Following the press release by the Federal Government of Nigeria in February 2020, confirming the first case of COVID-19 in Lagos Nigeria, the management of SFH immediately constituted an in-house response committee to coordinate and deploy the needed measures to keep all staff, partners and general public informed and protected from this disease.

COVID-19 has rapidly changed us and the way we carry out our operations. It has changed most aspects of our daily lives especially our social interactions, but more importantly, it has made us more grateful for life, health and all the little things we would ordinarily take for granted like going shopping at the mall. Times like this also remind us of our individual responsibility to ensure our collective safety. Please be assured that the leadership of SFH bears all our staff, partners, clients and constituents in mind in these trying times. We are prioritizing the health and safety of you and your families first and foremost. Though remotely, we are working each day on how best we can support you during this time. In the face of interruption and uncertainty, our resolve to remain a people centered organization is even stronger.

In addition to keeping our workplace safe, we are working to keep people informed on COVID-19 developments through various channels by sharing trusted news and facts in English and Pidgin to both or online and offline community, drawing from the NCDC and other relevant agencies and parastatals.

The world has been through worse and overcame. We will overcome COVID-19. While working to expand the correct information for individual and communities to protect themselves and loved ones from getting infected, we are engaging the government to see how we leverage our community and private sector infrastructure to mitigate the outbreak.

Also, SFH will stay abreast of the rapidly evolving science of the pandemic while working with our wider ecosystem- communities, private sector including the informal private sector and government on preparedness for rapid treatment rollout and vaccine scaleup once candidates are approved.

I encourage us all to get past the panic and focus on what we can do each day to make a small difference – which could be as simple as staying home to ensure social distancing. Instead of unnecessarily calling out inadequacies, let us all be driven by hope and understanding, putting one foot in front of the other to make things better for our loved ones, for our communities and the society.

I express my gratitude to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control for all the work that is being put in place to keep everyone safe. As an organisation, we are deeply indebted to the frontline health workers in SFH supported facilities and other health facilities nationwide. We are also grateful to those working tirelessly to keep our supply chains open in order to deliver essential commodities to those who need them. Finally, we appreciate our private sector partners who are pivotal for the scale-up of forthcoming solutions to ending COVID-19.

God bless Nigeria!

Omokhudu Idogho