Our Abuja Foodbank initiative

The Problem:

The problems of food insecurity and hunger in Nigeria are more widespread and severe now than ever before. It has been estimated that the percentage of Nigerian households that are food insecure has risen from 18% in 1968 to over 40% in 1998 and over 70% in 2003. The statics currently shows an increase of over 80% in 2016 and 2020. Poverty, inadequate dietary intake, and disease have been identified as the major causes of malnutrition in the country. In the recent past, the extent of malnutrition has increased as a result of economic hardships faced in the country, making it one of the important barriers to development. It is not only the result of insufficient intake or inappropriate feeding practices but also a consequence of other conditions such as healthcare. Malnutrition is manifested mainly as undernutrition of macro- and micronutrients, specific dietary deficiency diseases, and diet-related non-communicable disease.

Our Solution:

Golan Helps Abuja Foodbank initiative is a non-profit organization helping vulnerable households have access to free foodbank services through targeted programs that seek to improve the nutrition/food intake of pregnant women and their infants; students in public primary and secondary schools, and the youths in underserved communities. Our work also focuses on reducing food waste, encouraging family farming, and organizing entrepreneurship training and skills acquisition programs with starter packages that help our beneficiaries become more self-reliant. Our food banking network in Abuja caters to the immediate and long‑term needs of vulnerable communities. Since 2020 we have served up to 5 rural and under-served communities in FCT and over 1000 beneficiaries, especially, children between the ages of 0-16 years, the youths, and vulnerable women in the rural communities have been impacted. We currently have 15 registered volunteers helping us with our work across FCT and its environs.

Technology & Innovation

Partnering with Local Communities

Utilizing and adapting technologies familiar to the developed world, we able to deploy data driven services.

By nurturing relationships with likeminded organizations and private individuals, we're able to unlock new sources of capital and scale up our work far beyond what traditional funding can do alone.

Finance & Investing

To make a lasting impact, we know that we must actively engage and include the communities we are seeking to help. We are continually learning and growing in how we show up as an authentic, ethical partner.

Previous and Ongoing Interventions

• Provision of food-basket on a regular basis to the vulnerable in partnership with some faith based organizations.

• Since its inception, the GOLAN Help initiatives has been able to train and empower many women in various skills, which includes, catering, hairdressing, fashion designing. Youths were also trained and empowered in the areas of Barbing, GSM repairs, Computer repairs, E-commerce.

• We are also sponsoring children of missionaries and the indigenous people in various institutions in Nigeria. We have ten (10) children currently in secondary schools while four (4) are in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

• Provision of Food to the vulnerable in the society. . · Involvement in medical outreaches to rural areas to tackle basic health challenges and need.

• To engage in medical and health related projects and programme for the benefits of the missionaries and their immediate community.

•  Provision, training, improving and sustenance of access to clean and affordable modern means of renewable energy.

• Provision of safe and clean drinking water for rural communities. · Involvement in training, agricultural research, international corporations, provision of resources in agricultural production activities and incomes of small scale food producers in particular women, youth, indigenous people, and family farmers.

• Monitoring and evaluation of projects, events and schemes for policy formation and advise.

• To collaborate with the existing institutions, both national and international to achieve the stated objectives.

Our Programme Objectives

Golan Helps Initiatives in collaboration with partners and relevant government agencies aim to provide capacity development and skills training that will give vulnerable persons the opportunity of being empowered and self reliant.

Capacity building and Entreprenuership programs

Our team

A member and partner of GHAFBI, AZEEZ SALAWU is a youth in agriculture advocate and climate activist with broad experience in mobilizing the youth for climate action, food and nutrition security and sustainable development in Nigeria. He is the Founder and Executive Director at Community Action for Food Security (CAFS), a registered not-forprofit organization committed to promote a food secure Africa through the provision of efforts that supports sustainable agriculture and enhance livelihood. Azeez currently serves as Youth Leader for the UN Food Systems Summit Dialogue where he coordinates all the youth engagements with the National Convenor in Nigeria, an ambassador, CLIMATE2020 Conference, Hamburg, Germany (2020). Azeez is a Leader, Climate Reality Leadership Corp; the Convener, annual Food Security Future Summit; an Alumnus, Member, FAO Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition; Member, Global Food Security Cluster; Member, Agricultural Society of Nigeria; Member, Nigerian Civil Society Framework on Paris Agreement and SDGs. Masters Degree in crop production.

MRS. OLUSOLA IDOWU, is the Vice-President/CEO of Golan Helps Foodbank Initiatives. She is a Pharmacist who also possesses a Masters in Public Health and has since been involved in analytical works, a passion which was prompted by her exposure to the Department for the International Development (DFID) training on Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) in 2000 She was the grant administrator of the National Blood Service PEPFAR funding between 2012 & 2016, for which she received commendation for accountability.                                                        She was appointed Permanent Secretary (Dec. 2019) and deployed to the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning as Permanent Secretary Budget and National Planning in February 2020. The Federal Government appointed her as the National Convenor to coordinate the UN Food System Dialogue in Nigeria in December 2020 in response to the call by the UN Secretary General for Global Food Summit in September 2021. This has given her the opportunity to travel globally for meetings. consultations and summits on the food system matters. After her retirement from the service in September 2022, she decided to continue to impact lives by establishing Golan Helps Abuja Food Bank Initiative to ensure that the vulnerable in Abuja and its environment are supported to enhance their livelihood. She is happily married with adult children and grandchildren.

MR. JACOB DENHAM is a member and partner of GHAFBI, especially in her training for the past 2 years. He comes from a long line of farmers with a wealth of knowledge in agriculture and generational expertise in various fields of Agriculture. With a passion to improve food security and bridge the gap between traditional and modern farm practices, he obtained a master’s degree in Soil and Water Engineering from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, and a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Environmental Resources Engineering from the University of Maiduguri. He is proficient in both fields of agriculture and engineering and is a certified COREN Associate. He has established several integrated farms around the country, and is an expert in the design, construction and maintenance of greenhouse technology and has established dozen of greenhouses nationwide. He has spent the past 15 years actively participating in researching and applying improved methods of farming using best practices. In addition, he engages in agricultural seminars in rural and urban areas to educate individuals and organizations on good agricultural practices and connects them with the target market for sales. He is the CEO of Ariel Agricultural Innovations a firm that provides innovative consultancy to individuals and organizations both in the private and public sectors in Agriculture. The consulting services are grounded in research, experience and applying best practices to offer clients an opportunity to view their business situation with fresh insights and clarity. He has consulted for some major organizations including OLAM farms, IITA, Nigerian Air force house of 40 corporative, State House of Assembly Hon. Victor farms, West African Public Relation Officer TOTAL, Nasarawa state university, Jacaranda farms and Resort, Ummi aquaculture farms, Gowon integrated farms and many more

DAMISI ADENIKINJU Esq. is the lead partner at Damisi Adenikinju LP. A law firm based in the city of Abuja. He specializes in Litigation, Arbitration, Commercial/Corporate Law, Labour law and Property Law. He also acts as legal adviser for TradeSlash limited, Tribesman Ltd and Isaaco International Agency.

Damisi Adenikinju Esq. has over the years developed great skill in numerous areas of law especially as it has to do legal advice as regards Non-governmental Organisations, Corporations and Institutions. He also represents a variety of clients in court on issues pertaining to employment law, property and family law.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2019 after which he began his legal career as a Junior Associate at Ahmed Raji SAN & Co where he engaged in numerous research bordering on Corporate law, Labour law, Election petition, Property law and General Litigation.

From Ahmed Raji, he moved on to Zest Partners where he became actively involved in the day to day running of the firm. At Zest partners he advised numerous organisations such as Cleen Foundation, WaterAid Foundation, Girls Health Foundation, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other organisations.

Damisi Adenikinju Esq. brings his wealth of experience to any organisation he is part of with committed dedication and excellence.

BABATUNDE A. IDOWU is the President/ Chairman of Golan Helps Abuja Food Bank Initiatives (GHAFBI), a subsidiary of Golan Helps Initiatives. He is a product of many disciplines (surveying engineering, administration, leadership, education, theology and law) and he has brought these multi-dimensional disciplines to play in the running of this organization.

The leadership and administrative skills have been deployed in making the organizations to remain focused on its objective and missions. As a Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council of a Faith-Based University in Nigeria, (Mcpherson University, Ogun State), his leadership and educational skills have been deployed in the training of the staff and exposing them to skills and training which will has been beneficial to the individual staffs and the organization. Today the organization has a farm which produces part of the raw materials distributed in its rural outreach programs, thereby bringing his surveying engineering skill to bear. With his law discipline, abiding by every necessary rule and regulation is a task he jealously drives the organization to abide by.

GHAFBI is a going concern and with values of hard work, diligence and teamwork, it shall become a household name.

“Its-not-how-much-we-give-but-how-much-love-we-put-into-giving.”

– Mother Teresa