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By Sunday Ani
The Rotary Club of Festac Central, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Greenfield, recently feted inmates of the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre, Lagos, with 1,500 packs of cooked rice.
Members of the clubs, who visited the centre in their numbers, also donated assorted items to the inmates, ranging from several crates of mineral water to cartons of detergents and medicines to treat ailments such as malaria, among others.
The president of Rotary Club of Greenfield, Francis Opute, said the gesture was to give the inmates a sense of belonging because it was not everybody inside the facility that was a criminal.
“Some of them are just unfortunate to be there. We bought five bags of rice and slaughtered one cow to prepare the meal. The idea is to let them eat what we eat outside. So, let us give them that sense of belonging. That is why we are here,” he added.
Mr. Emeka Augustine Okolonji, who represented the district governor, Omotunde Lawson, at the event, said they were there to spend time and wine and dine with the inmates because Rotarians believe in giving their time and treasure to the underprivileged.
In a separate development, the clubs equally spent over N2.5 million to renovate a toilet facility at the Festac Junior Grammar School, Festac Town, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State. The clubs equally repaired the school’s borehole and provided a water treatment plant to ensure the water was drinkable, and equally distributed over 680 pairs of sanitary pads to the female students.
While launching the projects, the assistant governor, Rotary Club of Amuwo, who represented the district governor, Anthonia Agugoesi, said she was impressed with the projects as they were an indication that the time spent attending Rotary meetings and the little contributions Rotarians made were not in vain.
“I am here to commission these projects on behalf of our district governor. I know that the clubs involved in these projects are Rotary Club of Festac Central and Rotary Club of Greenfield. It doesn’t mean that Rotarians are too rich; it only indicates that they have a mind to give,” she said.
She urged the school’s management and students to take care of the project, stressing that it was easier to obtain than to maintain: “Maintenance is very important because, if you don’t maintain what you have, I don’t really think that you can have more. So, we are urging you to see the project as your own personal property and maintain it very well.
“It will last a little longer and impact more. We are glad we are doing this. I call on the Rotarians to keep doing what they know how to do.”
President of the Rotary Club of Festac Central, Ndudirim Nkechi Eucharia, also expressed satisfaction that the school’s toilet, which was dilapidated and posed a health hazard to the students, has been renovated to a modern toilet. She also noted that the borehole, which was rusty, has been given a facelift, with water treatment plants installed, thereby making the water drinkable.
“Today, they have a functional borehole with good water that they can drink and use to flush their toilet and the toilet is now a modern one,” she added.
She also stated that the clubs provided sanitary pads for the female students to help them maintain proper hygiene during their monthly menstrual cycles.
She said the clubs decided to concentrate on pads the girl child needs to learn how to protect herself. She said: “When there is no hygiene, there would be infection, and when a child is infected at a tender age, it goes all the way to affect her even in marriage. Some women that are suffering from infertility today are as a result of incurable and long-term infections they had as teenagers. So, we don’t want our girl-child to start having such problems that could lead to infertility when they are married. With the pads, they will clean up very well during their monthly cycle. This way, their health will also be protected. The value of what we have done here is about N2.5 million.”
On the choice of the Festac Junior Grammar School, the service project chairman, Rotary Club of Greenfield, Anwuli Ogbonnaya, said it was the choice of their collaborative partner, the Rotary Club of Festac Central: “Each club does projects within its locality and, since the school is located in the same environment as the Rotary Club of Festac Central, we were only invited to collaborate with them. This is a three-in-one project, comprising the toilet, the borehole and the sanitary pads for the young girls. We distributed over 680 pairs of pads to the girls,” she said.
In her response, the vice-principal of the school, Mrs. Oloye Monsurat Adebola, who stood in for the principal, thanked the Rotary clubs for the projects.
Apart from the projects, she also thanked them for providing health tips for the female students on how to maintain proper hygiene during and after their monthly menstrual flow.
