Bill Gates Foundation (BGT), in partnership with Rotary International (RI) and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), has launched an action plan to safeguard the lives of children under five in Akwa Ibom and Kebbi States, which are worst hit by the three killer diseases – malaria, diarrhoea, and pneumonia.
According to Rotary Club International, Bill Gates Foundation has earmarked $30 million to fight the menace most endemic in the two states, with the aim of eliminating the scourge among infants.
Under the Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge (RHCC), volunteers and other medical professionals have been trained in readiness for the commencement of the programme expected to be flagged off by the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno, by next month.
Ahead of the exercise, officials of Rotary International have commenced a sensitisation and enlightenment exercise in the six pilot local government areas—Nsit Ibom, Eket, Ibesikpo Asutan, Onna, Oruk Anam, and Ikono—where the paramount rulers were urged to make the exercise seamless.
Speaking with community leaders and stakeholders before commencing treatment of children in the areas, the Rotary Club’s country lead, Dr. Dele Balagun, recalled how the Rotary Club fought to eliminate polio in Nigeria and other parts of the world except Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He assured the coalition would use the same spirit to fight the three killer diseases to a standstill and pleaded with the community leaders to allow the medics and the volunteer health workers access to the villages to treat these diseases in September.
He said: “The success we recorded in the fight against polio has inspired us to tackle these child diseases in our local communities. We have partnered with Bill Gates Foundation as our financier for this project.
“The foundation has selected Kebbi and Akwa Ibom states for the pilot programme, which will last for three years,” he stressed.
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He explained that the diseases would be tested before being administered to the children in the selected communities without any charge from parents, and there would be another opportunity to monitor the children’s responses to the treatments.
“If there is any complication, the affected children will be referred to hospital for further treatment. We have trained volunteer health workers who will move to different households in the communities to meet with children for treatment.
” The volunteers are drawn from the six wards in the communities and they know more about families there,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the royal fathers in the project’s selected local government areas have declared their support for the programme.
The paramount rulers of OrukAnam LGA, His Royal Majesty Akuku Johnson Johnny Obosi, Raymond Inyang, Onna, ECD Abia, Eket, and others described the scheme as a good development but urged Rotary International to also capture critical health issues affecting men and women, who remain the guardians of the children.
“It is a welcome development for the well-being of our children . We thank Rotary Club for this initiative and we are ready to ensure the exercise succeeds at the end of the day,” they assured.
