By Favour Odimegwu

Small Care, Big Smiles was the theme of this year’s Children’s Day event organised by Garki Hospital, Abuja, to celebrate the children receiving treatment at the hospital.
  
Falling within the Sallah season, the celebration brought a rare moment of joy, colour and relief to young patients and their families amid illness, medical procedures and emotional strain.
  
Aside from the distribution of kindness packs to children in the paediatric wards and outpatient units; there was financial support for selected patients in need.
  
The hospital’s paediatric recreation room was transformed into a lively, child-friendly space decorated with colourful balloons and filled with music, games and gift packs. For a couple hours, the atmosphere shifted from anxiety to excitement. The room offered a temporary escape for children in the ward, those attending appointments and others undergoing tests or recovering from treatment.

As the Children’s Day celebration met the spirit of Sallah at Garki Hospital, the message was clear: in healthcare, small acts of kindness can carry enormous weight and sometimes, laughter can be medicine too.
  
The hospital’s Marketing and Communication Officer, Miss Joy Adejoh, said the initiative was designed not only to mark Children’s Day but also to ease the emotional and financial pressure many families are carrying.
  
However, beneath the music and celebration was the reality of why the children were there in the first place.

“Not every child is happy to be here today. Some are going into surgery, some are on standby awaiting treatment, while others have just completed theirs. We simply want to create a joyful environment around them despite their circumstances,” said Adejoh.
  
Mrs Maryam Isah, whose child is being treated for a severe stomach upset, said the celebration helped calm and comfort her child, turning a difficult hospital experience into a more manageable one.
  
For Madam Hafsat Abubaker, the most memorable moment came when her child who was initially in tears, frightened by injections received a party gift pack, thereafter quickly brightened up, wiped away the tears and began dancing.
  
Another parent, Mr Desmond John praised the hospital for creating a meaningful Children’s Day experience for the young patients. He also used the occasion to call on the government to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and expand quality health initiatives to reach more vulnerable children and mothers. He said the country must do more to stop the loss of pregnant women and children to poor medical infrastructure.
  
This year’s event was organised with support from We Share Charity Foundation, Peak Milk and Airtel Nigeria.