Mansurah Isa is a household name in the Kannywood movie Industry. Not just for her intriguing presence but also as the wife of Nigeria’s top actor and singer, Sani Danja.

Mansurah who juggles as a film producer and a humanitarian spoke on why she set up an NGO to cater for the less privileged.

Excerpts:

PT: What motivated you to set up an NGO to help the less privileged?

Mansurah: First of all I must commend my husband Sani Danja who is my inspiration, he is my motivation and my strength in setting up this NGO, (Todays’ Life Foundation).

I live in Kano and I see and know how people live. Many people cannot afford the basic needs of life.

I set up this NGO for that purpose and I am very happy I did.

PT: What have you done since you set up the NGO?

Mansurah: We are doing quite a lot not only in Kano but all over the northern states. We help mostly in paying medical bills for orphans, women and the needy. We assist people with food, clothing and many other things.

PT: How do you get funding for this work ?

Mansurah: My husband is very supportive of everything and individuals also send donations to the foundation. My colleagues, friends and people.

PT: What are the challenges you encounter?

Mansurah: We have very big work we are doing now. In fact, it is about an orphan named Aisha. She lost her father to Boko Haram attack and is living with her mother and grandmother.

Aisha had cancer of the bone that was almost destroying her hand. I was alerted and I travelled to Potiskum in Yobe State to meet with her. It was a very big sickness and I seek for assistance.

Dangote Foundation came to my assistance and was willing to help the girl. They took us to Lagos and they took the test. It was cancer. They were willing to sponsor her to South Africa for a treatment which was to amputate her left hand because it is severe.

The grandmother who was with us in Lagos stood firm and insisted that the hands must not be amputated. The doctors and Dangote met with her and the mother who was in Potiskum. They never bulged. We pleaded with them but they did not agree and demanded that they should be taken back to Potiskum.

We had to return them because at some point they were saying I wanted to use part of the girl’s body for a ritual that is why we want to amputate the left hand.

PT: What happened then?

Mansurah: We returned her to her parent and as I am talking to you now it is exactly three months since then. The parents returned to me and said the girl cannot sleep anymore. The hand has swelled that the girl cannot carry it. Out of pity, I returned to Potiskum to see the poor little girl who is just nine years old.