The health and future wellbeing of rescued Baby Michael Alvez, who suffers from face ulcer, seem to be on hold. Project Alert and rescuers have decided to refund donations raised, following alleged money-consciousness on the part of his family. GBOYEGA ALAKA reports.
A thick shadow, penulti-mate week, fell on the future of four-year-old Baby Michael Alvez, who had been undergoing treatment for a diagnosed Facial Hemangioma at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).
Project Alert, and his rescuers, Kate Henshaw, Aramide Kasunmu and Temitope Oluwagbemi, who had been raising money and working hard towards the baby’s treatment and rehabilitation, have decided to refund the money, over nine million Naira, to the respective donors, following what they termed “problematic” attitude from his parents.
Over a year ago, March 16, last year to be precise, Henshaw, who incidentally is brand ambassador to Project Alert, and the two other ladies, came across a very sick boy with open, degenerating face sore, running in traffic and soliciting alms around the Lagos Museum Roundabout, Onikan.
Moved with pity, they got hold of him, located his mother, who had brought him to the location to solicit alms and offered to help.
Following Michael’s admission into LUTH, Henshaw, Kasunmu and Oluwagbemi footed his bills along with his mum, Mary’s upkeep, until his ailment was confirmed and it was decided that he would require a long period of treatment and huge financial intervention. Together with Project Alert, as a host organisation, they went public for donations.
Mary was initially billed to be a signatory to the account, along with Henshaw and Effah-Chukwuma (Executive Director, Project Alert), until she was dropped, following a discovery that she had once raised money from the public, raising about N700,000 through a television (TVC) campaign, without attempting any major treatment or leaving the streets.
The account was opened and people kept donating for the boy’s treatment. The donations came notably from friends of the rescuers, Henshaw, Kasunmu and Oluwagbemi. Kasunmu, through her online GoFundme account, raised N597, 000 within three weeks of Michael’s admission, which was used in funding the baby and his mum’s weekly bills, medical tests and medications.
In all, Kate Henshaw and her group of friends raised 50 per cent of the total money generated.
Everything worked well until the family started making trouble and the money, which Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, Executive Director, Project Alert said is in excess of N9 million, allegedly became a target for Baby Michael’s family.
According to Effah-Chukwuma, at a recent press conference, Project Alert and the rescuers have decided to refund all donations to the respective donors because Baby Michael’s family has frustrated their efforts.
“Their antagonism was not only limited to the rescuers and Project Alert, but also to the different government agencies responsible for care and protection of children such as Michael. Not only did his mother, Mary, abandon him in the wards; she was also maltreating him…and even beat up another woman in the ward, and threatened to burn down the ward when accosted by the matron,” a statement signed by Effah-Chukuma read.
As a result, she was banned from the hospital and the baby’s grandmother came to stay with him, while his aunt, Syndi Ezeanyeji assumed guardianship.
Effah-Chukwuma spoke of how Ezeanyeji, in November, last year, sent lawyers to them requesting information on the account and amount raised and how the family vehemently rejected efforts by the state government to place the baby under proper hygienic care, accusing the state and the rescuing team of conniving to take their child away from them.
Things reached a head in February this year, when, at a meeting of all parties convened by the Lagos Social Welfare Department, at the Secretariat, the family vehemently refused to give up their son, rejected further medical intervention and signed an affidavit with the welfare body to the effect. Aside that, Ezeanyeji got another law firm, Beacon Solicitors to write to Project Alert about the fund.
As a result, Project Alert and the rescuers wonder why the family is more interested in the money which was raised for the boy’s treatment than his health and have decided to reimburse the donors.
The donations will be refunded in the following order: 50 per cent to all donors who made donations of N20, 000 and above; and 100 per cent to those who donated N19, 999.
