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Tag: NGO

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    To encourage and celebrate excellence in public schools, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) Movement For Change in Oshodi, (MOCO), Lagos has presented scholarships awards to six outstanding pupils in Education District VI, Oshodi.

    The awardees excelled in the May/June 2013 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

    This year’s event held at Ikeja Grammar School was the second edition of what the NGO tagged: Oshodi Brilliance Awards (OBA).

    The awardees are: Isaac Mercy, (Unity Senior Grammar School); Ebeleme Ezekiel, (Oshodi aSenior High School); Amaechi Chizobam, (Ikeja Senior Grammar School); Salaudeen Silifat, (Bolade Senior Grammar School); Okanlawon Hammed; (Mafoluku Senior Grammar School); and Akomozie Lovely (Oshodi Comprehensive Senior High).

    They were given N10.000 scholarships, and free UTME forms with free mentorship and tutorials ahead of the 2013/2014 JAMB.

    Isaac, who turned out the best of the lot got N50.000 scholarship, with a promise of N50.000 per session upon her admission into the university provided she sustains a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.50 every session.

    The chairman of the occasion and Chief Executive Officer, Adams Tutorial College Oshodi, Adams Adebola, said Nigeria places more values on the entertainment industry at the expense of education.

    “Our environment is concentrating much on the entertainment industry. The Big Brothers Africa show is a shining example where people are brought in one house for about 90 days, drinking, smoking and eating and at the end of the day, would get a handsome cash reward. Aside Big Brother Africa, there are so many reality shows in Nigeria where you can participate and win millions of naira. We celebrate and value musicians a lot, but we need to do so in education too in order to encourage our youths.

    “Many of our schools today have no award programme where excellent graduands are celebrated. Many of the students are willing to be the best from their schools but those things that can really motivate them are not put in place and this really affects them. They feel they are not recognised or celebrated so they put no importance in it,” Adams said.

    He called on the society to support less-privileged children to change their mindset from social vices.

    Mercy who got eight distinctions in the WASSCE expressed her appreciation.

    Mercy said: “The journey so far has been hectic and challenging, but I am still grateful to God. Out of no time, I still found time to study. I want to be the best and I want God to use me to upgrade my family. My parents are not financially stable. This made me challenge myself never to be poor in life. I want to set a pace for my young ones.”

    MOCO initiator, Hamzat Ganiyu, said the NGO is out to change youths in the district from becoming nuisance.

     

     

    ”Many of them are concentrating more in football, music and other things, thinking they can actually achieve much without education. So we felt there is a need to satisfy them. So, we came particularly to public schools to encourage students. Leaving it in the hands of the government might not fully be actualised, so it is our own quota that we are contributing to the society,” she said.

     

  • NGO empowers youths

    It was all joy at Ijegun and six other neighbouring communities under the Alimosho Local Government when Bestspring Children and Youth Development Foundation, a non-governmental organisation committed to holistic development of children and youth empowerment visited the area.

    The programme, tagged ‘Project C-YED, which is an acronym for Community Youth Empowerment and Development, came as an intervention outreach meant to empower the disadvantaged youth in the community and its environs.

    The programme which was held at the Ijegun Town Hall had in attendance traditional chiefs, residents of the area, community youth organisations and the youths in attendance.

    The President of the NGO, Mrs. Aramide Oikelome, said that the organisation was deeply concerned at the alarming spate of youth dropouts from school and teenage pregnancy as well as the level of poverty and idleness prevalent among the youth in the community.

    Among other things, she said Bestspring was out to educate the youths in “the communities on reproductive health, sexually transmitted infectious and HIV/AIDS, even as it empowers them educationally and through skill acquisition initiatives”

    She said, “We are in Ijegun to launch our Project C-YED. The project is an intervention outreach to indigent youths in Ijegun and six other neighbouring communities of Okeorube, Ijeododo, Isheri-Osun, Ijeagemo, Kudeibu and Fagbile under Alimosho Local Government. These communities are largely underdeveloped, flood-prone and poverty-stricken.

    “We are deeply concerned at the increasing rate of male dropouts from school and teenage pregnancy, the excruciating poverty, idleness and sheer waste of youthful strength/talent due to ignorance and lack of vital information on reproductive health in these seven communities, which has led to the spread of STIs, HIV/AIDS amongst youths.

    “We are set to educate the youths in these communities on reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. We are also set to empower the youths. We will assist them to acquire basic vocational skills and empower them with starting capital so they can fend for themselves.”

    The president also hinted that the organisation will mentor those that desire to go back to school “and assist them with scholarship as God provides for us,” adding that even though they do not have “foreign partners” at the moment as they have to make do with their meager resources, they hope that help will come their way because according to her, “there is a lot of work to be done to reshape the lives of our youths and salvage them from the dregs of wastage and destruction”.

    Project Manager of the Foundation, Miss Olayinka Asubiaro, said the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the communities, will make them embark on “general training every Saturday for the next one year in this community. The youths will have opportunity to acquire various skills. Economically, we will empower many people in Ijegun and six other communities.”

    A medical doctor and member of the Board of Trustee of the foundation, Dr. Dapo Ayeni, enlightened the youths on reproductive health. He urged them to understand their physiological status. This, he said, will help them not to take actions or be involved in anything that could be inimical to their health.

    He appealed to them to have goals for their lives, adding that they should pursue the goals to become whatever they desire in life such as political office holders, lawyers, doctors and so on. He also enjoined ladies to avoid teenage pregnancy so that they can get to the top.

     

    Earlier, Chairman, Ijegun Central CDA, High Chief Kabiru Mustapha submitted that the high rate of teenage pregnancy in Ijegun was an index of home training. If a man can handle his family properly, I don’t think there would be such things.

    He said, “The coming of the Bestspring Foundation to Ijegun is well appreciated. This programme is very nice one. I pray that God will continue help this foundation so that it will continue to impact positively on the people. The youths should maximise the opportunities brought to the community by the foundation.”

    While Miss Esther Pieterse, Future Hope Orphanage Home, Germany Wing, who was in the country when the programme was organised praised the Foundation for giving scholarships to the children of the Future Hope Orphanage Home, Ijegun, Lagos.

    She said, “Ijegun is at the crossroad now, it is either they go the good way and develop solidarity, they develop the community, or they go the other way and breed more criminals in Lagos. But with what I have seen so far in Ijegun, people have hope and they are strong believers.

    ”What I have seen is that they have to struggle because they have hope in one hand and then on the other hand, they have to live with so many obstacles and pains in their daily lives. I am in Nigeria because we want to build an orphanage in Ogun State for 63 children. Honestly, there is too much poverty, especially street children that have lost their parents. It is an enormous danger for the society as well. If you just leave them on their own, they would be lost and 90 per cent of them would probably become criminals.”

    Madam Foyeke Alayande led members of the Morning Star Society of the Yaba Baptist Church, Lagos to the programme. The society donated some gift items to members of the community. She commended the foundation for the initiative.

    The youths in attendance welcomed the initiative, even as the promised to leverage on the opportunity to become better citizens. One of those that responded to the foundation gesture. Mr. Funware Pepper, a student, said the foundation has come to liberate them from illiteracy and as a breakthrough to the youths in Ijegun.

    Miss Esther Seidu, an ex-student seeking admission to tertiary institution advised young girls to “say no to sex which can lead to teenage pregnancy. I will not involve myself in any relationship for now because relationship nowadays leads to sex. I will keep myself till after my wedding. It is not bad to have a relationship but you need to say NO to sex.”

     

    For Miss Folake Adewumi, 20, a secondary school leaver, it is important for youths to keep themselves from teenage pregnancy because of the shame associated with it. “I am making a commitment that I will not indulge in sexual relationship until after my wedding. Boys have been running after me but I won’t go into relationship with them.”

    Miss Bukola Olawale extolled Bestspring Foundation for the relevance of Project C-YED to youths. “Personally I have observed that so many youths are getting pregnant in this community. The causes of the pregnancy range from idleness, lack of home training and stubbornness. Many youths don’t know anything about their reproductive health.”

    Mr. Abdul-Azeez Oluwafemi said he did not have the time to go into relationship with a girl because his education was his priority.

    Bestspring Foundation also seized the opportunity to present the second leg of scholarship awards to pupils of Future Hope Orphanage, Ijegun.

     

  • NGO lifts widows

    A Non-GOVERNMENTAL organisation (NGO), God’s Love Tabitha Royal Foundation in Nyanya Gwandara near Abuja, has donated food and clothing items to 50 widows and other less privileged women, when it held its annual love feast.

    The widows, who came in from Panda site development area of Nasarawa State, received items such as bags of rice, clothes, soapy substance, kitchen utensils and cash.

    Speaking at the event, founder of the foundation, Evangelist Victoria Oloche, said the gesture was its way of expressing love towards the less privileged especially the widows in rural communities.It is also to let them know that despite their condition, they can live a good life, as all hope is not lost.

    She said the foundation had prepared gifts for 200 women but due to financial constraints to transport them down to Abuja, they could only bring 50 of them.

    “Annually we organise a love feast, whereby the foundation not only donates gift items to the widows in rural areas but also celebrates and puts smiles on faces of other less privileged women, orphans and the poor in the society.

    “Apart from the distribution of food items and clothing materials to the less privileged, we ( the foundation) also have some skills acquisition programme, where we teach them how to produce powder beans, soya beans, garri , powder pepper, crayfish, among others.

  • NGO to empower youths

    A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) under the aegis of True Nigeria Worldwide Organisation has rolled out plans for promoting economic empowerment among youths in the country.

    Its founder, Mr Emmanuel Aluede, told reporters in Lagos that the organisation would be involved in identifying and investing in talents of young people, development of sport and empowering them in vocational training programmes.

    He said the objective was to give Nigerians true freedom from all the evils suffered in over 50 years of independence. “We will not be a talk-shop for the Nigeria people but an organisation that provides practical people oriented solutions for the benefits of the people.

    “The main desire of these organisation is to help empower the Nigeria people through provision of expression, the Nigeria people will be able to confront the barriers of poverty, under development, corruption, bad governance at all levels whilst they become socio-economically and politically empowered through projects and programmes to be implemented and delivered from the organisation transformation agenda action plan” he said.

    He lamented the fact that Nigeria government has in the last fifty years found it difficult to address the various issues that the people, through initiations of policies that would help create employment and reduce poverty in the country.

    Our vision is not just to stimulate the process needed to reverse these trends but also to ensure that better transparent, prudent and accountable leadership are in place across the three tiers of government in Nigeria in the near future, with a clear approach to ensure the sustainability of good governance for the people.

  • NGO urges youths to be self-reliant

    The Organisation for Truthful Rebirth (OTR), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has advised youths to be self-reliant in order to reduce dependency on government.

    The National Coordinator of the group Mr. Eben Akinyemi gave the advice while briefing newsmen in Abuja on the state of the nation.

    Akinyemi decried a situation in which people, mostly youths, depend on people in power and the government for employment and income.

    He said the youth could achieve self reliance through value orientation, adding that the habit of living within their means would earn them dignity before the elite.

    Akinyemi also argued that corruption was not the major cause of underdevelopment in the country as believed by many people. He rather blamed the development on lack of good ideas that could bring the desired development in the country.

    His words: “Our youths need to be remodeled to attain greatness in all aspects of life.

    “We need more ideas than money to be able to develop Nigeria, because the developed world used sound ideas and not money to be where they are.

    “To me, corruption is only part of our problems. It is not our total problem.’’

    The OTR National Coordinator also cautioned the elite against selfishness and accumulation of the country’s resources, adding that the act of looting at the expense of youth empowerment would turn against them in the near future.

    He said: “The risk of developing only oneself is inimical to his existence because when others are not empowered, all asset acquired by the wealthy becomes vulnerable and could be destroyed by the idle ones.”

    Akinyemi, however, insisted that there were some good Nigerians who have good vision for the country.

    “I still believe that there are some good people in this country; we should not continue to think that every Nigerian is bad.

    “We have good ones that still think well about the future of this country. Our NGO is out to create talent warehouse where these talents can be harnessed for a better Nigeria. ORT will continue to preach the gospel of a new Nigeria, where citizens will be judged on the strength of their character and not on the strength of their wealth,” he said.

    OTR is a new NGO which has the objective of inculcating good moral values that will be translated into a better Nigeria where things are properly done.

    The NGO is to achieve its aims through promoting societal development through funding of immediate and affordable community needs.

     

  • ‘Self-breast scrutiny can prevent cancer’

    To prevent cancer, young women have been advised to embrace early breast self-examination.

    Giving this advice, the Director, Initiative for Peacebuilding and Social Change, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mrs Otinu Gbarada, said: “These young ladies are most at risk population and such intervention would go a long way in addressing late presentation. At least, once a girl is able to identify and open up to her parents on detection of a lump in her breast, a whole lot can be prevented.”

    She spoke at a forum by her group for pupils of Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

    She said: “BSE is a comfortable way of getting to know your breasts. Every woman needs to understand that her breast functions beyond aesthetic/breast feeding purpose because it deserves as much care and observation given to any other part of the body.

    “I am not excluding any woman, but any lady above 40 should attend routine breast screening and do mammography. They should educate a daughter, a girlfriend, family or loved one to be breast aware so as to prevent or survive breast cancer.

    “Hence females are enjoined to carry out self- examination on their breasts, including entire breast, armpit and collar bone region and report any changes or observation to your doctor without delay.”

    Mrs Gbarada said cases of breast cancer detected early want lead to high survival rates. “Screening is meant to discover cancers at an early stage when they are so small to cause any damage. BSE or breast awareness can go a long way in preventing advanced breast cancer when done regularly and carefully,” she said.

    She added that “Lumps that are different from breast tissue, lump in the armpit/collar bone, change in skin appearances such as redness, warmth, orange peel appearances; brownish or bloody discharge from nipple, constant pain in armpit or breast, change in size or nipple should be taken serious.”

    She encouraged also women to go for cervical cancer screening.

    “Cervical cancer is preventable. It is caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), but preventable through screening and treatment by vaccination, especially women who show positive signs of pre-cancerous changes on their cervix before it turns into cancer. Screening is one of the best defences against cervical cancer because research has shown that many of those who develop it have never been screened,” she said.

    Executive Director Gbenga Gbarada said HIV/AIDS: “But if you have persistent fever; white coating on tongue; prolonged diarrheoa/stooling; enlarged gland in neck, groin or armpits, persistent cough, skin infections and unexplained weight loss of up to 10 per cent body weight, you need to screen for HIV. These symptoms do not necessarily mean you are HIV positive, but an anti body test should be done to ascertain your status.”

  • Succour for the weak in Anambra

    How best can you help the needy? Do you throw some cash their way and wave them away?

    A non-governmental organisation, Jesus Abandoned Charity Organisation has a better approach.

    In reaching out, the NGO based in Okija in Ihiala Local Government Area, Anambra State, pays closer attention to the weak in the society.

    They have given food and clothing to over 3,000 physically-challenged persons. Those that were ill among them received free medical treatment. And they were not all from Anambra State; some came from Imo and Enugu.

    The beneficiaries came expecting but the benefactors were prepared with a 40-ft container loaded with rice, clothing, medicaments and wheelchairs, among others.

    Making the donations at St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Umuohi Okija, the founder of the organisation Reverend Fr Anthony Ananwa said it was the fourth time the centre was making this kind of charity effort.

    Fr. Ananwa said that free medical treatment also involved Acupuncture, the ancient Chinese medical alternative, which came in handy for over 1,000 patients. The Reverend Father added that the organization partnered God Heals Medical Centre for the free medical treatment.

    “It is a wonderful outing and we give glory to God,” he said.

    “We underestimated those who came because many of them didn’t get all they anticipated. People came from Enugu, Anambra and Imo states and because of the receiving culture we have in Nigeria, everybody wanted to receive one thing or the other. We distributed 200 bags of rice. We bought 400 buckets and filled them with rice which we distributed. We gave them food and drinks. All the homes and centres went home with specific items they needed because we took an inventory of their needs before making appeals for the donations you are seeing today; even the Rotary Club Nnewi, District 9140 equally collected wheelchairs for some people.

    “The theme of my homily was, ‘Who Are You?’. I challenged them not to lose hope and faith in God by having self-pity but to be challenged and do their best at all times in any circumstance since God has the perfect plans for their lives. I pleaded with them not to see themselves as challenged or handicapped but as perfect creatures of God and be happy at all times for only God can have answers to their worries and nobody else. I urged them to look unto God at all times and be more prayerful.”

    Fr Ananwa traced the history of Jesus Abandoned Charity Organisation to Australia where he went for studies, adding that it was formed to give hope to the hopeless especially the destitute and less privileged. He said that their organisation is non-profit and open to everybody.

    The Father said further that the organisation has previously given out wheelchairs, clutches, clothes, shoes and other life-enhancing materials to thousands of destitute and physically challenged persons. He added stretchers were also donated to RECDOT home in Ozubulu, and bags of rice to Okija Leprosy Centre.

    The organisation also has challenges, one of which land but Ananwa explained that is soliciting for about 15 to 20 plots of land from the Anambra State government to build its permanent site which would contain a hospital for free medical care. The facility, he said, will equally be a centre for distribution of relief items as well as Adoration ground for worship.

    He also requested the Peter Obi administration to appeal on behalf of the organisation to the Federal Government to remove import duties and other charges on their containers since it is given free of charge to uplift humanity in the country.

    In his remarks Governor Peter Obi assured the Jesus Abandoned Charity Organisation that his government would give them every required support to actualise its mission and objective since their desires.

    Obi, represented by Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Pat Obi, requested for prayers for hitch-free governorship and local government elections in the state in October and November. They prayed that humane people, one of whom better than Obi, to be elected to improve upon what the incumbent administration has done.

    He commended them for championing the course of abandoned people in the society and donated an undisclosed sum to the organisation.

    Also speaking Rev Fr Linus Okafor who came with physically challenged people from Ukpor appreciated Fr Ananwa for thinking about others’ welfare, especially the less privileged and abandoned in the society.

    The partnering medical team from God Knows Medical PR.T.Zeph led by an Acupuncture, Dr Dieudonne Timti treated various ailments including Fibroids, Hernia, prostate cancer, to mention a few.

    He informed that Acupuncture treatment for Fibroids lasts for ten days in which the patient is cured. He was seen using medical pins to operate without cutting open the body.

    Some of the beneficiaries who spoke admitted that they were coming to St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Umuohi Okija, for the fourth time to benefit from the largess of the Jesus Abandoned Charity Organisation. They prayed for the sustenance of the gesture.

  • NGO donates 40 laptops

    A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) known as AMA Foundation, has donated 40 laptops to EKSU.

    The donation is part of the foundation’s education support programme on Information Communication Technology (ICT) to select tertiary institutions, one of which is EKSU.

    Presenting the laptops to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Aina, the representative of the Foundation, Mr Ikechukwu Onochie said the university was chosen because of its progress in all spheres, which include having all its academic programmes accredited by the NUC.

    He added that the second stage of the prograrmme would be the establishment of a well- furnished ICT centre in the university.

    Thanking the foundation, Aina said the laptops would complement his efforts in transforming the university into a world-class institution.

    He added that one of the effects of the university’s investment in ICT was the improvement in its recent Webometric ranking to 19th position in Nigeria. The Vice-Chancellor added that Google Africa was in the fnal stages of partnering with EKSU to provide Internet connectivity on campus

     

  • NGO honours Agric College

    A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Centre for Ethics and Self Value Orientation (CESVO), has honoured the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State, with the “Most ethically responsible college of agriculture in Nigeria” award.

    The group, hinged the award on various measures put in place by its management particulary on academic and physical developments. Its Provost, Dr Mary Ogunkoya was also honoured with the ‘National ethical ambassador of Nigeria.

    Speaking at the event, CESVO Executive Director, Musa Yakubu said the Provost had shown transparency with the way she used the resources released to the institution by the Federal Government for the development of the college.

    Yakubu noted that CESVO carried out its assessment programme through questionnaires, stressing that the host community of the college was not left behind in assessing the performance of the Provost and the college.

    Yakubu said: “We have visited 21 states, and our aim is to expose corruption and maladministration in public institutions.

    “Though, some institutions have won our award. Before this college was tipped for this award, we have been monitoring its activities for the past 13 months.

    “The Provost has never met anyone among us and we have never seen her face-to-face. We carried out our assessment through questionnaires. We also introduced a well integrated research method in the course of this assessment.

    “We discovered that there is high level of transformation, and transparency in this college.

    “Nigerians should be rest assured we will never give our awards to corrupt people. On her part, the Provost has displayed to us that she deserved the award through her outstanding performances.

    “She epitomises sound leadership and that is why the college transformational agendas are at high speed.”

    In her response, Dr Ogunkoya said several organisations have approached the college for awards, demanding for money, stressing that, CESVO did not ask for a bribe despite the rigorous protocol it went through.”

    She said the awards would spur the institution’s machinery to work harder in order to enable the college attain a world class status.

     

  • NGO gives Ondo rural women N2m

    As part of efforts to boost food security in the country, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Country Women Association of Nigeria (COWAN) at the weekend gave, loans amounting to N2million to 100 rural community women in Ondo State.

    The facility is to assist the beneficiaries who are all traders to boost their businesses and also help in fighting food scarcity in the country.

    Speaking at a one-day workshop organised in Akure, the state capital, for the rural community women, the National Coordinator of COWAN, Mrs. Bisi Ogunleye, expressed the importance of rural women in ensuring food security in the country.

    She lamented over the poor preservation of food, which she noted was the major cause of food scarcity in the society.

    The COWAN leader also criticised government at all levels for not finding a lasting solution to the issue of food scarcity.

    She said, “Our women had been neglected; government is not paying attention to the fact that our mothers have a great culture and knowledge on how to preserve food. It is a sad thing that you cannot find our own type of tomatoes except those from the north.

    “And the reason is because nobody is producing them again. We now rely on the northerners before we can cook. This workshop is to assist our rural women to show case the natural in-born leadership skills they have in building food security.

    “It is also to help them in displaying their custodianship of traditional food security methodology at community levels. We will also expose them to modern technologies on food security and integrate the traditional and modern food security”