The Dangote Foundation, the global philanthropic arm of Dangote Industries Limited, has donated $1million to the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal as humanitarian aid and disaster relief for response and recovery efforts in the wake of the wave of devastating earthquake that recently hit the country.

“The Dangote Foundation donation builds upon our community intervention initiative and longstanding commitment to providing development assistance that alleviates pains of people around the world,” said the Foundation’s Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Zouera Youssoufou. “Through this donation we hope to support Nepal government’s emergency efforts in providing relief and life-saving priorities to the victims of the earthquakes that occurred in the country,” she added.

News Express recalls that two devastating earthquakes of magnitudes 7.8 and 7.3 had hit Nepal on April 25 and May 12 respectively, causing a high number of deaths, injuries and destruction of over 600,000 homes in the worst quakes to hit the Himalayam nation in nearly a century.

Chairman of Dangote Foundation, Mr. Aliko Dangote, in his message to Nepal’s Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, conveyed his sympathy to the government and people of Nepal. He assured them of the Foundation’s support in rehabilitating the victims of the unprecedented tragedy.

Aliko Dangote said: “We join the rest of the world to express our sympathies over this unfortunate incident. We hope this donation will help alleviate the suffering of the Nepalese people who have been devastated by the earthquakes.”

Responding, the Prime Minister expressed the gratitude of the people and Government of Nepal to Aliko Dangote and the Foundation for their humanitarian support at this difficult moment in his country’s history.

The Dangote Foundation has been touching lives both within and outside the shores of Nigeria since its establishment in 1993, providing opportunities for social and economic transformation through investments and interventions that improve and promote health, education and broaden economic empowerment opportunities.

In September 2010, the Foundation made a donation of $2 million through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to assist survivors of the floods that ravaged Pakistan. Through the donation, the Foundation extended its support to more than 325,000 Pakistani children in need.

Dangote Foundation spent about $5 million as part of its intervention to combat the Ebola Virus Disease that affected four West African countries namely Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria, last year. It in addition donated $16 million to the Nigerian Government to assist victims of flood that ravaged many states of the federation in 2011.

Aliko Dangote endowed the Foundation with $1.35 billion in March 2014 in his bid to ensure that it has secure and steady funding to carry out its mission as it significantly scales up its work both within and outside the shores of the country.

•Photo shows Aliko Dangote.