The Jakande Initiative
Out of hearts that have been made righteous by the atoning work of Jesus Christ at Calvary, we overflow with the desire and impetus to alleviate human suffering and care for the needy of our society.
Jakande Initiative (Estate in Lekki, Lagos)
An open estate which consists of 20000 units of low cost housing built 30 years ago by the then Lagos state governor Lateef Jakande. The mostly old crumbling blocks are situated amidst un-tarred roads, blocked drains and open sewers causing flooding at the slightest risk. This high-density population has a market situated in the centre and several small scale businesses located on the open roads.
This high-density population with an average household income of less than one dollar a day has a market situated in the centre and several small-scale businesses located on the open roads. There is high unemployment, poverty, displacement reactions, high child, and maternal mortality rates. Due to the unhealthy conditions the residents are exposed to malaria, Typhoid, and a large number of waterborne diseases.
FEEDING & HOUSING PROVISION
Quite regularly, we provide dry food stuff for 350-500 families and cooked meals to the same numbers. We also provide special meals for the children and on one occasion we provided milk supplies for children for six months, in an attempt to deal with rising malnutrition among the children. The dry food packages would sustain a family of 5 for 4 weeks. We have distributed an aggregate of over 20,000 dry food and close to 30,000 cooked food packages over the years.
At present 5 families are housed in designated accommodation rented by us in Jakande Estate some of whom are single mothers, however 100 families have and continue to benefit from rent and rates payments and assistance.
HEALTH PROVISIONS
Esperanza contributes through our healthcare partners to efficient primary care service delivery in Jakande community:
- Up to 2000 residents have benefitted from immunizations on the potentially fatal Typhoid Fever, meningitis, TB, hepatitis A+B and a few others. (We have been following a cohort of 300 for the past 8 years who are Typhoid free).
- We have organised and implemented breast and cervical screening programmes and done general health checks which have proved very beneficial.
- Our Primary care physician runs pop up clinics within the community to identify and treat several non-infectious diseases e.g., children with malnutrition are provided with milk and their families are educated and mobilised to provide nutritious healthy foods
- Free hand sanitisers locally manufactured and distributed within the community
- The community has benefitted from health promotion and disease prevention talks and have health care kits distributed to them as and when the need arises (At present they have received free hand sanitisers)
WATER PROJECT
For several years, the estate has had no running water as the previous government-built water plant fell into a state of disrepair. The pipes connecting the estate blocks have long disappeared and the generator to power the water facility is not working. We decided to rehabilitate this facility and rebuild the pipe network that would supply clean pipe borne water to the community, as well as rebuild the water treatment plant.
We have set up a working group consisting of local leaders, friends from abroad and partners from abroad. Partly through our go-fund -me fundraiser, funds have been raised to complete the first phase of the project, which has to do with rehabilitating the water purification plant, Generating set, reactivating the bore holes, cleaning out and repairing both the aeration and the 20000 litres overhead water storage tanks, and running the water to a main collection point with many taps for easy access. The next phase will require that we rehabilitate the pipe network in the estate and deliver the water to the housing blocks.
CLOTHING
We carry out programmes where we give out new and pre-used clothes, toys, bed linen, towels, books, and shoes. To date several thousands have benefitted from this initiative. The widows and elderly are given special preference in both the feeding and clothing programmes. Over 2000 families have benefitted from these clothing initiatives. We recently supplied about 500 families with bed linen and clean towels.
EDUCATION & VOCATIONAL TRAINING
At present all spheres of education ranging from nursery, after school lesson, primary, secondary and university levels are supported. To date over 400 children have benefitted from school fees payment, scholarships, exam preparation, career counselling and remedial classes for exam resits. Youth training and empowerment support is given by our leaders. They are taught to become productive members of society and fulfil their God -given destinies. Up to 50 adults who couldn’t read and write and are now confident through our adult education programme, skills acquisition programmes and many have gone on to find gainful employment or start small businesses.
One of our leaders runs a micro finance scheme for women and many of the women in this group now run successful small businesses. In addition, we have successfully trained and graduated over 300 leaders in our School of Leaders, Basic and Advanced Discipleship Programme, making them productive and progressive members of our society.
CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMES
Christmas Funfair-Every Christmas a major funfair and party is held for 500 children of Jakande community where they, dance, eat and drink, play on bouncy castles, participate in fun and games, play video games on the games truck and all get to see Father Christmas and take presents home. Back to school programmes-are conducted in which we supply school shoes, bags, and educational kits for children at the start of the term; Summer programmes – 1-week classes in which they are taught board games, simple skills and how to interact with each other and the world.
WIDOWS' SUPPORT
We have received direct aid from our partners to provide direct financial, housing, feeding and educational support to hundreds of widows within the community.
JUSTICE MATTERS (WRONGFUL ARRESTS AND CONVICTIONS)
As can sometimes happen in these climes. We sometimes have our members picked up by law enforcement officers for various reasons and we have had to intervene and support them legally to get them bailed, released from prisons, and adequately represented in courts. These matters can be best understood from the impact these disruptions can have on families when the bread winners are picked up and whisked off to jail without committing any crimes, but just being in Jakande Estate and fitting the profile of people who have committed crimes. We often collaborate with legal organisations to carry out these interventions.
We are currently establishing a storehouse for the provision of basic dry and tinned food items for our community members during these days of lock down based on the Coronavirus pandemic.
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