Sterling One Foundation Launches New Project for Women Farmers in Flood-Affected Areas
Sterling One Foundation, in partnership with Whitefield Foundation and Sterling Bank, has launched ‘Project Ladder’, to provide support for victims whose farms were affected by the floods.
A Release form the bank says the project is part of relief interventions following the devastating nationwide floods in Nigeria.
The project which kicked off in Ndokwa East and Oshimili North Local Government Areas of Delta State is aimed at providing relief for the flood victims and providing improved farm inputs with better yield potential than the regular options.
Delta State is one of the 33 states in Nigeria that were affected by the 2022 floods, which started in May and lasted until October.
The floods claimed over 500 lives, displacing millions of people from their homes, and destroying about 110,000 hectares of farmland.
Following the cholera outbreak in the country’s north-eastern region, several interventions were launched in response to the disaster, many of which focused on providing alternative shelter for the displaced, food materials, and drugs.
CEO of the Sterling One Foundation, Olapeju Ibekwe, while explaining the significance of the project, said it was important to shift the focus from the immediate survival response that followed the floods to how to help the victims rebuild their lives.
“The floods affected several farming communities, and what we’ve set out to do is support them with resources to regain some self-sufficiency.
“Project Ladder is not just a flood relief project, but an initiative under our food security portfolio aimed at driving increased yield by supporting farmers with better inputs, and teaching them better farming practises, thus fighting the food shortages across the country,” she said.
For the project’s launch phase, about 100,000 enhanced cassava stems were distributed to women farmers, marking the start of a robust plan to support them all through the planting season in hopes of a great harvest.
For her part, CEO of Whitefield Foundation, Funmi Johnson, spoke about the project’s impact, emphasising how important it was for the nation’s food security.
She noted that most flood victims are farmers who need to be empowered to rebuild their means of livelihood and continue to contribute their quota to support the nation’s economy.
The project touches on two of the Sterling One Foundation’s five focus areas: food security and gender equality, as well as women empowerment.
This year, the Foundation plans to deepen the work done in these areas to cater to more communities and impact more direct beneficiaries.