye, Nigerian-American philanthropist and medical professional, has disclosed that over 20 million people in the country suffer from hunger and malnutrition, making it one of the countries with the highest prevalence of the condition and this needs to be addressed.
Akintujoye, who is passionate about eradicating hunger in Nigeria with his Foundation, ‘Give Us Daily Bread Foundation’, noted that the Foundation, was set up to touch people in their lowest moments and eradicate hunger in Nigeria.
He said the fact that there are always more people than resources to feed them is one of the problems his foundation faces and malnutrition and starvation have long been problems in Nigeria.
Going down memory lane, he said at one point in his life he went two days without food as a result of being unable to afford it.
“I was born and grew up in Ore in Ondo State. At one point in my life, I was unable to feed myself and went two days without eating. I have therefore experienced what it is like to be hungry and have felt what the needy are experiencing today.
“While I was dining one day and realized my lunch cost roughly $75 which is about (#50,000), God immediately reminded me of the days when I couldn’t provide for myself. He gave me the insight I needed to go out and feed the hungry.”
Shedding light on the impact the foundation has made so far, Akintujoye said: ”Give us our daily bread is one of the requests made by Christians in the Lord’s prayer. We all need God for our daily food, regardless of the religion we practice. God is the source of my motivation.
“While some people have this food in excess, others struggle to put food on the table .With the help of God, I established this project to provide food for the hungry so they can be fed, stay healthy and happy. A lot of people have benefited and many are still benefitting. Currently we have over 50,000 followers on Facebook and more than 1,000 members on WhatsApp where we engage with our members.”
The philanthropist also added that ‘Chain of Blessing’, another arm of the foundation caters to other needs of the foundation asides food.
Read also: Combating the threat of hunger
“Chain of Blessing, another arm of the foundation caters to more urgent needs of the foundation’s beneficiaries.I recall there was a time when one of our disabled members was unable to move around due to a lack of a wheelchair. Her wheelchair was bad, which affected her mobility. We provided her with a new wheelchair, which cost roughly #80,000, as part of the chain of blessings initiative.”
He also added that another arm of the foundation meet the needs of widows
“Feed the widow initiative was inspired by a widow named Bose Onaderu, who joined the foundation’s ongoing programs and related her account of suffering and struggle.
“Her experience prompted the organization to think about how we can assist other widows in comparable situations. In addition to their “daily bread,” we still provide each widow #50,000 to empower them.”
The founder of the foundation said part of the challenges of running the non-profit, is that there are always more people than resources available to meet their needs.
“Because of this, we have been seeking assistance internationally and we believe help will come,” he added.
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