WARIF bags Charity of the Year award

Women at Risk Foundation (WARIF), has been named “Charityof the Year” by The Beat 99.9 FM – radio broadcasting company in Nigeria. The non-profit organisation has made remarkable progress in reducing the high incidence of rape and sexual violence among young women and girls in Nigeria through its initiatives, in “only two years of its incorporation.”

According to The Beat FM, WARIF was recognised for its outstanding commitment to creating global awareness and advocacy against the growing prevalence of abuse amongst women and girls of all ages in Nigeria. WARIF has successfully launched several initiatives such as the WARIF Centre, where medical care, counselling and consultation are provided to rape and domestic violence survivors; WARIF

Through the arts, the organization uses performance arts to create awareness about sexual abuse; WARIF Educational School Programme (WESP), also educates girls on this prevailing issue across secondary schools, and the WARIF Gatekeepers Initiative, aims to eradicate gender-based violence in rural areas through education of traditional birth attendants and traditional midwives.

Speaking about the award, Amira Obi-Okoye, Director of Sales and Marketing, The Beat FM said, “We have selected WARIF as Charity of The Year because we recognise their great contribution to the reduction of rape and gender violence in Nigeria, an issue that has not been given utmost attention.

We hope that this partnership will further encourage WARIF to do more, and provide them with the right platform to reach a wider audience in its call to put an end to the societal issues surrounding gender based violence in Nigeria.” In response, Founder of WARIF, Dr. Kemi DaSilva–Ibru expressed delight for the recognition of WARIF by The Beat 99.9 FM as the chosen charity for their support.

“We are pleased to be appreciated for our work in making a positive impact in the lives of the many women and girls we have been able to reach. So far, WARIF has recorded over 700beneficiaries who reached out or visited the centres for clinical treatment, counselling and social welfare services. We are also educating and empowering young girls across Nigeria with the knowledge to identify and prevent sexual violence when faced with it.