Feminist Coalition stops collecting funds for #EndSARS

It arose out from nowhere and became a name synonymous with youth emancipation and struggle for freedom. It is the Feminist Coalition.

Out of nowhere, the Feminist Coalition was able to set up a crowdfunding platform to collect monies for the #EndSARS protest. Flutterwave was also involved in the collection of funds for the protest but after both platforms were shut down, Feminist Coalition found other ways of receiving the funds while Flutterwave stopped collecting.

The not-for-profit organistion announced that it will no longer collecting funds for the #EndSARS protest, going back to its original mandate promoting the Nigerian woman.

According to the statement from the organisation,

“The past two weeks have been tough for many Nigerians, most especially the last two days. Many lives have been lost and properties destroyed at the height of what started as peaceful marches for the end to police brutality. The Feminist Coalition condoles with every Nigerian mother, father, son, daughter who has lost a loved one in these trying times. These Nigerians share the same vision for a better country as we all do and should be duly recognized as heroes.”

“We are merchants of hope. Our priority is always the welfare and safety of the Nigerian youth. Following the President’s address, we hereby encourage all young Nigerians to stay safe, stay home, and observe the mandated curfew in your state. The Feminist Coalition has made a decision to henceforth stop all donation inflows for the #EndSARS peaceful protest. The rest of the donations will go towards funding medical emergencies, legal aid for wrongfully detained citizens, and relief for victims of police brutality and families of the deceased.“

“We wish to emphasize that we will no longer be accepting donations for EndSARS going forward. The Feminist Coalition remains committed to its core mandate, which is, championing the advancement of the Nigerian woman. We hope everyone will extend the same support we have received in the past two weeks towards pursuing this mandate.”

As at the 15th of October, it had collected over N62 million and spent about N13 million for the protest.

As it was shutting down yesterday, 22nd of October, it gave a summary of the total funds we received and disbursed (in Naira) over the past 14 days

• Total received = ₦147,855,788.28 (includes donations in USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, GHS, KES, and BTC)
• Total disbursed = ₦60,403,235.00
• Total left = ₦87,452,553.28

The organisation said that the remaining funds will be channeled through the following initiatives/organizations:

1. #EndSARSresponse (Medical) – ₦20,114,087.25
2. The Legal Aid Network – ₦15,741,459.59
3. Relief for victims of police brutality and families of the deceased – ₦40,228,174.51
4. Memorial for the Fallen – ₦5,247,153.197
5. #EndSARSMentalHealthSupport – ₦6,121,678.73

Though originally formed in July 2020 Damilola Odufuwa (Head of PR for Africa at Binance) and Odunayo Eweniyi (Co-founder and COO of PiggyVest), the feminist coalition is a group of young Nigerian feminists has a mission to champion equality for women in Nigerian society with a core focus on education, financial freedom and representation in public office.

Other members of the group include the following:

• Layo Ogunbanwo
• Ozzy Etomi
• Ire Aderinokun
• Fakhrriyyah Hashim
• Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi
• Jola Ayeye
• Laila Johnson-Salami
• Karo Omu
• Obiageli Ofili Alintah
• Tito Ovia
• Kiki Mordi
• FK Abudu