Unilever initiative raises N.5m for women empowerment

 Oxfam, a global women-sensitive humanitarian organisation with headquarters in Oxford, UK, is the beneficiary of N502, 600 donation raised from Unilever Nigeria plc initiative. Jade Aladewolu, the Unilever Foundation global ambassador, had raised the idea of cake sales during the international women’s day and the margin to be raised from the sales be donated towards a charity course.

With support of her colleagues in Unilever Network of Women and interested male colleagues, the cake sales were held in a church and in Unilever headquarters, a clear demonstration of transformation of idea to action where the amount was raised.

Donating the cheque for the amount, Thabo Mabe, managing director of Unilever Nigeria, said “this is a concrete demonstration of how the company’s sustainable living plan touches lives, not only in Nigeria but all over the world.

“Unilever Sustainable Living Plan was launched in 2010, as the first global initiative which brings together our suppliers, consumers and employees and operations in taking action to build a sustainable business.”

Under the plan, the company set three ambitious goals for the year 2020. These are to help one billion people improve their health and well-being, to halve the environmental footprint of the company’s products and to source 100 percent of the agricultural raw materials sustain-ably.

According to Mabe, the Unilever Foundation initiatives are the vehicles Unilever uses globally to help meet the ambitious goals of helping one billion people improve their health.

In her response, Boyewa Roberts, gender focal co-ordinator for Oxfam in Nigeria, said “the fund will be deployed to education of the public on the law against violence,” and solicited for more assistance for supporting women, who she believes, accounted for about 70 percent of farmers in Nigeria.

Oxfam began in Nigeria before 1966, and it closed shop and later started again in 2004. Beyond Nigeria, the organisation works in 80 countries and it concentrates basically on reducing poverty globally.