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Vantage Foundation partners with The IREDE Foundation to empower child amputees in Nigeria
Featuring: Steven Xie, Executive Director, Vantage Foundation
Lagos, Nigeria, 23 February 2024 – Vantage Foundation is proud to announce its strategic partnership with The IREDE Foundation, a non-profit organisation committed to empowering children between the ages of 0 and 18 living with limb loss in Nigeria to live self-sufficient lives by giving them prosthetic limbs.
In 2009, Crystal Chigbu, the founder of The IREDE Foundation, welcomed her daughter into the world. However, at 27 months old, her daughter faced the challenge of a congenital limb deformity, necessitating amputation. Since then, her daughter has needed to use a prosthetic limb. Crystal realised there was a significant lack of resources for children like her daughter, and established The IREDE Foundation in 2012 to change the narrative around disability in Nigeria and in Africa at large.
Vantage Foundation visited The IREDE Foundation in February to pledge support for its cause. “We’re thrilled to support The IREDE Foundation to make a positive impact on the lives of Nigerian children with limb loss,” said Steven Xie, Executive Director, Vantage Foundation. “As a partner of The IREDE Foundation, we will provide holistic support to these champions in Nigeria, and provide the opportunities they deserve to thrive.”
Since its inception, The IREDE Foundation has been at the forefront of advocacy and empowerment for these children, whom they call champions. They have provided more than 528 custom-made prosthetic limbs to 479 children across 35 states in Nigeria for free, and they have continued to maintain and replace these prosthetics as the children grow. They have also enhanced these children’s access to education and empowered them to pursue their dreams through the provision of educational scholarships.
“IREDE is honoured to have representatives of Vantage Foundation visit us in Nigeria and see our vision become a reality through our champions,” said Crystal. “Together, we are creating a more inclusive world for all.”