VSF gives starving Cross River schools, communities water

After over 30 years of anguish, three communities and schools in Cross River State have benefited from the Victims Support Fund (VSF) programme on water.

Similarly, the body donated food and medical items worth over N150 million to the poor.

Before now, the communities trekked kilometres for potable water.

The beneficiaries, which cut across the state’s three senatorial districts, are Okurike in Biase Local Government Area (LGA); Uchu Yache in Yala LGA and Ekureku of Abi LGA, while the schools include Presbyterian Primary School, Okurike; Community Secondary School, Uchu Yache, Yala and Abote Comprehensive Secondary School, Ekureku.

The Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) said the gesture was to lessen the rural people’s suffering, adding that it had a lot of impact in 35 states of the federation amid the prevailing economic hardship.

Chairperson, VSF COVID-19 Taskforce, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, who spoke yesterday at the official commissioning of a motorised borehole project at Okurike community, observed that with the exception of Rivers, every other state had benefited from VSF intervention projects since its conception in 2014 by General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd).
She listed part of the programme to include distribution of health facilities and consumables, food items and provision of boreholes to those presumably forgotten.

Ogunsiji said VSA had to scale up its scheme to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak, adding: “We have the responsibility of going into the hinterland to identify projects that could touch human lives and people hitherto forgotten by the government.”

She went on: “You can see the water project here in Okurike Primary School, it will not only be beneficial to the school alone but the community as well. We don’t just throw money at projects, but also ensure that we are maximising impact on our intended beneficiaries.

“VSF has the responsibility to go into the rural communities that were hitherto forgotten, perhaps by government and individuals, to really do programmes that could touch people’s lives. The children here need water, and the important thing is that projects like this, would benefit the entire community.”

Earlier, the representative of the community, Chief Dickson Osetu, appreciated that the water project would solve a major problem faced by residents over the years.

Also speaking, the Head Teacher of Okurike Presbyterian Primary School, Mrs. Jessie Okorie, commended VSF for identifying with the settlement.