The Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The 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. This intervention is to scale up community sensitization and procure essential protective kits such as medical masks, face shields, hand gloves and hand sanitizers 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.
“We are concerned about the coronavirus outbreak across the globe,” said Helen Smith Price, President, The Coca-Cola Foundation. “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 packs of Evap milk to provide hydration and nourishment for healthcare workers and their patients at the quarantine and treatment centres across many States of the Federation. Both companies will continue to donate these products through the duration of this crisis.
The potential humanitarian impact of this partnership with The Coca-Cola Foundation is significant – aiming to directly impact 1.3 million people in Nigeria and other countries in the region. 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 marginalized populations to protect themselves from COVID-19,” said Dr Simon Missiri, IFRC’s Regional Director for Africa and Special Advisor to the Secretary General.
