Reckitt Benckiser, a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in England, and producer of Dettol brand and other home products, has strengthened its corporate social responsibility initiative in Nigeria with a commitment towards reducing child mortality in the country.
The group formed in 1999, by the merger of the UK-based Reckitt and Colman plc and the Netherlands-based Benckiser NV., is touched by the staggering figure of child mortality as experts say that over 700,000 children die yearly from various complications before their fifth birthday
According to the World Health Organisation, diarrhoea is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old globally, and is responsible for killing around 760,000 children every year. Due to this ugly reality, Reckitt Benckiser, as part of commemorative activities for its 50 years’ presence in the Nigerian market, took upon a self-appointed mandate to strengthen its commitment to efforts aimed at reducing child mortality rate in Nigeria with an initiative directed at saving 10 million children in Nigeria.
During a kick-off of the Dettol Walkathon at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Oguzhan Silivrili, marketing director, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, said “while celebrating 50th anniversary in Nigeria, Dettol, the world’s number one antiseptic brand is embarking on a new journey to reach mothers all over Nigeria with the message of ‘easy simple health and hygiene practice that can help to save 10 million lives.’”
Oguzhan said the new Mom to Mom (MOMentum) campaign was about empowering and enabling mothers to teach other mothers about the best hygiene practices, which will in turn make direct positive impacts on their families and loved ones. “We intend to take pledge from each mother we contact in the direct contact programme to teach two other mothers, thus making a chain of empowerment all over Nigeria,” he said.
“For the past 50 years, Dettol has been at the forefront of educating Nigerians about the health and hygiene benefits via mass consumer education programmes like; New Mum Programme where five million mums have been reached since 2006, teaching them good hygiene habits for themselves and their new born babies, the Health on Wheels Programme through which 150,000 families have been reached through the Mobile Clinic, School Hand Hygiene Programme, almost a million children have been reached this year across schools in Nigeria (a total of 3 million children since they started the programme in 2010), and the Direct Home Contact Programme through which a million moms have been reached since last year.
Also speaking at the event, Segiru Momodu, director, Chemical Evaluation and Research, NAFDAC, appreciating the CSR initiative of Reckitt Benckiser, said “we are very happy about the Private Public Partnership effort of Reckitt Benckiser in Nigeria. It is important for people to learn and imbibe good hygiene habit of hand washing, it is the easiest and the cheapest way to avoid sickness coursing germs.”
Momodu further advised Nigerians, especially mothers, to imbibe the good habit of hand washing, especially with Dettol soap to keep away harmful germs that might pose threat to the health of both mother and child.
Barthy Okorochukwu, second national vice president, Nigerian Medical Association, in his address, commended Dettol for being in the forefront of health education in Nigeria since the past 50 years, saying “the importance of fitness and this Dettol Walkathon cannot be overemphasised. Reckitt Benckiser, through the Dettol brand, has once again shown commitment to health of Nigerians by starting a campaign towards reducing infant mortality and also encouraging Nigerians to keep fit and healthy.”
Dettol, which is endorsed by the Nigerian Medical Association, has been available in Nigeria for 50 years and is widely trusted by mothers, children and Nigerian homes as the ‘trusted champion of health and hygiene.’
Source:Businessday
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