On Thursday 11th February, Save the Children and charity ambassador, Cuppy, hosted the Gold Dust Conference via livestream to the world.
The Cuppy Foundation was created by international DJ and producer Florence ‘Cuppy’ Otedola. It works in partnership with other foundations and charities, including Save the Children, to support people living with disabilities, as well as children’s – particularly girls’ – rights to protection and education in Nigeria.
The conference celebrated the incredible impact that was achieved for and with children supported by Cuppy’s Foundation and her father, Femi Otedola, in 2020. Viewers had a unique opportunity to hear from doctors providing lifesaving care for children in Nigeria and learn about the unprecedented challenges children are facing and overcoming as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also heard reflections from Youth Ambassador Maryam Ahmed, Save the Children’s CEO Kevin Watkins, and Cuppy herself.
In a year that turned families lives upside down, our collaboration with the Cuppy Foundation meant we could stand side-by-side with over 9,100 children in Nigeria – supporting their education, health, and nutrition.
During the event, Cuppy spoke about her motivation to be part of Save the Children’s work:
“Children are the next leaders and I wanted to be part of an organisation who put our next leaders first. […] My passion and dedication to the Cuppy Foundation was inspired by my trip to Borno visiting the stabilisation centre, and that’s when I truly knew children needed to be at the forefront”.
Dr. Nura Tukur and Dr. Adaeze Oramalu from Save the Children in Nigeria also spoke about what they foresee as being children’s biggest challenges in 2021. “Prevention is better than cure” they both agreed.
“We need to invest more in immunisations and malnutrition. We need to tackle misinformation around COVID-19. The government needs to invest more in primary health services for all,” said Dr. Nura Tukur.
“In addition to what Save the Children is currently doing, we are ensuring our programme implementation for 2021 will be COVID-19 compliant and keep children safe,” added Dr. Adaeze Oramalu.
Photo: Cuppy met with Save the Children Nigeria’s Dr Nura Tukur at the malnutrition stabilisation centre in Maiduguri, Borno State, in north-east Nigeria, where there are over 2.2 million school-aged children in need of emergency support and education.
You can hear more from the inspirational speakers who were part of the Gold Dust conference on YouTube – as well as watch the live set performed by Cuppy that brought the event to an exciting close.
To learn more about the work supported by the Cuppy Foundation in 2020 – including the provision of personal protective equipment and infection, prevention and control measures, screening over 1,400 children for malnutrition and refurbishing two outpatient therapeutic centres – you can read the latest Cuppy Foundation report on their website.
At the Gold Dust Conference, Youth Ambassador, Maryan Ahmed shared her experiences of working with Save the Children:
“Save the Children makes sure that in everything it does, it includes us […] The organisation has been tirelessly and unflaggingly mobilising and engaging us as youth ambassadors, to hear our opinions and recommendations for schools and the government, especially during the pandemic.”
Working together with children, their communities, and partners like Cuppy, we’ll continue to stand with children through this pandemic, and help to protect their futures.
“Come rain or shine, Save the Children will be doing what they can to protect every single child.” – Cuppy
