The Aunty-Zee Foundation, a pet project of the deputy national woman leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hajia Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim, is a leading philanthropic organisation in the North-east. The foundation has been empowering the youths, elderly and the less privileged in the society. Referred to as the floatsams and jetsams by driving poverty eradication, catalysing job creation across the nooks and crannies of the country, it ensures inclusive economic empowerment.
Since its launch many years ago, the foundation has disbursed over N200 million in direct funding to help the poor and the needy in the society. The foundation is also on record to have created over 400,000 indirect jobs which is in fulfilment of its mission of bringing succour to the poor and vulnerable in society.
The founder of the foundation, Zainab Ibrahim, hails from a famous political family in Taraba state, Northeast, Nigeria. She learnt early enough that charity to the less privileged is an important way of giving thanks to God for his mercies and benevolence. She has used her foundation as a catalyst for the social and economic development of the Nigerians.
The foundation, since inception, has become a veritable platform in the eradication of poverty, especially in the Northeast, ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency, and across geographies and sectors through an innovative partnership with many communities, religious groups, local and state governments across the country. Aunty-Zee Foundation is a story of vision, determination, and impact.
The foundation was created out of the lessons its founder learnt from her father who also was a renowned philanthropist and her own experience as a politician and mother. She recognised early in life that most citizens in the country face significant challenges of meeting the minimum demands of life everyday. But government alone cannot provide for every citizen, owing to the competing demands from many sectors of our national life. Therefore, she decided to create a platform to fulfil her mission to identify and provide funds for various acts of philanthropy to help solve this problem.
The Aunty-Zee Foundation has had a very significant impact on poverty alleviation in the country generally through its various flagship programmes and initiatives. Through its training and funding programmes for the poor and needy and its mentorship programmes, it has been able to empower people who are self-reliant to add value to the society by enabling them to build a successful life that contributes to the economic growth and job creation in the country.
The Aunty-Zee Foundation has been hugely successful, providing support to over 10,000 poor and needy individuals since inception. Its empowerment schemes are unique because they are targeted at the less privileged and have nothing to do with politics. This is because to Zainab Ibrahim, politics is not about self but about contributing ones talent to the society by helping the needy. Evidence abound that her outreach programmes in rural communities have helped to uplift the lives of many, especially the poor and needy. She has severally been applauded as attested by the many awards she has received locally and internationally. Thus, many are surprised that she has not been nominated for a national honour by the federal government. She earned accolades because she takes on assignments that shape the destinies of others, spending her hard earned resources. She is unique not only because of giving to the less privileged but also because she commits her life to an enterprise.
Zainab Ibrahim’s life gives her the unique opportunity to be an instrument of change in the lives of others and we must recognise this opportunity she has presented to all. She is always supporting the less privileged because of her acts of kindness and generosity which are benefitting many children and empowering women economically to ensure that their vulnerability is drastically reduced.
She is a mentor to many and promoting girl child education while ensuring that girls are given the right platforms to escape the many challenges that prevent them from attaining greatness in life. To many, she is a role model of charity, compassion and selflessness. To the homeless and destitute, she is the beacon of hope. She is widely acknowledged, without a doubt, to have made massive impact on the lives of many.
Musa Wada,
Abuja