The Dash Me Foundation founded by Kemi Adeosun, former minister of finance, has launched “Dash Me Store”, an online thrift-for-charity initiative.
The store, inaugurated on Sunday, was established to mobilise resources for distribution to vulnerable people in society via grassroots charities.
Adeosun resigned as minister in 2018 over the case of a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate she presented as part of her credentials.
She maintained a low profile after the incident — until the inauguration of the outfit where she made her first official public appearance.
In her remarks, Adeosun said the organisation will work closely with charitable organisations in the grassroots to ensure that funds and other materials donated via the Dash Me Store get to actual beneficiaries.
Speaking at the event, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said one factor responsible for the impactful implementation of the social investment programmes of the federal government is the realisation that you cannot reach Nigerians if you do not have a plan for the grassroots.
The vice-president lauded Adeosun for the initiative which he described as the first of its kind in the country.
“I am excited to be here for several reasons, but most of all because of Mrs Adeosun’s commitment to the notion that all service to man is actually service to God, and she took that very seriously,” he said.
“This is why, as Minister, she prioritized the Social Investment Programmes, when for the first time, the country voted almost N500B of our annual budget to welfare programmes which are called the Social Investment Programmes, which involved engaging 500,000 young men and women, and also giving microcredit to about 2 million traders and also a home-grown school feeding programme for 9.5 million children daily in public schools across the country.
“I am therefore really not surprised that she has decided to use some of her enormous talent and influence to establish an organization that raises funds and provides resources for indigenous grassroot charities working with orphaned and vulnerable children, disadvantaged youth, and victims of domestic violence.
“What I think is happening here is that philanthropy is not like it used to be when all you needed was a good and kind heart and you didn’t need to plan or organize as you would a business for-profit.
“What Kemi and her team have done is to bring the new notion of social enterprise to this project. Philanthropy run with the discipline, attention to detail, and financial prudence of a successful business, and she can do all of that, and I am sure her team is imbibing that, given her background in finance in both private and public sector.
“The idea of this thrift-for-charity store is brilliant and the first of its kind in Nigeria. It is a unique model which does not just give to the needy in the conventional way of merely handing out donations.
“It is an innovative and structured way of aggregating donations to earn income to transform the lives of the vulnerable and needy while creating jobs in the process.”
