The Victims Support Fund (VSF) on Wednesday donated three solar-powered boreholes and other Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities to three secondary schools in Ondo State.
Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, Chairperson of the Emergency Task Force on COVID-19 of VSF, inaugurated the facilities at the Holy Flock Grammar School, Ayeyemi in Ondo Town.
Akerele-Ogunsiji said that two other beneficiary schools are Oroke High School, Akungba Akoko and Anglican Grammar School, Ijare in Ifedore Local Government Area of the state.
She said VSF had donated a total of 54 borehole facilities and 216 handwashing stations, estimated at N200 million to 54 secondary schools in 18 different states across the six geopolitical zones “as our own sustainable intervention”.
She said that the task force was so much concerned about the plights of students and teachers, especially in densely populated areas during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The purpose of setting up the task force on March 30, 2020, as a rapid response initiative of the Victims Support Fund is to go round Nigeria to provide foods, medical items and wash facility to indigenes, states and communities.
“VSF has not been influenced by anybody in our choice of schools and communities.
“We work with the state government through the Ministries of Education and Health, because when we are making the donation we must factor in the opinion of stakeholders at the local community.
“Each of these borehole facilities and handwashing stations cost about N4.1 million. I think we’ve spent about N200 million,” the VSF chairperson said.
She explained that each of the schools received a solar-powered borehole, four handwashing stations, 2,000 pieces of re-usable face masks, five pieces of four-litre hand sanitisers, 120 bottles of 500ml liquid handwash and five cartons of bleach.
According to her, the task force on COVID-19 is an emergency response team inaugurated by the Chairman of the VSF, retired Gen. TY Danjuma, to provide palliatives to displaced persons and the vulnerable,.
She said it was to also provide institutional support to agencies supporting the national effort to fight COVID-19.
Akerele-Ogunsiji also pledged that the organisation would continue to provide succour to vulnerable Nigerians and as well as institutional support to agencies involved in the fight against COVID-19.
The Principal of Oroke High School, Akungba Akoko, Grace Akinnawo, thanked the facilitator for considering her school and two others in the state worthy to be beneficiaries of the facilities.
“I will like to state that the wash facilities will go a long way in helping to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the academic community and protect our students of from contracting the virus.”
Akinnawo, promised that the facilities would be adequately secured and well utilised.
She said that the provision showed the government’s commitment to protect all the citizens and residents of the state from contracting COVID-19.
In his remarks, Dr Jibayo Adeyeye, the state acting Commissioner for Health, who spoke on behalf of Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, appreciated VSF for the intervention.
Adeyeye described the facilities as “very important donation, particularly in this community of Ondo Town, because it is a difficult area for them to sink borehole.”
The commissioner sought approval of VSF to reticulate water from the borehole to the whole of Ayeyemi Community and the approval was given.
He, therefore, promised that the state government would commence the reticulation as soon as possible “so that the Ayeyemi Community would benefit from the good gesture of the VSF”.
Adeyeye, however, urged the beneficiary schools to see the project as their own and do everything possible to keep the project the way it was handed over to them.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
