Etex Group Contributes Cash Awards to Kanu Heart Foundation

By Omolabake Fasogbon

Following the conclusion of a phase of the Etex Challenge, a global initiative launched in April 2021 to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of Etex employees by registering and engaging them in various sporting activities where points can be earned and prizes won to support chosen local charity organisations, the Etex Group represented by 2 companies in Nigeria – NIGERITE LIMITED Lagos and EMENITE LIMITED Enugu has awarded the Kanu Heart Foundation the sum of 2500 Euro.

The prize money was also donated to support the Foundation’s plan to build and equip an ultra-modern Cardiac Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. The project which will be the first of its kind in the country is expected to perform at least 250 open-heart surgeries annually.

Commenting on the emergence of the Kanu Heart Foundation as the recipient of its whopping prize money, Etex submitted that through its global footprint across 42 countries, employees were encouraged to choose a charity they would like to donate to and support through prize monies available to be won by those countries.

“Nigeria is one of the countries that won this challenge by the efforts of our employees who participated in the challenge and had high scores. Kanu Heart foundation is the charity we put forward for Nigeria based on its pedigree and the various assistance the Foundation has provided in connecting and caring for heart disease patients that cannot afford the required surgeries. We also saw in the Kanu Heart Foundation, an example of how the coming together of people as a team (donors, supporters etc) can help save lives and inspire ways of living.”

“The money won for Nigeria is 2,500 Euros and we at Nigerite and Emenite intend to donate this prize to the KHF. We are also aware that the KHF is proposing to build and equip an ultra-modern Cardiac Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. The project which will be the first of its kind in the country is expected to perform at least 250 open-heart surgeries annually when completed and we have decided to donate the prize money to support this cause,” Denis Simonin, MD Etex Nigeria (Nigerite and Emenite).

Mr. Tony Large, the company’s Commercial Director, in his remark said “It is our pleasure to make this donation to the KHF trust to support such a great cause from a great competition.

The Etex challenge was introduced to improve the exercise patterns of our staff, and create a greater awareness on the importance of taking care of our health, which is also linked to looking after your heart and therefore donating to the KHF is an obvious choice for this award.

It is also great to know that the staff of Nigerite and Emenite are taking this seriously and achieving this great result is a testimony to this.

We intend to continue to promote the importance of taking care of our health and wellbeing and this award will increase the profile of this subject to staff of the Etex group in Nigeria.”

Introduced in April by the international building material manufacturer, Etex, The Etex Challenge is a global initiative launched to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of the Group’s employees by engaging them in various sporting activities. Employees participated in the competition, not only to increase their physical and mental wellbeing in a sustainable way, but also to lead their country to victory and support a local charity.

Louise Cail, the Chief Human Resources Officer of Etex, who spoke on the reason behind the initiative in April said: “The past year has been challenging for everyone; Etex noticed how Covid-19 could be affecting their employees’ well-being. Traditionally, within the construction industry, when talking about ‘health & safety’ emphasis is put more on avoiding physical injuries in factories and on site and less on employees’ wellbeing.”

“At Etex, this well-being program has been a priority; it has enabled our teammates to feel great about themselves, encouraging them to be more active and outside every day. The challenge is not limited to the active; it enables all generations and less abled employees to take part. Diversity and inclusion are important to us, we wanted to make sure that every single one of our over 11,000 colleagues could take part in the challenge,” she added.

This global initiative, unique in the building industry, kicks off the Etex company’s long-term commitment to ensure their employees’ well-being in a post-Covid world.

Nigerite Limited and Emenite Limited are Etex companies in Nigeria known for the manufacturing and sales of innovative Fibre-cement and Gypsum based building materials with popular global brands such as Kalsi (fibre cement building boards products) and Siniat (Platerboard and POP products).