The Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Coca-Cola Company, has provided a grant to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, IFRC, to help curb the spread of COVID-19 across Nigeria.

The intervention was to scale up community sensitisation and procure essential protective kits such as medical masks, face shields, hand gloves and hand sanitisers, which are increasingly needed for healthcare workers and others who are courageously battling the pandemic on the frontlines in the most affected States in the country.

Commenting on the grant, President, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Helen Smith Price, said they are concerned about the coronavirus disease outbreak across the globe.

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She said: “Through The Coca-Cola Foundation, we are supporting the IFRC and their efforts to distribute medical supplies to frontline workers in Africa. As a longtime partner of the IFRC, we are proud to support critical relief efforts in impacted communities.”

Separately, Nigeria Bottling Company and Chi Limited have donated numerous bottles of Eva premium table water and Evap milk to provide hydration and nourishment for healthcare workers and patients at the various treatment centres across the Federation.

Both companies said they will continue to donate these products throughout the duration of this crisis.

The potential humanitarian impact of the partnership, according to them, is aimed to directly impacting 1.3 million people in Nigeria and other countries in the region.

Speaking, IFRC’s Regional Director for Africa and Special Advisor to the Secretary General, Dr Simon Missiri, said with 1.4 million volunteers and over 12,000 local branches across Africa, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, in collaboration with partners, communities and national authorities, can help even the most remote marginalised populations to protect themselves from COVID-19.

Vanguard