Songhai Charities, Inc. Donates to Project Kids Worldwide

Songhai Charities, Inc. a non-profit, community-based charitable, humanitarian organization founded in 1991 by Nigerian-American residents of New Jersey, today 27 November 2002, made a donation of $2,500.00 (N340,000.00 Naira) to Project Kids Worldwide to support its humanitarian work.

Project Kids Worldwide, a New York based non-profit organization founded in 2001 is dedicated to saving the lives of children afflicted with various life threatening ailments. Last September Project Kids Worldwide facilitated the travel and heart surgery of Ms. Chika Ike, a sixteen-year-old Nigerian girl who was suffering from congenital heart disease.

Chika arrived in the US on Saturday 21 September 2002, and surgery was performed on Monday 23 September 2002 at the New York Medical Center, by a team of American doctors led by the renowned cardiac surgeon, Dr. Steve Colvin. This team donates their professional skills at no cost, performing the life saving heart surgery, which greatly improves the chances of survival of these young children. In addition. Dr. Colvin continues to train heart specialists the world over. Since the surgery, Chika has been recuperating and doing well.

Mr. Duke Eboh Okorie, Financial Secretary of Songhai Charities presenting
a check to Dennis Schwesinger, President of Project Kids Worldwide
and Chief Development Officer Margot Steinberg.

Mr. Duke Eboh Okorie, the Financial Secretary of Songhai Charities presented the check to the Chief Development Officer of Project Kids Worldwide, Ms. Margot Steinberg, during a brief ceremony at her office in New York City. He pledged Songhai Charities' partnership and continued support for the selfless service other Organization, and encouraged Project Kids Worldwide to consider helping many Nigerian children afflicted with congenital heart ailment. When Ms. Steinberg was informed of Songhai Charities' donations she exuberantly exclaimed, "What good news!!! Chika is doing well." She thanked Songhai Charities, for their kind gesture and support.

Songhai Charities, Inc. involvement in the Chika Ike story started July 2002, when Ms. Margot Steinberg brought Chika's plight to the organization's attention and sought their assistance in raising funds to cover Chikas' non-medical expenses. Songhai Charities, rose to that occasion and rallied the Nigerian community in New Jersey and New York to chip in. Songhai Charities used its 10th Anniversary Event on 12 October, 2002 to further mobilize support for Chika Ike and more importantly, for the work of Project Kid Worldwide. Since the campaign began the
Nigerian community has responded generously.

So far in 2002, Songhai Charities has donated N2.3 million to charitable causes with N1.8 million of the amount going to Nigerian-based church-run assistance programs, orphanages, civil war veterans and toward HIV/AIDS prevention awareness campaign in Nigeria.

Anyone who may wish to contribute towards offsetting Chika Ike's incidental expenses or support the work of Project Kids Worldwide can do so by sending their check to either:

Songhai Charities, Inc.,
55 Washington Street, #404
East Orange, NJ 07017
http://www.songhaicharities.org

or

Project Kids Worldwide
530 First Avenue # 9Z
New York, NY 10016
http://www.proiectkidsworldwide.org

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