The grant has empowered Help central to optimize its processes and aggregate donations to benefit up to 50,000 children in orphanages, homeless shelters, and slum communities, in Lagos and other regions of Nigeria.
Nigeria’s technology start-up company, Help central, is expanding its capacity to connect charity organizations willing to donate food and other relief materials to poor members of the community.
To mitigate against the adverse effects of the COVID- 19 pandemic, which includes loss of livelihoods, Help Central launched www.helpcentral.ng to connect donors and the public who have food surplus to share with needy beneficiaries based on their geographical location or choice.
To strengthen their operations and expand their scope of work, Help Central applied for the 2020/21 Social Innovation Challenge and emerged as one of the eight winners who secured a grant of USD 8,000.
The grant has enabled them to significantly improve the platform’s experience by allowing local and international donation features.
They have also upgraded the platform, redesigning and including specific features for ease of use.
“The impact of the grant will undoubtedly be far-reaching as it has enabled us to improve our platform’s infrastructure and expand our capacity to connect many more people,” said the co-founder of Help Central, Abimbola Ojenike.
They have also implemented a top-of-mind marketing strategy by leveraging social media to improve logistics.
Help Central has set up drop-off points in six target locations, including various supermarkets, and strengthened its transportation capacity.
“We will continue to work to tackle poverty and hunger by empowering those with surplus to support those in desperate need,” added Ojenike.
The grant has empowered Help central to optimize its processes and aggregate donations to benefit up to 50,000 children in orphanages, homeless shelters, and slum communities, in Lagos and other regions of Nigeria.