The Centre’s Second Governing Council was inaugurated by the Board of Trustees on Thursday, December 17, 2020, after the tenure of the First Council elapsed. The newly inaugurated six-member Council, under the leadership of Dr. Noel Ihebuzor as the newly elected Council Chairman, was also strengthened by the addition of Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, a renowned social justice advocate and development expert. The Governing Council provides policy and advisory guidance to the Executive Management Team in the execution of the Centre’s goals and objectives.
POSITIVE SYNERGY
As part of an overall value optimization strategy, the Centre and Grooming Microfinance Bank have been exploring areas of positive synergy in the Centre’s ecosystem. As such, the bank began providing banking services to 5 of the Centre’s branches in Ibadan in July 2020. Additionally, salaries for all Head Office staff were paid through the bank in August while salaries for all Oyo Programme Area staff will also be paid through the bank in September. The bank has made strides in the availability of e-channels with debit cards, internet and mobile banking for all of its customers.
AWARD CEREMONY
The Lady Kate Okafor Scholarship Scheme initiative had its award ceremony for the V edition on Thursday, August 26, 2021. The Centre has remained committed to promoting education and empowering students. Over the years, we have made significant impact with initiatives like the LKOSS, which has successfully awarded over 1,300 students with scholarships.
The scholarship scheme also serves as a platform to support clients, empower children and contribute to the education and development and is set to cover three years of Senior Secondary School education. In other educational initiatives, preparation for the 2021 Grooming Centre University Grant Scheme is ongoing. The Scheme will provide 150 undergraduate and postgraduate students with research grants.
LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT PROGRAM
Grooming Centre, in partnership with SESOR Empowerment Foundation, provided financial training and disbursed N2,060,000 to 57 internally displaced women in Lagos as seed money for their microenterprises. The financial literacy training and disbursements held at the Sesor Safe Day Space in Lagos on the 16th and 23rd of July, 2020. The livelihood support programme is set to kick-off in Benue State in a few weeks.
Lady Kate Okafor Scholarship Scheme IV
The Centre held its 4th edition of the Lady Kate Okarfor Scholarship Scheme (LKOSS) ceremony on Wednesday 29th July, 2020 with absolute compliance for the social distancing guidelines. In view of the public health concerns arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, only 7 awardees, alongside their mothers, were selected to attend the event. The guests had their temperature checked at the entrance and were provided with Grooming Centre facemasks and hand sanitizers at the entrance and on each table. Grooming Centre awarded scholarships to five hundred (500) children of Grooming Centre clients who are students in Senior Secondary schools across the country.
The 2020 award is the fourth in the series and aims to contribute to the education and development of children whose families are disadvantaged. The sum of N50,000.00 (Fifty Thousand Naira) will be awarded to each student and will be paid annually for three years.
Below is the list of awardees;
SPLASH
The previously postponed 10th edition of the Grooming Centre Splash held on August 29, 2020 at the Grooming Centre Multipurpose Hall, which was adequately spaced out in adherence to social distancing guidelines. The 2020 Splash rewarded clients in each of the Centre’s 24 Business Zones with star prizes of 24 commercial tricycles (commonly called Keke), 58 deep freezers, 57 double door refrigerators, 58 5KVA generators, 81 Small fridges, and 106 2.5KVA generators. Overall, 384 clients across 24 Business Zones of the Centre won different prizes in this year’s edition of the Splash.
Grooming Centre and Sesor renew partnership support.
L-R: Chikezie Egbulefu, Head, Special Project, Grooming Centre; Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, Co-founder, SESOR Empowerment Foundation; Dr. Godwin Nwabunka, CEO, Grooming Centre; Nkanu Egbe, Trustee, SESOR Empowerment Foundation, at the MOU signing ceremony.
Friday, February 28, 2020 – Grooming People for Better Livelihood Centre renewed its partnership support to Sesor Empowerment Foundation (Sesor) by donating ₦10.6 million towards the continuing work of Sesor’s Safe Day Space initiative, as well as the rehabilitation, empowerment and reintegration of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Lagos and Benue States.
As part of the MOU signing ceremony which took place at the Grooming Centre, Head Office, Ejigbo, Lagos, a cheque donation of N10,662,500.00 was handed over to Sesor Empowerment Foundation by Grooming Centre to support the foundation in its work with IDPs. This partnership, now in its 6th year is focused on the significant efforts by SESOR Empowerment Foundation in providing nutritional & psychological support, financial independence, educational support, housing support as well as recreational facilities for IDPs and their families.
Speaking at the signing, which held at Grooming Centre’s Head Office, the Co – founder of Sesor Empowerment Foundation, Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, expressed her appreciation for the invaluable partnership and support the Centre has provided, through the years, in creating more awareness of the situation of displaced women and children in Nigeria.
While signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the CEO of Grooming Centre, Dr. Godwin Nwabunka expressed his gratitude for the impact made by Sesor Foundation in the lives of hundreds of internally displaced women and children through the years, and reiterated the Centre’s commitment to this cause and the general work of empowerment.
MINI RETREAT
Following the Centre’s realignment, Senior Management and Programme Managers took part in a mini retreat from August 27th – 29th, 2020, to deliberate on strategies to improve productivity, reinforce team building, refocus on core values and redefine organizational priorities for sustainable growth. Key discussions centered on delivering the Centre’s mission within the new normal posed by the pandemic, as well as opportunities for digital innovation. The retreat provided a platform to engage, inspire and brainstorm execution strategies in a relaxed environment.
CODE OF CONDUCT CEREMONY RENEWAL
The Centre’s Code of Conduct was recently amended to cover the increasing scope of activities for staff, detailing ethics, values and norms to be upheld in the areas of Client Protection, Staff Conduct and dealing with Conflicts of Interest. Accordingly, a ceremonial renewal and signing ceremony was held at the Management meeting on September 14, 2020. The amended Code of Conduct will be cascaded throughout the Centre along with the newly distributed Employee Handbook, setting a common ethical standard built on integrity, trust and dedication to govern relationships with clients, colleagues, partners, stakeholders and the general public.
OPERATIONAL RE-ALIGNMENT
Effective August 1, Grooming Centre streamlined its organizational structure to enhance operations and improve efficiency. The Risk Control & Monitoring Department was fused with the Internal Audit Unit to form the Enterprise Risk Management Department for a more holistic & proactive risk management framework, while the Automation & Information Technology departments were fused into Digital Operations to align with the Centre’s digital roadmap. At the field level, Programme Areas were strengthened with the creation of the Programme Analyst function, aimed at providing data-driven support to the Programme Area operations, while the Regions and Divisions were fused into Business Zones under the leadership of Zonal Heads for improved supervision and communication.