– Group outreach donates borehole, food items, others to inmates
Perpetua Egesimba
For lepers in Iberekodo-Abeokuta and Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun State, it was a moment of hope recently as Paincare Outreach Ministry visited the colonies and donated boreholes, food items and other relief materials to the inmates.
It was a memorable day for the inmates, who were visibly elated by the visitation. Pastor Peter Ebere Nwosu, the brain behind the outreach and managing director, Greenlife Pharmaceutical Limited, said Paincare was all about touching lives, and the group went out looking for people that need help.
According to him, the needs assessment carried out by Paincare showed that the lepers’ colony at Ijebu-Igbo lacked water, which necessitated the provision of a borehole for them.
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“The borehole will benefit the lepers’ colony. We first went to Abeokuta before coming to Ijebu-Igbo. In Abeokuta, we met about 37 of them. We donated some items to them and prayed with them,” he said.
In his words, Paincare had been reaching out to the needy for the past 10 years, putting smiles on the faces of the people and touching their lives.
He urged people to stop discriminating against lepers, saying that lepers should rather be shown love like other human beings.
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“People should know that something like this is here because I know that a lot of us here today are surprised to see that this is here and that these people are living in abject poverty.
“So, I am using this medium to let a lot of organisations know that people like these are here because it is part of the social responsibility that some organisations can do.
“And for the government, they have tried by providing a place for them but the amenities that they need, something needs to be done about it. Government can do more,” he said.
Similarly, a pharmacist, Mrs. Bunmi Adeyemi, stated that, aside from donating things to the needy, Paincare Outreach also takes the gospel to all indigent areas, teaching the gospel to those who know nothing about Christ.
According to her, when going on such missions, members of the Paincare Outreach take food to the needy.
She said: “You know that a hungry man will not listen to you when you are talking about Christ to him. So, what we do is we take food items, doctors and nurses to them, and try to give them some relief.
“Today, we came to the lepers’ colony, we found out that they did not even have water to drink, bathe or wash their clothes; so, we decided to do a borehole for them and, as usual, we did not come empty handed. We came with food items and so many other things for them.”
Adeyemi appealed to Nigerians to stop discrimination against people living with disabilities. She urged all to show them love, adding that it was never their fault that they were lepers.
“This can happen to anybody. I appeal to people, corporate bodies, organisations, individuals and the government to reach out to these people. They are living in abject poverty. Let us help out and be our brother’s keeper. Let government wake up to its responsibilities and take care of these people,” she said.
Responding on behalf of others, an inmate of the colony, John Ojuawo, who was full of gratitude, expressed appreciation to Paincare for the kind gesture. He prayed for God to reward the group and keep the members alive to reap the fruits of their kindness.
He also expressed gratitude to the caregivers at the colony, adding that the doctors and nurses have always catered to their needs. He urged people to keep praying for them as well.
Ojuawo used the medium to also appreciate all the good-spirited individuals who have not allowed the inmates to go hungry, including the state governor, Ibikunle Amosun. He added that the governor has also not forgotten them.