TheCable

The Rotary Club of Lagos has donated delivery kits to Itamarun health centre, Lekki Free Trade Zone.

Dare Adeyeri, president of the Rotary Club of Lagos, presented the items to the representative of the community, and the head of the Itamarun health centre on Wednesday.

According to Adeyeri, the decision to donate the items was informed by the need to check the high infant mortality rate in the area.

Apart from the donation, the president said the club has also implemented some other projects in the past aimed at alleviating the plight of the Itamarun people which it adopted six years ago.

He cited an instance of the disbursement of soft loans to Itamarun women under the club’s economic empowerment initiative.

“We are also trying to build a primary school for the people in the community, to enable the children have access to quality education, without having to trek for long before getting to school,” Adeyeri said.

“We would definitely support the community in the current Rotary year. The interventions have become necessary to alleviate the plight of the people in the community.

“Itamarun community is flood-prone. Itamarun is a fishing community but with the dredging of the area, they no longer have much space to farm. There is so much poverty in the area, hence the various interventions.”

Helen Folarin, representative of the Itamarun community, commended the Rotary Club of Lagos for coming to the aid of the community.

She disclosed that high infant mortality rate remains an issue in the community, since many of the expectant mothers prefer to patronise traditional birth attendants (TBAs).

“Unfortunately, besides posing a huge risk to mothers and their babies, TBAs are even found to be costlier at the end of the day. But, I believe with these birth delivery kits, most of them would be encouraged to come to the clinic to deliver their babies,” the community representative said.

Some other members of the club also pledged to support the community.

Olamide Phillips, a past president of the Rotary Club of Lagos, promised to support Itamarun community with healthcare needs.