By Foday Moriba Conteh
In continuing its humanitarian gestures to the less privileged children and to support the Orphan Society Outreach Program, which is geared towards supporting 5,000 orphans in the country, the Premium Divine Trading Limited has on the 9th December, 2021 donated 200 cartoons of their food products, which includes 100 cartoons of Yumvita and 100 cartoons of Miksi Chocolate to the Orphan Empowerment Society (TOES) with the objective of supporting Orphans in Orphanage Homes within the Freetown Municipality. The official handing over ceremony of the items was done at one of the Orphanage Homes (UCC Orphanage Home) at Allen Town in Freetown.
Handing over the items, the Marketing Executive of Premium Divine Trading Ltd, Isha Bangura, noted that in response to a request made by the Orphan Empowerment Society (TOES) towards supporting the organization’s outreach program, which is geared towards supporting 5,000 orphans in the country, as a responsible company, they deemed it fit to undertake such a donation to the organization in order to support orphans in their different homes.
She continued that the company has been very keen towards honouring its Corporate Social Responsibility and that over the years it has contributed tremendously towards nation building.
Isha Bangura revealed that the company recently made a total donation of one hundred million Leones both in cash and products. A Cheque of 50 million Leones was presented to the National Disaster Management Agency and 50 Million worth of products (Miksi Chocolate & Miksi Powder Milk) to the Management of the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospital Complex at Connaught Hospital with the aim of providing succour to the victims of the November 5 Wellington fuel tanker fire accident.
She stated that many orphans do not have access to clean water, sufficient food or basic sanitation of which she urged members of the organization to ensure that the donation reaches its targeted beneficiaries.
She also used the opportunity to inform the gathering that Premium Divine Trading Company Ltd distributes and markets Cowbell, Onga, Miksi, Xploza, Kremela and Yumvita which, in particular, is an infant cereal with milk that comes in three variants namely: wheat, rice and maize and wheat combined. Isha also disclosed that the package sizes are 50g and 400g and they are produced in Ghana by Promasidor Ghana Limited for sale to some West African countries including Sierra Leone. She further intimated that they are the sole distributor of all the aforementioned products in the country.
Receiving the donation, the National Coordinator of the Orphan Empowerment Society (TOES), Amb Alie Conteh, on behalf the organization, commended the Premium Divine Trading Limited for the kind gesture towards supporting orphans in the country.
He revealed that according to UNICEF, there are 153 million orphans worldwide with 310,000 in Sierra Leone alone and that most of the orphans in the country face several challenges ranging from accessing good shelter, good sanitation, food etc.
Amb Alie Conteh disclosed that the Orphan Empowerment Society (TOES) is Africa’s biggest orphanage outreach since 2016, and they have been mobilizing resources from kind-hearted donors, equipping orphans & caregivers with free vocational skills and tools while donating clothes, books, food & providing free medical care.
He revealed that their goal for this year’s outreach program is to empower 5,000 orphans across Sierra Leone with donation of food and non-food items, offering free vocational skills training and free medical care maintaining how they cannot accomplish those things alone but by leveraging on their massive volunteer network and support from kindhearted partners like the Premium Divine Trading Limited which will enable them to significantly reduce orphan poverty in Sierra Leone.
He assured the company that the donated items will be used for the intended purpose disclosing how they will be distributed to the orphanage homes. He further called on other organizations or institutions to follow the footprints of the company by supporting orphans in the country.
Speaking on behalf of the benefiting orphanage homes, the Administrative Secretary for the UCC Scouts Foundation Orphanage home, Amadu Ibrahim Forna, showered praises on the Premium Divine Trading Limited and the Orphan Empowerment Society (TOES) for the donation which he described as a move in the right direction towards the development of organs in the country.
He said that the donated items will definitely contribute towards the development of the affected children, adding that the home over the years has been faced with a lot of challenges which includes sponsorship and food items but said with such a donation it will surely help especially at this crucial moment in the country.
Earlier before the donation the Orphan Empowerment Society (TOES) held a one day skills training program for orphans during which period the children were taught needle work and gara tie work.
