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SUPPORTING SPECIAL NEEDS
ACCESSIBLE SPORTS FACILITY
We’re building the first public play area in Kubwa, including a football field and basketball court. It's a facility designed for special needs children that also incorporates integrated play—benefiting all kinds of kids.
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Wheelchair accessible facilities
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A full schedule of yoga, karate, and other classes
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Accommodates 250 children at once
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Play supervised by trained staff at all times
THE HOPE CENTER
With the generous backing of the Ouaki Family Foundation, we support and develop a school to teach special needs children the lifelong lessons they so desperately need.
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70 students and 25 staff members
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Volunteer-run extracurricular activities in yoga, cooking, candle-making, and sewing
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Progressive educational models not found elsewhere in the region
IN PROGRESS: PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER
There is intense stigma against special needs children—in some Nigerian communities, children with down-syndrome, developmental delays, or other deformities are or thrown into the river as a “purification” for the mother. Such practices contribute to the parents’ extreme suffering. A new Pregnancy Resource Care Center would offer communal support to expecting mothers of special needs children.
100 participants to join conference on special needs
Parents, teachers and health workers recruited to join
One-day sensitization program launches the new center
HOPEWORKS
As our first Hope Center classes graduated, we quickly realized that students, after completing their education, had nowhere to go. Most business owners refuse to hire special needs employees, so adults often end up begging on the streets or terminally unemployed, becoming a big financial burden on their families. Enter Hopeworks. The employment program for Hope Center graduates offers alumni attractive opportunities—including a trade school and job placement in 3 different fields. The result is a sustainable system where profits are put to work.
Candle making factory
5,000 candles produced per day
10 special needs employees and 25 staff
Candles are sold daily at the local market
Detergent factory
Produces 5,000 liters a month
Cleaning products sold daily at local markets
10 special needs employees and 25 staff
Chicken farm
Produces 200 chickens per week
Chickens are sold daily at local markets.
ENDING HUNGER
EMERGENCY INTERVENTION
In response to crisis, we rise to the occasion, mobilizing a network of American volunteers to distribute oil, rice, beans, and other kitchen essentials at the first notice of need. In December 2017, after visiting an IDP camp above max capacity, we realized that many families were in desperate need of basics. In our first food drive, we gave away over 3,000 KG of dry goods to several displaced persons camps throughout Abuja. When the COVID-19 crisis hit Africa, we mobilized quickly, supporting needy families and providing education to children and families on how to stay safe.
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To date, over 5 tons of dry goods have been given out
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Over 2500 widows and orphans and 700 IDPs have received help
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Special focus on pregnant and nursing mothers
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Over $117,000 was raised to address food insecurity
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15 volunteers devoted to this project
COVID-19
RELIEF
HELPING WIDOWS
MEDICAL
ASSISTANCE
HOLIDAYS WITHOUT
HUNGER
IDP CAMP
DISTRIBUTION
INTERNATIONAL
VOLUNTEERS
INTERFAITH UNITY
During the 30-day fasting period called Ramadan, Israeli women deliver food packages daily to Islamic women in the villages surrounding Abuja. The women are all nursing mothers, and the extra nutrition is vital to their family’s health. When Ramadan ends, the Jewish and Muslim women have formed a bond for life.
7 volunteers
800 food packages
In 2019, the program is set to expand to 30 states around Nigeria
INTERFAITH
DIALOGUE
CENTRAL
MOSQUE
RAMADAN
PACKAGES
CLEAN WATER PROJECT
Water is a bedrock of life. Without access to clean water, life in villages cannot evolve. That's why we collaborated with Kings of the World to launch a process for installing running water in villages.
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Our first water source was completed in September 2019
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We are currently working to identify and set up the next water source
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By 2022 we plan to install running water in at least 12 villages
ENOGU COMMUNITY CENTER
Following the generous support of the Kfir family, ChabadAid has been able to start building a brand-new community center in the heart of Abuja. It will become the headquarters of ChabadAid, a place where new projects can be planned and executed, allowing for further expansion and growth.
BUILDING NAMAYA
When we noticed how the local school in Abuja was falling apart, we got to work. Nigerian public schools are poorly funded and often lack basic educational supplies. At the local primary school in Lugbe Village, Abuja, paint was peeling, the ceiling was cracked, and the bathrooms were in disrepair. We partnered with EMI Systems to launch a construction project that would rescue a school on the brink of collapse, saving kids from falling into the streets.
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6 new classrooms constructed and full furnished
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School supplies provided for students and teachers
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Grand opening celebration increased the community’s positive engagement
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Student enrollment tripled after construction finished
IN PROGRESS: VILLAGE INFRASTRUCTURE
ChabadAid is building roads to a better future for local villages. When there are community challenges, we must search for the root of the issue in unconventional places. ChabadAid is committed to improving infrastructure in small villages where the government’s sponsorship falls short. In 2015, ChabadAid met with elders of Ogogoro village in eastern Lagos to discuss its financial burdens because of limited road access. Then we worked with construction companies to finish a road and design a bridge.
70,000 dollars raised
Village chief report a decrease in petty crime rates
Local businesses reported increased profitability
Youth unemployment drastically reduced as a result
ORPHANAGE IMPROVEMENTS
Kubwa is home to many orphanages, where children whose parents have been killed because of political unrest are forced to seek refuge. Orphanages are underfunded and undersupplied, with children suffering from neglect, malnutrition, and disease. After coming across an orphanage without enough beds, ChabadAid worked with the Ouaki Family Foundation to build a dormitory that would give children space to sleep.
Construction took just under 2 months
21 new beds for refugee orphans to sleep
2 new bathrooms constructed, for boys and girls
INVESTING IN COMMUNITY
BUILDING NAMAYA
TRANSFORMING EDUCATION
KARAMAJIJI SCHOOL
With the generous partnership of Kings of the World organization in France, we were able to open up a new school in the village of Karamajiji. The school building has been newly renovated and allows up to 300 students to learn in a safe, bright, and clean environment. The grand opening took place in September 2019.
GLASSES FOR NAIJA
We’re giving students in a local orphanage the gift of sight. Nigerian children living in orphanages often lack basic needs. When ChabadAid realized there was an opportunity to collect used eyeglasses from the United States, they jumped on the chance to help. Working with the local orphanage, coordinators brought down doctors from Nigeria’s largest city. Hundreds of children had their eyesight tested—many for the first time—and were thrilled to receive glasses that would help them succeed in school.
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Over 2,000 glasses distributed to date
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Eye exams take place twice a year—September and April
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Ongoing eyeglasses collection courtesy of Cohen's Fashion Optical
SMILE DAY
Every year in honor of National Children’s Day, we focus on bringing joy to kids. Happy children always outperform their less happy peers. They have higher self-esteem and strive to be more productive. On National Children’s Day we flew in performers, “The Twins from France,” who brought their talent before eager young audiences and gave out gift bags with snacks, drinks, and candy. Can you think of a better reason to smile?
12,000 gift bags distributed
15 performances over 4 days
Performed in hospitals, schools, orphanages, DP camps, and the streets of Nigeria
STAFF APPRECIATION INITIATIVE
We’re facilitating better rapport between teachers and students. At the start of each school year, we give out food packages for students to pass on to their school’s staff. In the process, religious leaders of different faiths came together to spearhead the effort. Since then, school leaders have reported an increase in goodwill, as the initial gift led to a cycle of appreciation and respect throughout the year.
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Food packages distributed to 64 teachers in 2018
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In 2019, we expanded to more schools and reached more teachers
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In 2020, packages were a welcome relief to COVID-19 hardships
STRENGTHENING EMPLOYMENT
WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE
The majority of Nigerian women spend their days caring for children, lacking funds to invest in childcare or a steady income to justify the costs. ChabadAid has a daycare center in the works with space for 25 children. Mothers will be able to drop off their little ones free of charge while they work to support their families. At the same time, ChabadAid will make use of its wide network of Jewish business owners to connect young mothers to employment opportunities. We’re helping women get to work.
IN PROGRESS: IT TRAINING CENTER
ChabadAid, in partnership with Think Nigeria First Initiative (TNFI), will create an IT training center for internally displaced persons. TNFI is a program created and administered by President Buhari. The goal is to allow displaced persons to learn a trade and become financially independent. Classes will be given by a network of Israeli computer engineers living in Nigeria.
12 teachers serving 300-500 adults
Daily classes in administration technology, Microsoft office, Google suite
25 workstations in each of the 3 camps
TRAINING CENTER FOR AGRICULTURE
70% of Nigerians rely on farming for their livelihoods, but the majority of farms use outdated technology that is both ineffective and wasteful. A new ChabadAid agricultural development center will teach farmers how to increase crop yield, choose plants with higher profitability, and work within the limits of climate.
Expatriate agriculture professionals from Israel volunteer their time as consultants and mentors.
500 Nigerians projected to benefit from the center
Set to open in late 2020
SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE
With the support of WeConnect in France, we provided school supplies and technology to local schools, helping students get the best education possible.