VSF Donates Food Items, Solar-Powered Boreholes to C’River
Victims Support Fund (VSF), a nongovernmental organization, has donated food and medical items worth M150 million to the Cross River State Government. This is in addition to three solar-powered water boreholes constructed in three schools in the senatorial districts of the state.
The benefitting schools are Okurike Agwaguene Primary School in Biase; Community Secondary School, Uchu Yache in Yala and Abote Comprehensive Secondary School, Ekureku in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. Speaking during the symbolic commissioning of the Okurike Primary School borehole, the Chairperson, Victims Support Fund COVID-19 Taskforce, Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, said Cross River was the 35th state in the federation to benefit from the fund.
She said the VSF was in the state on the instruction of its Chairman, General Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), to hand over the items to the good people of the state.
She said General Danjuma set up the task force to respond to the needs of Nigerians across the various states.
“We don’t just throw money at projects, but ensure that we are maximising impact on our intended beneficiaries.
“The VSF has the responsibility to go into the hinterlands, rural communities that were hitherto forgotten perhaps by the government and individuals to really do programmes that can touch People’s lives,” he said.
VSF chairperson enumerated part of the interventionist projects to include the distribution of health facilities and consumables, food items, provision of boreholes among several others.
She stressed that the organisation had made serious impact by touching several lives that may have been forgotten by many.
Ogunsiji added that the organisation had to scale up its interventionist programme to meet up with the numerous challenges associated with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic that brought setbacks to economies of households.
Receiving the food and medical items on behalf of the state, the Director-General of the Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Janet Ekpenyong, said the items would go a long way to alleviate the suffering of the people.
She said the government would ensure the items were distributed to the people who need it.
In his earlier remarks, the representative of Okurike Community, Chief Dickson Ogban, said the community was pleased with the project.
He added that the water project would help in solving the water challenge faced by residents of the community.
The Head Teacher of Okurike Presbyterian Primary School, Mrs Jessie Okorie, commended TY Danjuma’s organisation for extending his hand of fellowship through the water scheme project.
She said the project would ease the challenge facing the pupils and the entire community. Food Items donated included rice, beans, salt, vegetable oil, salt and garri while the medical materials included hand sanitizers, safety suits, boots and goggles.