BAFA Foundation, a non governmental organization based in Lokoja, Kogi State, has expressed readiness to work with like minds to banish poverty out of Nigeria through its “Touch A Life Initiative” program.
In a statement issued in Lokoja, BAFA Foundation said it is an offshoot of the BAFA Multipurpose Corporative Society established with the sole aim of providing humanitarian support to the less privileged, provide capital support to petty business owners at an interest free loan to entrepreneurs as well as offer medical intervention for critical cases and scholarships.
The overall essence, according to the NGO, is to touch lives that are hitherto unnoticed but truly in need of help and to enhance decent living.
“It is not wrong and no more news that our nation, Nigeria has been officially announced as the global headquarters of poverty. This revelation is not exactly made so that government can be insulted or castigated, it was revealed so that humanitarian concerns and philanthropic gesture could be made by those who have enough to those who have not,” the statement read.
It is in the light of this that the BAFA disclosed that in less than one year of its existence, it has substantially and appreciably reached out to unimaginable number of market women, youths and artisans, a feat that has made the program outstanding and making the foundation to speedily grow.
BAFA, the statement added, currently has over four hundred petty business owners that have secured various amounts of interest free loans and are doing great in their businesses.
The organization is currently finalizing arrangement with a pro-masses welfare advocacy organization with a deep knowledge of the area to facilitate the process of all empowerment related issues.
BAFA Mission Statements is to among others, “touch as many lives and lift as many burden off the poor masses. Provide social welfare intervention to assist poor masses. Build a society that is free of starvation and frustration and to be a trailblazer in the collective agenda towards banishing hunger and poverty out of Africa”.
One of the loan beneficiaries, Kende Magaji (Mama Kulikuli) said before she obtained loan from BAFA MCS Ltd, her business was not doing well, pointed out since she got the loan from BAFA, she no longer buy groundnut on credit, but now makes more profit than before, a development that has helped her to pay her children’s school fees without stress.
Similarly, Joy Isah a hairdresser, who lives in Adankolo community, Lokoja and a beneficiary of BAFA loan, explained that she is happy and ready to take more loan from BAFA because she enjoyed the first loan which has helped in the progress of her business. According to Joy Isah, she was able to get some hairdressing materials she needed for her business instead of asking customers to go and get them before use.
Another beneficiary, Khadijat Ayuba, a food seller in Adankolo Community, said as one of the beneficiary of BAFA, expressed happiness that she can now use her money to buy all the food stuffs she needed with cash rather than taken them on credit and to pay back later, expressed appreciation to BAFA.
