Follow Us on Google
By Doris Obinna
As part of efforts to deliver on its mandate to address sustainable development and promote economic and social growth across underserved communities in sub-Saharan Africa, the TESS Foundation Africa, an Africa-based non-profit organization, has launched its project Raising Initiatives for Societal Empowerment (RISE) programme.
The project RISE was set up to address the disparity between the health needs of rural communities and the availability of adequate healthcare providers. The RISE initiative was borne out of a need to ensure unhindered access to quality healthcare and promote rural development through a comprehensive approach and innovative empowerment programmes.
Speaking at the launch of RISE, Adebukunola Telufusi, director, TESS Foundation Africa, said, “Our pledge is to address the growing need for equitable and sustainable development while bridging the gap in economic and social growth across the underfunded demography. TESS Foundation Africa is an African organization for Africans that advocates for rural development and RISE is an effective catalyst to address pertinent issues and concerns in rural communities in Africa.”
Telufusi added that the project RISE initiative would address these critical issues plaguing the healthcare system in underserved communities by establishing more innovative systems and tools that will deliver competent and comprehensive healthcare services and education to the communities.
The keynote speaker at the project launch, former chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Olanrewaju Tejuosho, stated his belief in the executive director and the RISE project, Tejuosho.
While stating his willingness to support the project, he noted that many organisations had embarked on such projects, which didn’t pan out. He, however, added that his interactions with the executive director had convinced him that this was a worthy project that would be carried out to completion.
Programme managers, TESS Foundation, Joy Ighowhemu and Chinenye Ekwueme, respectively, spoke about fostering inclusivity and creating a healthier and more empowered society over the years by providing access to high-quality healthcare, medications, screening, medical consultation and educational programmes for children through the TESS Medical Care Access Initiative (MCAI) and the TESS Foundation Academy.
They concluded by emphasising that, to record more successes on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) already achieved in Africa, there was a need for a comprehensive and integrated long-term approach towards achieving quality health for rural African communities, hence the idea of the project RISE.
The initiative will focus on key areas of health, education, community development and technology to address the major needs of underprivileged persons and adequately bridge the gap in economic development across the rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
