Tony Osauzo, Benin
The management of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp located at International Christian Centre for Missions (ICCM) in Ohogua, Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, has announced that the facility lacks essential drugs for malaria and antibiotics to take care of the over 4,000 persons in the place, raising fears of imminent outbreak of epidemic at the camp.
Besides, the facility is also in short supply of sanitary pads for growing teenage girls who are advancing to puberty.
This came to light when a team of doctors on the platform of Doctors Time-Out, a non-governmental organisation, visited the facility to de-worm the inmates, provide other medical assistance and take over the training of eight students from primary and secondary section of the school.
The President of Doctors Time-Out, Dr. Osezua Oamen, told journalists that the group decided to do what they did as part of their service to humanity and urged other individuals, corporate organisations, government and others to do more for the facility.
“What made us to come here to mark our fourth year anniversary is because of the unpalatable situation here. Most of the children here are orphans; some have parents, some don’t even know where their parents are.
“So, the situation is quite disheartening. Being doctors, we are humanists and this is one charitable work that we do; it is called Doctors Time-Out. You take time out of your busy schedule to sit with your friends and relax but while doing that you think of how you can better your society.
“In this place, they need all the help they can get so when we did a need assessment, we said in our little way because we are doing self funding for now; we will come here and pick eight persons, four in the primary school and four in the secondary school made up of two boys and two girls in each category and decide to from now on take care of their schooling.
“They don’t have tuition fee education here, it’s free but we want to be responsible for their books, uniform, sandals and other needs in their education and we hope to take them to the their tertiary level of education so that they can achieve whatever potentials they have.
“Government cannot do it alone; we appeal to organisations, individuals, to come and pick one child and say okay, from now on, we will take care of the needs of this child and so on,” Dr. Oamen said.
Responding on behalf of the management of the facility, Pastor Evelyn Onigie, lauded the initiative of the doctors and appealed for more support from the public.
“Thank God for the de-worming these doctors are doing now. As I am talking to you now, we don’t have any anti-malaria or any antibiotics drugs.
“You can see a lot of young girls here; we need sanitary pads, we need soap for bathing, disinfectants everything that is good for people out there are needed here. We appeal to people, individuals, NGOs, churches to come and help us,” she said.
