Fred Ezeh, Abuja
No fewer than 650 households of different faith benefitted from relief packages distributed by the Ladela Schools’ Parents Teachers Association (PTA ) in different parts of Abuja.
The relief items who comprises of food items and non food items was meant to cushion the effect of total lockdown declared by the Federal Government as part of measures to contain community transmission of dreaded coronavirus in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of the schools, Mrs Angela Ajala, said that, with the strategic plan put in place by the PTA, they were able to reach out to 250 children in a Catholic relief home, 300 IDPs in leper colony in Karamajiji and 100 families with relief materials such as rice, bread, beans, water and cash transfer of N5,000 to 100 families.
Ajala explained that they collectively formulate a comprehensive Ladela school family support response strategy and task the PTA executive members to develop an accompanying implementation plan for the benefit of the targeted families.
According to her, special considerations was given to special group of people that face difficulties accessing the national health care systems such as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), refugees and migrants.
She explained further: “We established Ladela school family support emergency fund for the purpose of responding to the effect of COVID-19 pandemic in FCT. Amid the lockdown, we continue to hold meetings of through WhatsApp to discuss the needs of FCT people, and to collaboratively combat the Coronavirus and provide projections of the infrastructural, technical and material capacity for the duration of the outbreak.”
Mrs Ajala, disclosed that the PTA resolved to mobilize medical professionals and support communities to join the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and also facilitate enabling environment for strengthening national public health systems in Nigeria and the FCT to deliver and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chairman, Ladela schools emergency response to COVID-19 pandemic, Aminu Usman, observed that, with the recent lockdown in FCT, it became imperative that certain people would be adversely affected and that was why a committee was set up to coordinate and solicit assistance to support low income, indigent, vulnerable and disabled persons in the FCT.
He said: “our aim was to reach over 500 families with foodstuff and cash in the first instance, but as God may have it, we exceeded the target. We reached over 650 people. We would keep doing our best to support Government efforts. Interested persons should join us to make impact in communities and together we would win this war.”
The health coordinator, Rev. Sr. Cecilia Azuh, who received the items on behalf of the Catholic Action Committee on HIV/AIDS under the Health Department of Abuja Archdiocese, appreciated the effort of the school and informed them that they are caring for 1,200 HIV-positive persons and 200 HIV-positive children.
She said the relief materials came at the right time, while adding that it was a good thing to see both individuals and private organization giving to the needy at a time like this