Maduako Igbokwe I Sunday, March 24, 2024
AWKA, Nigeria – A nongovernmental organization known as Onyinyeomachukwu Empowerment Foundation has given scholarships to 100 indigent primary school pupils in Anambra State.
The scholarship is targeted at laying good foundation for the children of less privileged in the society. The Foundation also distributed over 700 basic cleaning kits containing toothpaste and brushes, hand wash, and sanitizer, among other materials to encourage children to live a clean and healthy lifestyle.
The beneficiaries are pupils of varying classes at Living Christ Nursery and Primary School, Onitsha, the commercial city of the state.
The event themed: “Save The Mother Earth,” a driver of its ” Nurture Mother Nature Initiative”, was held , with the official commissioning of Onyinyeomachukwu Foundation Health Post by the wife of the State Governor, Dr. Nonye Soludo.
Speaking at the event, Mrs Soludo, represented by the Executive Secretary Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, ASPHDA, Pharm. Chisom Uchem urged people to maintain healthy living to enjoy the good life.
According to her, Healthy living is a very conscious practice and a crucial way of life.
“You must make up your mind to sacrifice certain unhealthy habits that do not go well with your body formula. You must understand that to live healthy is to live happily. She commended the Foundation for the initiative to erect the project and promised that it would be maximally used and properly maintained.
The founder and Chairperson of the Foundation, Amb. Onyinye Gift Uwaechia noted that the idea was for the Health Post to serve the people in the locality.
She stated that her Foundation still looks forward to instituting a Health Centre to accommodate more health services and population in the area. She noted that the idea behind the Nurture Mother Nature Initiative was to save Mother Earth.
According to her , the goal of the foundation remains to impact positively on people’s lives as well as sensitize young stars to take responsibility for their environment and health.
“The goal is to empower as many people as possible, one at a time. When one person is meaningfully empowered, he can go on and empower others, setting a chain of positive impacts in society.
“I chose my first port of call to be Living Christ Nursery and Primary School School, Onitsha, Anambra State, to teach and sensitize the young stars on the need for them to take responsibility for their environment and health. If we can catch them young and help them inculcate the duty of care and responsibility, the future is sure.”
Onyinye said the vision of the foundation had been replicated in other places including Abaji, Federal Capital Territory, Zango-Kataf community in Kaduna, where it donated cash, food items, and other humanitarian materials to the less privileged.
She however called on well-meaning individuals to key into the United Nations Goal 17 approach of partnership and collaboration for the advancement of the society.
Commissioner for Youths and Sports Development, Patrick Ahamba, commended the foundation for the gestures to the children, noting that the initiative was in line with Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s agenda on human capital development.
Ahamba said the current administration in the state is passionate about the health needs of the people and urged stakeholders to embrace the Public Community Private Partnership, introduced by Governor Soludo to ensure that the state is moving forward.
Earlier in her address, the Executive Chairman, ASUBEB, Associate Prof. Vera Nwadinobi described primary education as the fundamental stage in the life of every human being and urged that every school key into the Healthy Living Garden initiative of the government.