Leveraging Wine-tasting, ‘Nigeria Gives’ Commits to Ending Child Poverty in Nigeria

‘Nigeria Gives’, a non-profit organization committed to ending child poverty in Nigeria, in collaboration with Prothro Family Wines; recently gathered Austin’s local elite and raised a glass to transform the lives of children in Nigeria and end child poverty

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), describes child poverty as when a child is raised with limited access to or, in some cases, no access to, the essential resources they need to survive and live well.

It says children who’ve grown up in poverty often suffer compared to others because of the lack of food, sanitation, healthcare and education they need to thrive.

Global indices

According to UNICEF, an estimated 685 million children around the world live in poverty. It revealed that “one in 10 people live on less than £1.50 per day. 15,000 children and 800 mothers die of preventable causes. Children spend over 200 million hours every day collecting water.

Nigeria situation

According to the Multidimensional Child Poverty Analysis in Nigeria, and Monetary Child Poverty in Nigeria, prepared by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning in collaboration with UNICEF in 2022, revealed that approximately 54 per cent of children in Nigeria are multidimensionally poor facing at least three deprivations across seven dimensions of child rights including nutrition, healthcare, education, water, sanitation, adequate housing, and information.

It revealed that “Multidimensional poverty in children is more prevalent in the rural (65.7 per cent) than urban areas (28.4 per cent). There are also high state disparities ranging from 14.5 per cent in Lagos to 81.5 per cent in Sokoto.”

The monetary child poverty report also showed that 47.4 per cent of children face monetary poverty by living in households with expenditures less than N376.5 a day, which is the national poverty line.

“Slight differences are observed between boys (47.98 per cent) and girls (46.8 per cent) while there are high geographical and state disparities, from 6.5 per cent in Lagos to 91.4 per cent in Sokoto.”

In Nigeria, according to the report 24.56 per cent of children face extreme poverty by living in households that spend less than $1.90 a day. The analysis indicates that the country would need as roughly as N1 trillion to lift children out of poverty.

The Situation Analysis indicates that the child poverty rate is highest among children aged 16 to 17 years and least among children aged 0 to 5 years. It notes that children are most affected by poverty because they are vulnerable and that poverty has long-term impacts on the well-being of children, even into adulthood.

Nigeria Gives commitment

It was against the backdrop of changing this unfavourable index, that Nigeria Gives decided to show commitment to ending child poverty in Nigeria, by hosting a curated wine-tasting fundraising event in collaboration with Prothro Family Wines in Austin, Texas.

The event brought out the best of Austin’s society to support transforming the lives of children in Nigeria and toast to investing in Nigeria’s future one child at a time.

The event also doubled as the official launch of the ‘Nigeria Gives’ in the United States following a successful outreach trip to Nigeria in June 2023.

With beautiful views and premium, handcrafted wines from well-regarded vineyards in Napa Valley and Sonoma Coast, guests heard about what sets Nigeria Gives apart from other organizations.

Speaking about the event, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Gives, Olamide Okpara, said, “The time is now to transform the lives of children in Nigeria through honest giving and transparency. Our mission is to help end child poverty in Nigeria by partnering with non-profit organizations and doctors globally to achieve our goals.

“We are constantly exploring new ways to impact the lives of children in Nigeria, and we are proud to work with partners who share our vision for a better future.

“Nigeria Gives is a non-profit organization committed to ending child poverty in Nigeria. With a mission to become Africa’s leading non-profit transforming the lives of children in Nigeria.

“We promote honesty and transparency in support of those most in need by collaborating with non-profit organizations and medical doctors.

“In a recent trip to Nigeria, we provided necessary community support in collaboration with GB Foundation, providing free medical screenings, medical consultations, and health advice to the indigenous people of Agungi.

“Over 100 people received care from skilled physicians ranging from ages one to 97 in Lekki, Lagos. Nigeria Gives has distributed over 1,000 medical supplies to communities in need.

“Also, at the Austin’s event, guests donated generously by purchasing several dozens of bottles of wine, where a portion of the proceeds will go toward furthering the organization’s mission and aid in donating clothes, books, and food to support its cause.”

Among the attendees were Medical Director Dr. Okem Okpara and Prothro Wine owners Bruce & Rhonda Prothro. Their presence further underlined the commitment to Nigeria Gives and their cause.