From Magnus Eze, Enugu
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to 32 health facilities in Enugu State.
The items include face masks, gloves, surgical long cuffs, goggles and other materials.
The Senior Programme Officer, Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC) Benin, Edo State, Chioma Ekwo, who presented the UNFPA-funded items to the Enugu State Government at the weekend, said the group was working with three civil society organisations.
She explained that WHARC, as representatives of UNFPA, started the programme in November last year with NEEDS assessment in the areas of gender-based violence and COVID-19.
Ekwo added that the benefitting facilities were identified in three local government areas of Enugu North, Enugu South and Udi.
The Executive Director, New Life Community Care Initiative (NELCCI), Florence Ifeanyi-Aneke, said that before now WHARC had empowered the three organisations through training of health workers, volunteers and community leaders on gender-based violence and COVID-19.
A member of the State Action Committee on containment of Coronavirus pandemic, and Programme Director of Royal Healthcare Foundation (RHF), Chris Amalu, who received the items on behalf of Enugu State Government, thanked UNFPA and WHARC for the donation while assuring they will go a long way in mitigating the issue.
Amalu, in turn, presented the items to the Executive Director, Global Health Awareness Research Foundation (GHARF), Prof Obiora Nwogu, for distribution to the CSOs which will make them available to the 32 facilities.
Nwogu in her remarks on behalf the CSOs said the items came at an appropriate time as they had just finished training the personnel.
