By Christy Anyanwu
Wife of the presiding bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Bishop Peace Okonkwo, has called on women to be a blessing to the less privileged.
She made the call in a community impact and health care forum organised by the church to mark her 70th birthday recently.
As early as 9am, the church premises entertained men, women and children residing close to the church community who came for medical check-ups and were also eligible to go home with medium-size bags of rice and clothing materials.
Speaking on the occasion, Mrs. Okomkwo said: “When I turned 60, I gave my whole money for cervical cancer screening. I said we would use the whole money to treat women. Cervical cancer is treatable. When we went to one of the villages, one of the pastors said, I wish you came last year because one of my women died of cervical cancer. It’s fulfilling purpose, but we still need to do more.
“As I turned 70, the thought of reaching out to the less privileged came to mind. These days, price of foodstuffs are on the increase. Hospital bills are enormous and many people, instead of going to hospital, have fallen back on self-medication. We always do palliatives for church members but, on this particular occasion, we decided to do for outsiders, non-TREM members. The church members are the ones working and sorting out their needs.”
Deacon Frank Nabena, a member of the planning committee, noted that the occasion was to honour Bishop Peace on her 70th birthday.
He said: “She wants to carry out a community impact. She wants things that she would do that would impart not only the church but outsiders within this environment. That is why we have different types of impact ministration. First, we have clothing materials that we are giving out to the public. We invited over 500 people (not church members); we also have rice, groundnut oil, we have exercise books for children and we have medical ministrations.
“We want you to tell us what kind of medical assistance you want. If it’s your eyes, then they we will take your vital information and you go to the eyes section. We also have reading glasses that we are giving free.
“We have prostrate screening for men. We also have breast cancer screening (we have a secluded place for that); we have blood pressure test, we have blood sugar test and malaria test. We have a pharmacy section to dispense drugs to people that doctors have prescribed them for. We have 15 medical doctors. We also have about 16 nurses and a laboratory scientist, pharmacist and other qualified personnel to man each section so that we don’t have hitches.”
Bunmi Adejare, one of the beneficiaries, described the programme as lovely, saying: “They have tried a lot. God will see them through. I did medical check and I have collected a bag of rice. In the medicals, they checked my blood pressure and the sugar level. They said I should go see the doctor and take my medications. Just because she has the heart to fulfil purpose, she will live more years. I pray she will live till 120 years.”
Known for reaching out to the less privileged, Bishop Peace founded Rehoboth Homes and Skills Acquisition Centre, a three-storey building of vocational empowerment for stranded ladies. Not only are these ladies taken off the streets and given shelter free of charge, they are also trained free in any vocation of their choice and for those who are still willing to go through the formal education system, they are given scholarship. Today, Rehoboth Homes can boast of graduates who came into the home and were fully sponsored several others have gone through vocational training and have been released back into the society as responsible citizens that the nation can be proud of.
On her love for children, Bishop Peace currently runs a children education support programme that gives out scholarship to brilliant but financially challenged children. The support gives grant per annum to children to sponsor their university education. Also, children of ladies in Rehoboth Homes are sponsored from primary to tertiary institution to study any course of their choice.
Another social responsibility this woman of God doesn’t joke with is widows support, an initiative she established to provide social security net for needy women who have lost their breadwinners through death, divorce or other ways. The initiative helps out by donating money and essential material gifts to widows without discrimination. Over the years, hundreds of widows have benefitted from this gesture both here in Lagos and outside Lagos.
Interestingly, orphanage support is key to Bishop Peace. Rather than setting up a fresh orphanage and in view of the rising number of abandoned children, the visionary of the Women of Global Impact Initiative sends a monthly support to orphanages.