Over 500 indigenes in Okarki community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State have benefitted from a free medical outreach and farm tools distribution by the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Spring Gardens.
President of the club, Ajoke Enebeli said the gesture was carried in partnership with Guaranty Optical, Succor Foundation for Indigents, Selfless Patriots, and DAARYA Limited to improve the well being of people living in rural areas, under the Rotary International areas of focus: Mother and Child Health, Disease Prevention and Treatment as well as Economic empowerment Development, and Environment.
She said ” we’ve been called to serve to change lives, as Rotarians. That’s why we choose this community, Okarki in Ahoada West to improve their health through our medical out reach and also boost their economy by distribution of farm tools like rain boots, rain coats, cutlasses, and insecticide to over 50 farmers. The young girls and women were given intensive training on mensural pads production and hygiene. In the medical outreach, over two hundred reading glasses were distributed by our opticians to aged people that were diagnosed and children were given treatment of malaria and polio vaccines administered to some children too. I’m really excited that we could reach out to these people and put smiles on their faces”.
On his part, Rotary International District 9141 Governor Elect, Mightyman Ayekuro who declared the project open said Rotary Clubs will continue to impact positively on lives especially in the rural areas where it is most imperative. He commended the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Spring Gardens for embarking on what he described as a life changing project in Okarki community Ahoada West.
Ayekuro promised that his administration will ensure rural communities in the Niger Delta region feel the presence and impact of Rotary Clubs around them.
The Okarki community traditional Leader who was over whelmed, expressed joy as he spoke to our correspondent Precious Ahiakwo-Ovie.saying “this gift from the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Spring Gardens is first and one of a kind. We have never witnessed this type of goodness in this community. The Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Spring Gardens has saved our children from dying of malaria and our elderly from blindness. We don’t have access to basic medical care here, this medical outreach has saved us from dying prematurely. We pray for more of this here since government is yet to come to our aid. The farm tools also will encourage farmers as most farmers tools have gone bad. We are very happy”.
The Lead, Medical Outreach, Pharmacist Adanna Achor decried the prevalence of malaria outbreak among children and looming blindness epidemic among the elderly in that community.
“Our test results carried out during the outreach here shows Eighty percentage of children are suffering from serious malaria. We even ran out of drugs to give to them. Eye test carried out too by our opticians shows most elderly men and women have glacuoma and cataract. Some of them are even partially blind. An outbreak of blindness and malaria outbreak is looming in this community if nothing is done”, she said.
