…books, sanitary items to Lagos schools

By Nnamdi Ojiego

The Rotary Club of Lagos Festac Cosmopolitan has distributed birth delivery kits to pregnant women in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State, as part of efforts to support safer childbirth and reduce the burden on expectant mothers.

The beneficiaries, who attended antenatal care at the Amuwo Odofin Primary Health Centre in Festac, received safe birth kits containing a nursing mother bag, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, cord clamps, cotton wool, sanitary pads, surgical blades, razor blades, scalpel blades, mucus extractors and Chlorxy-G gel.

Speaking during the presentation, a member of the club, Ik Ugwu, said the gesture was aimed at easing the cost of delivery materials for the women.

“This is our own little way of showing that we care and wish you a safe delivery,” he said. “Inside the bags are items you are usually asked to provide, so that the burden will not be too heavy.”

The chief nursing officer at the health centre commended the club for the support but appealed for assistance in improving the facility’s laboratory. Ugwu assured that the club would engage further with the centre to identify and address its needs.

In a related outreach, the club donated books to New Town Nursery and Primary School and Ideal Nursery and Primary School, both located on 3rd Avenue, Festac Town. The books, covering national values and basic sciences, were distributed across all classes from Primary One to Six.

The initiative builds on a similar intervention last year, when the club provided verbal and quantitative reasoning textbooks to the same schools.

Under its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme, the club also presented sanitary items including brooms, buckets, mop sticks, hand towels, water basins, hand brushes, toilet brushes, gloves, antiseptics, detergents, bleach, air fresheners and toilet cleaners to promote hygiene among pupils.

As part of its environmental project, the club planted two mango and two almond trees across the schools to encourage environmental awareness.

Presenting the items, the club’s president, Uche Ibiang, urged the pupils to make proper use of the materials. Another member, IK Onodi, said the donations were intended to support both learning and healthy living.

“The aim is to ensure that your environment remains clean and that you stay safe from diseases,” he said.

Responding, the head teacher of Ideal Nursery and Primary School, Mr. Agbelemo Joshua Babatunde, expressed appreciation for the continued support.

“They promised last year and fulfilled it. This year, they are here again. We are grateful, and the children are excited about the books,” he said.

Similarly, the head teacher of New Town Nursery and Primary School, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Bamidele Badiru, thanked the club for its consistency.

“Our library benefited greatly from their last visit, and today they have returned again. We appreciate this commitment and support,” she said.