Isheri North Rotary Club promises to help underprivileged citizens

The Isheri North Rotary Club has reiterated its commitment to rendering help to the under-privileged citizens in the country through its several humanitarian projects and commitment.

The newly-inducted Second President of the club, Rotarian Olugbenga Babayemi, who stated this, at the weekend, during the fund-raising and investiture ceremony tagged: “The Role of Citizens in Leadership and Nation-building,” in Lagos, said that the club would continue to contribute its quota towards alleviating poverty and ensuring a good healthcare for the people.

He said: “Our commitment to polio eradication is intact and every Rotarian is committed to 100 per cent eradication of the disease globally.

“We want to solicit assistance in raising funds to undertake our projects for this year.
“Revamp and equip primary healthcare centre at Isheri to help the community of over 10,000 people have access to functional, low cost and free healthcare services.” He reiterated the club’s interest to partner with community leaders and the state government for its sustainability, saying that the projects require N5 million to be achieved.

“We acquire furniture, medical equipment, other public health and other re-modification works.

“Free eye-cataract, screening and surgery, to improve eye health, carryout eye restoration surgeries including screening and post-operation medications and follow-ups for 30 persons, and N3 million is budgeted for that. We hope to collaborate with Eye Foundation to deliver on this project.

“Basic education supports at Local Government Primary School, Isheri-Olofin. This shall seek to improve the teaching-learning conditions including basic infrastructure, learning aids, education textbooks, bags and teaching materials. We have planned in-service training and seminars for teachers for capacity building, and estimated budget is N1.5million.

Speaking on Isheri North Educational Endowment Fund (INEEF), Babayemi said the aim is to provide financial support to at least 50 deserving students in public schools towards West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) and preparatory classes and also bursaries to identified college students based on their financial reediness.

“We intend to expand the fund to provide micro-grants of 50,000 each to a number of hard-working single-parent mothers and market women in the community. Amount sought to jumpstart this intervention is 2.5m.”

Babayemi also talked about the N3 million budget for the Isheri Estate Community (ISECOM) public garden on Channels TV Avenue project to promote environmental sustainability, mitigate the impacts of climate change and enhance the beauty of the community.

On her part, 9110 District Governor Omotunde Lawson, in her address said Rotary club is an international organisation designed to take care of the people who are underprivileged.

“We gather business people and join hands to do things that are almost impossible. We do a need assessment of the communities, maybe a school, hospital, etcetera before we commence, and the club has areas of focus and there is no way these can be achieved without call for financial assistance.”

On commitment to charity work, in spite of the harsh economic reality, she said, “Once you are a member of Rotary Club, you are committed. Some of us have extra funds and you can ask yourself, why waste it on other things when you can impact the lives of people.

“The drive is that once you have rendered these services and you see the smiles on the faces of people and you discover that because you have provided water, those who have benefitted no longer have typhoid, they no longer have diarrhoea, and they become healthier, you will be happy. The joy that you see on the faces of the children, for example, is what drives us,” she said.