Sterling One Foundation in collaboration with Whitefield Foundation and its parent organisation, Sterling Bank has launched Project Ladder to offer support for victims whose farms were affected by the floods. The Foundation which is the CSR arm of Sterling Bank launched the project as part of relief interventions following the devastating nationwide floods in Nigeria.
The project which kicked off in Ndokwa East and Oshimili North Local Government Areas of Delta State is designed not only to provide succour for the flood victims but also to offer improved farm inputs with better yield potential than the regular options.
Delta State is one of the 33 states in Nigeria which were affected by the 2022 floods which started in May and lasted until October.
The flood claimed over 500 lives, displacing millions of people from their homes, and destroying about 110,000 hectares of farmland.
In response to this disaster, several interventions were launched, many of which targeted providing alternative shelter for the displaced, food materials, and drugs following the cholera outbreak in the Northeastern part of the country.
Mrs Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO of the Sterling One Foundation, while launching the project, said it was beyond the immediate survival response that followed the floods, it was important for the focus to now be shifted to how to help the victims build back their lives.
“The floods affected quite a number of farming communities and what we’ve set out to do is support them with resources to regain some self-sufficiency. Project Ladder is not just a flood relief project, but an initiative under our food security portfolio aimed at driving increased yield by supporting farmers with better inputs, and teaching them better farming practices, thus fighting the food shortages across the country,” she said.
For the launch phase of the project, a total of 100,000 enhanced cassava stems were distributed to mostly women farmers, marking the start of a robust plan to support them all through the planting season in hopes of a great harvest.
Speaking about the impact of the project, Mrs Funmi Johnson, CEO of Whitefield Foundation stressed that the project was important for the food security of the nation, as most of the flood victims who are farmers need to be empowered to rebuild their means of livelihood and continue to contribute their own quota to supporting the nations.
The project cuts across two of the five focus areas where the Sterling One Foundation operates, which are food security and gender equality, and women empowerment. This year, the Foundation plans to deepen the work that it does across these areas to be able to cater to more communities and impact more direct beneficiaries.
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