As part of efforts to help contain the community spread of the Coronavirus Disease in Niger State, a Non Governmental Organization, AYE-WOSAI Global Foundation, has began community to community sensitisation and distribution of palliatives.
Flagging off the sensitisation and distribution exercise in Kadna community, Bosso Local Government Area of the state, the founder AYE-WOSAI Global Foundation, Mary Noel-Berje, said the need for the enlightenment campaign against the pandemic was informed by the realisation that the level of awareness about the COVID-19 among the rural was still very low.
The organisation on Saturday said it was worried by the low level of awareness about the pandemic among the rural communities in the state, adding that palliatives will further bring succour to the people.
According to Noel-Berje: “Despite the vigorous enlightenment campaigns by the State Government Task Force on COVID-19 in the state, majority of the rural dwellers in the state still do not believe that the pandemic is real.
“It has been business as usual with complete disregards to precautionary measures put in place by the government to contain the spread of the virus.”
While distributing some of the palliatives, she said: “The hand sanitisers and disinfectant soaps to the people will spur them in line with the demonstrations carried out.
“We are also distributing tubers of yam, bags of rice and semovita to cushion the effect of hardship occasioned by the lockdown.”
Noel-Berje, who is also the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, decried that despite government’s efforts at sensitising the people, most of the enlightenment campaign against the spread of the COVID-19 have been concentrated in the urban cities.
She disclosed that the foundation will educate the people on the precautionary measures against the spread of the virus like social distancing, self-isolation, avoiding overcrowding, regular hand washing with soaps and the use of sanitiser.
She pointed out that “the situation in most of the communities in the state is that of everybody to himself and God for us all”, adding: “It has been business as usual.”
Noel-Berje also believes that there is the need for all and sundry to complement government’s efforts at containing the spread of the COVID-19, especially among the rural communities “who already have the disadvantage of being far from health facilities”.
She insisted that in a country like Nigeria where the number of COVID-19 cases are already going above 1,000, the need to commence an aggressive sensitisation against community spread of the pandemic becomes imperative.
She said: “This is why AYE-WOSAI Global Foundation is set out to contribute its quota by championing the intense and adequate sensitisation of rural communities on the dangers of the virus and precautionary measures with Kadna community as the first port of call.
“Kadna community is a small rural settlement located in Niger State with a zonal circumference stretching between 5km to 6km and hosting a good number of households.
“We felt the need to make our contribution by visiting the community, which had no or inadequate knowledge of the wide spread and deadliness of COVID-19, which could be detrimental to a community.
“In doing this, the foundation sets out with a team of experts and translators to drive home their message communicating in the local languages the people understand most, which are Gbagyi and Hausa.”
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