Pregnant Women, Nursing Mothers Benefit From Rotary Club Medical Outreach

No fewer than 100 pregnant women and nursing mothers in Kaduna  have benefited from a medical outreach organised by the Rotary Club of Kaduna, as part of efforts to promote safer motherhood and improve child health.

The outreach, held at the Primary Healthcare Centre in Hayin Banki, Kawo, also featured health education on personal hygiene, safe motherhood, child healthcare and healthy living.

President of the Rotary Club of Kaduna, Aaron Francis, said the intervention followed a needs assessment conducted at the facility to identify the immediate needs of pregnant women and nursing mothers.

He said the assessment initially identified 70 beneficiaries, but the club expanded the programme to reach over 100 women after procuring more than 150 healthcare items.

The items distributed included diapers, sanitary pads, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, medicated soap, petroleum jelly and other essential healthcare supplies.

Francis said the outreach reflected Rotary’s commitment to improving maternal and child health by easing the burden on pregnant women and nursing mothers.

He called on individuals, corporate organisations and philanthropists to complement government efforts by supporting vulnerable members of society.

“We believe in Service Above Self. None of our members is benefiting from what we are doing here today. We deliberately came to this community because we believe those who have should always extend a helping hand to those in need. If everyone contributes in their little way, we can make a lasting impact in our communities,” he said.

Also speaking, Zonal Coordinator, Zone 3, Rotary District 9127, Kayode Michael Olorunfemi, said the outreach formed part of Rotary’s July focus on maternal and child health, during which clubs implement projects aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of women and children.

He said the healthcare items were donated by Rotarians as part of the organisation’s humanitarian service, adding that beneficiaries also received health education on maternal and child healthcare to encourage healthy practices.

One of the beneficiaries, Hauwa Adamu, described the intervention as timely, saying the donated items would ease the financial burden on many pregnant women and nursing mothers.

She said the health education session had improved her understanding of maternal and child healthcare and appealed to the Rotary Club and other well-meaning organisations to sustain similar interventions for vulnerable families.