COVID19: When In Need Foundation Sets Goal to Feed 4 Million people In Nigeria
As the hunger situation in Africa gets compounded by the imposed lockdowns resulting from the ravaging COVID-19, Chief Dr. Chetachi Ecton, a global humanitarian philanthropist and president of the When In Need Foundation is on a mission to rewrite the hunger narrative by engaging millions of people in food security programs.
In Abuja, Kaduna, Imo State, and several other communities in Nigeria, Dr. Ecton, and WIN Foundation have engaged 4 million people in a sustainable food security program. Using her own resources and the agricultural seeds inputs from organizations and people of goodwill in the United States, Dr. Ecton has donated seeds that will grow stable food to feed millions that are spread across different communities in the nation. Asked about why she has taken this step and risk in the wake of COVID-19, Dr. Ecton argues that while she respects the global awareness that the developed world and the international community at large have given to the people affected by the deadly virus, little attention is paid to millions of people that die of hunger every day in Africa, and Nigeria is no exception. While the entire world is paying attention to COVID-19, I am strongly appealing to the local government here in Nigeria, and governments from the developed world and the international community at large for them to pay undiluted attention to hunger as a pandemic that has never been declared as a global state of emergency.
The WIN Foundation partners in the US are willing to provide more agricultural inputs and feed more people through this sustainable food security initiative. As this sustainable food security program changes the lives of the vulnerable in Nigeria, the WIN Foundation is appealing to all levels of governments across the country to be receptive to these tireless efforts by Dr. Ecton and the WIN Foundation. ‘The kind of humanitarian aid I am advocating for at this time is not a conflict-driven food donation like the one that the UN gave to Nigeria. For example, in 2018, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) gave a significant contribution of nearly US$100 million from the United States. According to the report, that guaranteed continued life-saving food assistance in northeast Nigeria through early 2018.
It has not been an easy road to secure farm inputs to feed 4 million people in Nigeria. That’s just a small percentage of the overall population, the partnership from the developed world, private foundations, the international community and the Nigerian government will triple our food input donation per capita and together, we shall cover the rest of the country.
The UN World Food Program did well to guarantee nearly US $ 100 million to the northeast of our beautiful country that was laden with conflict. To the contrary, I have an appeal to the World Food Program and the WIN partners in the US and around the world, in the wake of COVID-19, including in the post-COVID-19 world, communities in this highly populated country are going to be hardly hit because the factors of production have been crippled by the coronavirus. The same way that the UN donated $100 million worth of food to the people who were living in conflict infested zones, I appeal to the UN and the rest of the international community and the developed world to double their efforts in working with the WIN Foundation as we engage the Nigerian government to help in providing logistical support and we engage 4 million people from vulnerable communities into a sustainable food security program.
ChetachiEcton,theCEO&FounderonHerMissionfortheWhenInNeedFoundation
Original Post By Judith Davis
Meeting an outstanding leader is a definitely pleasure. Also, while listening to and learning what makes someone exceptional is another thing. Chetachi Ecton is indeed an individual determined to do her part in changing the world as much as possible through her work with the When In Need Foundation.
The When In Need Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization created by a single mom named Chetachi Ecton. As a Nigerian immigrant to the U.S., Ecton knew first-hand what it means to be in need. After finding success through entrepreneurship, Ecton would often see devastating need as she traveled around the world.
Ecton started When In Need Foundation to show people the difference one person can make. In fact, the name of the foundation was a suggestion from her daughter. Echton says to people wanting to know about to the foundation “To come and volunteer so they can see the work the foundation is doing.” She also goes onto say “It is important to reach out to the children. There are have been a few students we have sponsored with scholarships.”
With When In Need Foundation, Ecton has successfully completed several projects in dozens of countries around the world through the nonprofit’s Mission of Mercy outreach program. Mission of Mercy includes: medical missions, agricultural farming, water projects, and shoe projects.
In the U.S., When In Need Foundation does various community outreach initiatives in the Philadelphia and New York City areas. It also provides scholarships to young people in need who are entering post-secondary education. Ecton has funded the foundation through her own investment and fundraising efforts, along with a small team of volunteers.
Before their departure on Nov 15, 2016 the mission received media coverage from NY1 News and NBC Philadelphia. As a result, more than 5000 people treated onsite for common illnesses such as: malaria diarrhea, deworming, high blood pressure, and diabetes, 11 hospitalized for severe illness and hospital bills paid by WIN Foundation and 2,723 pairs of eye glasses have been distributed.
When In Need Foundation already has its next mission planned for first quarter 2017.
For the upcoming mission, here is a link to the needed items. As well, here is the link to her website and a link to where donations can be made. Stay in touch with the activities and updates of the foundation via social on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Google Plus.
Nigeria has found its Queen and her name is Dr. Chetachi Ecton
Original Post By Allen Ellison, The Public Relations Firm, Inc.
Chief Dr. Chetachi Nwoga Ecton from Mbaise, Imo State in Nigeria, is one of the most inspiring people in the world. Hers is a personal story that incredibly shifts from surviving a life of poverty and abuse to creating a humanitarian and philanthropic organization that is changing the lives of people that live on less than $1 a day around the world. Whether she is writing checks to sponsor thousands of boys and girls to go to school, assisting widows with funds to engage in subsistence farming in rural villages, funding high-level humanitarian medical delegations to Africa, or engaging the international community to pay attention to disadvantaged communities in Third World Countries, she remains a self-driven trailblazer who is always seeking opportunities for the betterment of the people in dire poverty.
Dr. Ecton migrated from Nigeria to the United States at the age of seventeen. Like most immigrants that come to the shores of America, she struggled to make ends meet but worked hard to put herself in school and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work from Widener University. She is a victim of an abusive marriage that she escaped and started raising her three children alone. Despite the crucible circumstances resulting from a brutal relationship, she persevered and held as many as four jobs at one time and still withstood the demanding and taxing responsibilities of single parenting, work and the pursuit of her education.
Inspired by the nexus between her own struggles and the variations of the social landscape she learned in college, Dr. Ecton assumed a social enterprise undertaking in the real estate market and staked an opportunity that helped her expand her entrepreneurial and humanitarian dispositions into broader contexts. Her first social work venture was a healthcare agency that provides services to the intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals. Dr. Ecton began to develop the mindset of striving for excellence in all facets of her life with an innate desire and unparalleled determination to provide quality services in the social services world, while lending a helping hand to other people and communities in need. She believes in going over and beyond the call of duty to make a positive difference in the world around her. This passion of service is what led to the founding of a humanitarian and philanthropic organization that helps the people in need; The When In Need Foundation.
Through the When In Need Foundation, Dr. Ecton has helped change the lives of over 550,000 people by donating funds for education, agriculture and healthcare in different communities in Nigeria. For example, in 2018, using her networks and relationships with private foundations and organizations of goodwill like the Order of Saint George, International Rotary Club, Corporate America and the International Community, Dr. Ecton mobilized an unprecedented effort of in-kind donations of medical supplies worth over $1 million to communities in Nigeria. She believes that if nonprofit organizations and other non-state actors are going to complement the World Leaders’ commitment of attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, then we must all spare no resources to partner with other stakeholders in reaching the mark.
Dr. Ecton sustains the work of the When In Need Foundation by donating 98 percent of her income, and every other resource at her disposal, to facilitate all overheads in the United States and abroad. She is a resource to hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.
Should you be interested in supporting Dr. Ecton and the When In Need Foundation with its mission of making this world a better place, you are encouraged to get in touch with the team and join our humanitarian movement of helping the disadvantaged communities around the world. Please visit us at www.winfound.org and be a part of history and change
When In Need Foundation Medical Mission To Nigeria 2018
WHEN IN NEED FOUNDATION (WIN)
96-04 57th Ave. Suite 6A, Corona NY 11368
4950 Parkside Avenue, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19131
85/87 Okigwe road, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
No 1 Zambezi Crescent off Aguyi Ironsi, Maitama Abuja Nigeria
Phone: 347-249-3500 F: 267-292-4879
Website: www.winfound.org E-mail: contact@winfound.org www.facebook.com/winfound
January 23, 2018 Dear Friend: Over the past four years, the When in Need Foundation has taken several medical missions to the most rural areas of Nigeria. While these trips had specific focuses, i.e. delivering Malaria medications for example, what we’ve learned is that whenever a doctor is in the area, people from multiple communities come to receive even the most basic of checkups and treatments. In April 2018, we head back to Nigeria to visit three separate rural communities with an estimated population of 600,000+ individuals. Ondo State has a population of approximately 3.5 million people. The primary focus of this trip is to provide eye examinations for 15,000 children, women and community members and up to 5000 pairs of glasses. Please watch our last When In Need Mission To Africa at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egB9umpKIoI Additionally, we are bringing doctors who can give regular examinations on various medical conditions. As diabetes, high blood pressure and diarrhea are some of the major issues Nigerians face, we are in need of various basic supplies. As our friends, business partners and fellow community members, we are asking for your help. Attached is a list of items we need. Anything you can donate or help us obtain would be extremely appreciated. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 347.249.3500 or by email at whenineedfoundation@gmail.com . We are grateful for your help. All donations can be mailed or shipped to our official addresses at:- 96-04 57th Ave. Suite 6A, Corona NY 11368
- 4950 Parkside Avenue, Suite 400, Philadelphia, PA 19131
- 85/87 Okigwe road, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
- No 1 Zambezi Crescent off Aguyi Ironsi, Maitama Abuja
How we touched the lives of the needy in Nigeria
In this interview with Dr. Chetachi Nwoga-Ecton, Founder and CEO, and Dr. George Onuorah, Director of Media and Projects, of the When In Need (WIN) Foundation they explained the challenges and joy derived from seeing the smiles on the less-privileged in Nigeria during WIN’s April 2017 Mission of Mercy.
From April 27 – 29, 2017, the When In Need Foundation made a Mission of Mercy (MOM) to Ideato Imo state Nigeria. This particular medical mission was inspired by a letter received from a community in Ideato South in Imo State Nigeria. Ideato south has an estimated population of 550,000. Our investigation revealed that this community has been greatly deprived of accessible healthcare, general sustainable development, children’s education and women/youth empowerment. This deplorable state of healthcare has claimed the lives of many in this community.
The April mission was supported by a team of family physicians, ophthalmologists, pharmacists, nurses and several other public health professionals. During the mission, attended to over 6,000 adults and children. Free services were performed including physical and ophthalmic examinations; provision of education and treatments for multiple ailments including hypertension, diabetes, cholera, malaria and typhoid fever; provision of free reading and distance glasses for at least 4,500 people; and offered preventative health education to reduce the prevalence of communicable diseases.
Read this article to learn more about our Mission of Mercy.
How we touched the lives of the needy in Nigeria-WIN
