Foundation to use Facebook funding for health initiatives, says founder

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Ask the Paediatrician (ATP), says it will use the funding to be received from Facebook to improve the well-being of the African child.

The Founder, Dr Gbemisola Boyede, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Monday, that the initiative would be carried out along its vision and mission to promote child health initiative.

NAN reports that the foundation, which started as one woman’s passion to educate mothers on child health issues on social media (Facebook), was one of the 115 groups selected by Facebook for the Facebook Community Leadership Programme (FCLP) 2018.

“It is one year programme with first meeting holding at Facebook Headquarters in Menlo Park, San Francisco California, from Oct. 9th – 12th.”

Boyede told NAN that it was a privilege for what started as a passion to be recognised internationally.

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”I am excited that the World is recognising my work and impact.

”It feels good to be on an international platform as FCLP and also looking forward to the $50,000 grant to do more for the children and help reduce child deaths due to ignorance,” she said.

The paediatrician added that funding has been the foundation’s major challenge, but glad it would be surmounted with the Facebook funding.

”We have funding challenges as most of our expenses are being paid for by our volunteers out of pocket.

”Yet, we do projects running into millions of naira annually but, we are happy to do it and happy to receive the grants from Facebook to do more”.

According to her, there were other challenges being faced by the group, but for me, the most important is that we are touching lives of children daily all over the world.

”We have grown exponentially to over half a million in just three years and we have been able to do many outreaches touching children online and offline”.

”We have prevented many deaths of children and daily improving child health knowledge which has made us receive awards locally and internationally and have been published in the national dailies, among others.

“I was one of the radiant magazine 2016 women of action and the latest award is being selected by Facebook for its flagship international Facebook Community Fellowship Programme.

“Only two Nigerian communities were selected and ATP is one of them, this is in recognition of the impact of ATP.”

NAN reports that ATP started as an online Facebook Group on July 20, 2015, by Boyede, Consultant Paediatrician then at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria.

ATP was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria in July 2017.