Henkel Nigeria celebrates World Humanitarian Day along with its objective of helping people to deal with various challenges and problems that make them vulnerable. This event is dedicated to humanitarian workers and those who have lost their lives working for humanitarian causes. The theme for 2022 is #TheHumanRace and marks the global urgency for climate action in solidarity with people who need it the most.
While Nigeria suffers from the effects of climate change, a
more urgent humanitarian crisis for the country includes rising youth
unemployment that requires a concerted effort to address. Insurgency in the
northeast of Nigeria has also displaced the population and sent much of the
youthful population southward in search of employment in urban areas. This
teeming youthful population needs skills that will help them become
economically independent.
“With 77 percent of the SSEs already earning over the minimum
wage, the new SSEs will be equipped with the tools for the trade to aid their
spread all over the country, including the rural areas,” Rajat Kapur, Managing
Director, Henkel Nigeria, said in a statement, disclosing that the initiative
responds to the need for human capital development through entrepreneurial
skills training that will in turn create jobs for youths.
According to Kapur, Henkel has a long-term commitment to
social progress, which is an integral part of its culture. This extends to
investing heavily in skills development and actively finding opportunities to
uplift the communities in which it operates.
One way Henkel Nigeria is helping to address youth
unemployment is through its Street-Smart Entrepreneurs (SSE) programme. Under
the SSE, the company supports local entrepreneurs by transforming some
unemployed youths into entrepreneurs as it develops the economy and host
communities. It is a self-sustaining initiative where the beneficiaries are
consistently engaged. This means beneficiaries of SSE are trained and equipped
with the knowledge to be entrepreneurs and provided with tools for business,
across their different locations.
Similarly, through its Researchers’ World, an educational
initiative, Henkel introduces children to the fascinating world of science.
Since its inauguration at Henkel’s Düsseldorf headquarters in April 2011, more
than 62,000 children around the world have taken part in the programmes. There
are ‘Forscherwelt projects’ in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India, Italy, Mexico, Poland,
Russia, South Korea, Turkey, UAE, and the USA, and now in Nigeria.
The programme was launched November 2021 in Oyo State, a
southwestern state in Nigeria and the sessions ended in August 2022. Phase two
of the strategy will see Researcher’s World enter Lagos State in September
2022.
Henkel Nigeria’s humanitarian works manifested as well
during the COVID-19 pandemic. It donated thousands of cartons of Nittol
antibacterial detergent to frontline health care workers in Lagos State. This
was part of its pledge to provide 10,000 cartons of the product in support of
government led-efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa’s
most populous city.
The corporate philosophy underlying this humanitarian act is
the company’s commitment to giving back as a responsible corporate citizen and
supporting the host community on humanitarian causes.
In the last eleven years, every August 19, the world
remembers, raises awareness, rallies support and amplifies the stories of
heroes on the front lines of humanitarian efforts.
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