BY AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
A frontline non-profit making health and social development organization, Healthy Living Project, has urged girls of school age on the need to prioritize their health needs in order to live full and quality life, and reach the peak of their potentials.
In addition, HELP warned the citizens on the danger of violating the COVID-19 protocols, stressing that everyone should observe rules of thumb by engaging in healthy lifestyles and going for routine medical checks.
Tolani Balogun, Founder of HELP, during one of the NGO’s outreaches in Ekiti State recently, said that the advice would serve for the overall good of the society in line with the goals and objectives of her organization.
During its recent outreaches in Ekiti, HELP had health talks with female pupils of Christ Girls School, Ado Ekiti; Olorunfemi Balogun Memorial School, Iyin Ekiti; Eyemote Comprehensive High School, Iyin Ekiti; and Egirioke High School, Iyin Ekiti, to whom it distributed sanitary wares.
Other activities carried out during the outreaches embarked upon by the group within some communities in Ekiti included sensitization on pelvic floor dysfunction session. Awareness talks on constipation, faecal incontinence, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, vaginal care, pain during sexual intercourse, and prostate cancer.
“Our objectives as an organization are empowering individual through learning process; promoting healthy lifestyle; being able to identify symptoms around diseases; seeking for help and basic knowledge that can promote general wellness and contribute to healthy living among the citizens, as well as training individuals to be advocates of health.
“During our outreaches in Ekiti, we had talks on health and distributed menstrual hygiene materials, including sanitary pads, tissues, toilet soaps and sanitizers to female students in four schools. The principals and the staff members of the schools were very helpful in coordinating the girls during the programme.
“In the community, we organised talks on COVID-19 transmission and protective measures handled by Chief Abike Balogun. The people were trained on effective hand washing techniques. It was emphasised that to cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with bent elbow and not hands; avoid touching of eyes, nose and mouth; limit social gathering and time spent in crowded places; and avoid contact with sick individual while you clean and disinfect frequently, especially touched objects and surfaces.
“The topics that were covered during the training included the female reproductive system, what is cervical cancer, causes of cervical cancer, the risk factors, symptoms, screening process, treatments, and quizzes on women anatomy,” Balogun said.
She added, “We believe in the potential of the poor and rural people to participate actively in development initiatives within their community; in equal opportunity for man and women in society irrespective of class, age, ethnic, culture or religion.”
The programme coordinator, Mrs. Bukola Omosanya, said, “For the past few years, we have been working on programmes that promote education, health, child and women development in our community. We work on cancer awareness and prevention programme, hygiene management and WASH programme among others in various communities.”
Oyo Reporters reports that during the Ekiti Health Symposium 2018, titled, ‘Raising a healthy nation project,’ organised by HELP, at the palace of Ewi of Ado Ekiti, some residents were sensitized on health promotion and disease prevention.
Mrs Ronke Odusanya, a former Commissioner Women Affair and Social Inclusion Ekiti State at the event, praised the initiatives of the NGO and urged others to follow the good example.
