Lions Club takes health awareness to pregnant women, supports street-kids initiative
By Isaac Taiwo
THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD Fatima Jubril was filled with joy as she stood before the crowd on Tuesday at Ojudu, Lagos, singing in Hausa and English languages.
Many in the audience who might not have known the reason why, at a point, tears filled her eyes must have done so when singing, Fatima humbly told the crowd:
"Today, I am proud to stand before you to sing and show some of the things I can do. I would have been begging on the streets of Lagos, but because the Gabasawa Women Empowerment Initiative came into my life, everything changed for me."
Everyone in the audience clapped and cheered, including the 68 other children whose destinies have been changed by Gabasawa Women Empowerment Initiative.
The occasion was on Thursday, when the International Association of Lions Clubs, District 404 B Nigeria, Region Three, led by the District Governor, Chris Ade Akinremi and Chairperson, Carol Enuha, visited the President of Gabasawa Women and Children Empowerment Initiative, Mrs. Doris Yaro at her Ogudu Lagos offices and presented the children with gifts of school uniforms and exercise books.
In his address, Akinremi said he was impressed that Mrs. Yaro chose to turn around the lives of low-income earners, by offering them education.
Mrs. Yaro said the initiative took form in 1997 during her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) period in Kaduna where she came in contact with women living in penury.
"When I later came to Lagos and found myself at Ogudu, I began to see children picking food from dust bins and was moved.
"Many of these children were not going to school and my inquisitiveness as to why this was so led me to some parents in the area and I discovered that they were children of water-sellers and security guards whose parents could not afford to send to school.
I began to befriend their parents and took up the challenge of sponsoring the children.
"We now have up to 68 pupils in primary school and nine in secondary school.
"Instead of spending N15,000 to buy super wax ankara, I would rather buy one of N6,500 and save some money to pay school fees of one or two pupils," she said.
The Gabasawa Women and Children Empowerment Initiative was one of the beneficiaries of the largesse donated by Lions Club during the District Governor's visit to Region Three.
The Club had earlier visited Agege Health Centre where the club carried out a Roll Back Malaria Awareness Campaign, with guest speakers addressing pregnant women.
One of the guest speakers, Dr. Deji Morenikeji of Lion Medical Centre, Ikeja addressed pregnant women and told them that pregnant women and children were more prone to the attack of malaria.
He said malaria during pregnancy was more complicated because it affects two persons: the mother and the baby.
He asked the women to take preventive measures by using mosquito nets, maintain personal hygiene and get rid of stagnant water in their environment.
"Under normal circumstance, babies of three months old in the womb cannot have malaria because of immunity.
However, whenever you feel weak, visit your doctor and ensure you do not use just any tablet because your babies can be affected.
The Managing Director and Consultant, Natural Health Services and Stress Management Consultancy, Yuonne Bulley warned the pregnant women on the dangers of Vitamin C deficiency.
She also stressed the importance of Vitamin B6, which according to her, is good for brain cell and recommended that they eat enough of water melon, coconut, sweet potatoes, oranges, lemons and tomatoes among others.
"Make use of locust beans instead of 'maggi' and prevent cancer by chewing small bits of ginger and garlic."
At the Ikeja Local Council, Akinremi told the Chairman, Mr. Wale Odunlami of some of the projects carried out by the club in Ikeja area.
"A lot of our costly projects are in Ikeja where we have dug boreholes, supported a lot of schools with benches, seats, built classroom blocks and equipped libraries, particularly at Opebi.
"We want to do more but we need your encouragement as some of these projects are being vandalised.
"Our members are worried and internationally, we are being asked the state of all our projects.
"We want you to identify with us, draw us more closer and protect our projects" he said.
The chairman promised that the local council would continue to support and encourage Lions Club by ensuring that such projects would be better protected from vandals in future.
"We will hand over your projects to Community Development Association that will effectively over see them" he said.
The District Governor also commissioned a bore-hole with a generator for the School Village at Ikeja comprising Ikeja Primary School, Central Primary School, Local Government Primary School and Community Vocational Centre.
