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John Adams, Minna
Worried by the low level of awareness about the Coronavirus pandemic among the rural communities in Niger state, a non governmental organization, AYE-WOSAI Global Foundation has began community to community sensitization to help contain community spread of the virus.
The Foundation believed that despite the government efforts at sensitizing the people, most of the enlightenment campaign against the spread of the COVID 19 have been concentrated at the urban cities.
Flagging off the sensitization exercise in kadna community in Bosso local government area of the state, the founder AYE-WOSAI Global Foundation Mrs Mary Noel-Berje said that the need to take enlightenment campaign against the pandemic was informed by the realization that the level of awareness about the COVID 19 among the rural is still very low.
According to her, “despite the vigorous enlightenment campaign by the state government TaskForce on COVID19 in the state, majority of the rural dwellers in the state still do not believe that the pandemic is real. It has been business as usual with complete disregards to precautionary measures put in place by the government to contain the spread of the virus”.
Mrs. Berje who is also the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, disclosed that the foundation will educate the people on the precautionary measures against the spread of the virus like social distancing, self-isolation, avoiding being overcrowded, regular hand washing with detergents and the use of sanitizer.
She pointed out that “the situation in most of the communities in the state is that of everybody to himself and God for us all”, adding that “it has been business as usual”.
Mrs. Berje also believed that there is the need for all and sundry to compliment government efforts at containing the spread of the COVID 19, especially among the rural communities “who already have disadvantage of been far from health facilities”.
She insisted that in a country like Nigeria where the numbers of COVID 19 cases are already going above a thousand, the need to commence an aggressive sensitization against community spread of the pandemic becomes imperative.
“This is why AYE-WOSAI Global Foundation is set out to contribute its quota by championing the intense and adequate sensitization of rural communities on the dangers of the virus and precautionary measures With Kadna community as the first point of call.
“Kadna community is a small rural settlement located in Niger state with a zonal circumference stretching between 5 to 6 kilometres and hosting a good number of households.
“We felt the need to make our contribution by visiting the community which had no or Inadequate knowledge of the wild spread and deadliness of COVID 19, which could be detrimental to a community.
“In doing this, The foundation set out with a team of experts and translators to drive home their message communicating in the local languages the people understand most which are Gbagyi and Hausa”.
“The foundation also gave out some hand sanitizers and disinfectant soaps to the people to ensure compliance in line with the demonstrations carried out”
The high point of the sensitization exercise was the Distribution of some palliative to the people to cushion the efforts of hardship occasioned by the Lockdown as a measure to contain the spread of the virus.
