• Takes Feeding Initiative To Ajegunle, Oworonshoki Areas Of Lagos

By Kingsley I. Ilechukwu, Bureau Chief, South West

In another demonstration of its commitment to support the most vulnerable in the society and help them cushion the effects of the current economic hardship, Dufil Prima Foods LTD, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles continued its nationwide provision of free lunch to school children, and donation of free cartons of the product to the less privileged in the Ajegunle and Oworonshoki areas of Lagos State, south west, Nigeria,  on Tuesday, March 26, and Wednesday, March 27 respectively. The company also said it hopes to feed at least two million Nigerians through the initiative.

The initiative, a partnership with several non-governmental organisations, was flagged off on Saturday March 23 with the donation over 200 cartons of Indomie noodles to residents in the Ojodu area of the state. The latest donations, carried out in partnership with ‘Dreams From The Slum Empowerment Initiative’, an Ajegunle-based NGO and Lagos Food Bank Initiative in Oworonshoki, witnessed the provision of free Indomie noodle meals to all students and pupils of four schools in the Ajegunle area, as well as the distribution of free cartons of Indomie Noodles to hundreds of Nigerians in the two communities. The schools visited were My Dream Stead School, Dabet School, Waves of Impact School and Dexzel School, all in the Ajegunle area of Ajeromi/Ifelodun LGA.

Speaking at the presentation of the Indomie Noodles lunch, and free Indomie Noodles cartons, the Group Corporate Communications and Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods LTD, Temitope Ashiwaju, reiterated the brand’s commitment to helping the needy in the society and also complementing government’s efforts to curb hunger in some indigent communities around the nation.

“At Indomie, this is what we have decided; to go into different communities all over the country to give them some kind of intervention by providing free feeding to schools, and also giving out cartons of noodles to people in our communities. We know that we probably will not be able to solve all the problems at a time, but we know that little by little, if we continue like this, we will give some succour to a good number of people, and put smiles on the faces of Nigerian, as we hope that things will gradually get better. That is our prayer, and as a brand we have decided that today we will come to Oworonshoki community, and that is why we are here, just as we have been to communities in Ojodu and Ajegunle in the past few days”, Mr. Asiwaju said.

Ashiwaju further noted that Indomie’s kindness is not just stopping at the communities already visited. “It is a continuous thing for us, and it is free of charge. Nobody is going to ask you to pay”, Ashiwaju said.

“Our target is to reach out to two million vulnerable people and the initiative will be done in the 6 geo political zones in Nigeria”

In his comments, the Founder, ‘Dreams From The Slum Empowerment Initiative’, Isaac Success Omoyele expressed delight at the opportunity to join Indomie Noodles to put smiles on the faces of children and the vulnerable members of his Ajegunle community, especially now that the prices of food has risen beyond the reach of most Nigerians.

Speaking in the same vein, the President/Executive Director, Lagos Food Bank Initiative, Michael Sunbola, lauded the partnership to feed the vulnerable. “It’s a thing of joy partnering with Dufil Prima Foods, and we believe this is going to unlock a whole room of opportunities for collaboration”, he said, and charged other corporate organisations to take a cue from Indomie’s laudable initiative.

One of the beneficiaries, a sexagenarian, Mrs. Chinwe Oranye, expressed the delight of all the recipients and thanked Indomie Noodles’ for their kind and timely intervention. “This is amazing. You people have put smiles on people’s faces, especially at a time like this when everybody is facing hardship. May God continue to bless you and bless Indomie company”, an emotional Oranye remarked. Other beneficiaries, including the students and pupils echoed similar sentiments and were full of thanks and prayers for the company for the lunch treats and free cartons of Indomie.

The current intervention is just one of Dufil Prima Foods LTD’s CSR strategic footprints in giving hope to the vulnerable. Others include the provision of medical supplies and equipment to government primary health facilities, provision of educational supplies to public schools, as well as scholarships to students. The brand recently gave out scholarships worth N5 million to indigent students from Lagos State.