Abuja Rotary Club to spend N20m on maternal, child health

July 8, 2024 9:35 pm

Outgoing President, Rotary Club of Abuja Maitama, Agwu Ijeoma Joyce, 13th President Rotary Club of Abuja Maitama, Rosemond Favour Uche and Eucheria Ekweozoh, during the Investiture of the 13th President of Rotary Club of Abuja Maitama.

The Rotary Club in Maitama, Abuja, says it will spend N20 million on humanitarian projects, including maternal health and boy-child education in the nation’s capital.

Rosemond Uche, the 13th president of the club, said her leadership would focus on maternal and child health in rural areas of the federal capital territory (FCT).

She said part of the money would be used to improve the water supply in the Kuje correctional facility and focus on the development of the boy-child.

“In our 2024–25 plans, this club will undertake projects in Rotary’s seven core thematic areas, estimated at N20 million,” Uche said.

“Our projects have been a testament to Rotary’s enduring commitment to humanitarian service and have made a significant impact on countless lives.

“As we are taking off, July is known as the month of maternal health and child care, so, first of all, we will locate hospitals in the interior of the FCT. We want to prioritise village hospitals for maximum impact.

“We will give them birthing bags that contain all the compulsory items required for pregnant women before they are delivered to a hospital. We are going to start with 100 bags and distribute them to village hospitals in rural communities.

“Another significant project is improving the Kuje correctional facility’s water supply. Having discovered that their borehole is outdated and filled with mud, we will either dig a new one to be solar-powered, ensuring they can pump water even without the main power supply.

“The place is a correctional centre, no longer a place to inflict punishment, so we need to make the environment conducive for them.

“We need to spotlight the need for early and adequate attention and nurturing of the boy-child. We all know that if you train a girl or a woman, you have trained a nation.

“But to prevent untrained boys from derailing or destroying the trained girls, we must also focus on the future of the boy-child.

“This is what we want to champion through training, mentoring, equipping, and empowering them for future challenges.”