Wife of River State Governor and Founder, Empowerment Support Initiative {ESI}, Dame Judith Amaechi, has promised that she will continue to use her office to promote and encourage education and health care in the state.
Speaking at the weekend where she led a delegation of the River State Women Association in Atlanta to Med-Share, a United States-based health agency in Decatur, Georgia State, Dame Amaechi said that her NGO will continue to compliment the efforts of the state government presided over by her husband, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, in giving a meaningful life to the people.
She said that she will discuss with the officials of the Empowerment Support Initiative, her Non-Governmental Organization {NGO} on how some medical equipments that will be useful in providing adequate health care for River State people can quickly be acquired from Med-Share.
Mrs Amaechi promised that she will encourage her NGO to purchase brand new medical equipments and as well arrange how foreign professionals can come down to River State to train local professionals in order to make health care delivery easy in the State.
She noted that child abandonment and deprivation of quality education are the major causes of the challenges that face the upcoming generation, stressing that such deprivation is the result of the neglect by relevant institutions and the society that had failed to assist the people that are less privileged.
She however promised that her NGO will continue to groom the young ones who she said would in future become patriotic and productive individuals to River State, adding that such individuals, if caught young, will find dignity in labour, uphold ethics, values and good moral standards.
While briefing Lindsey Barnett, Director of Programs and Partnerships of Med-Share on the achievements of the Empowerment Support Initiative {ESI}, Dame Judith Amaechi said that the NGO, as part of its main priorities, had donated mammogram machines and other testing and screening aids to complement the efforts of the Public Health Sector of River State.
She continued that ESI had also successfully executed six Breast cancer awareness campaigns, screened over 500 women in Breast cancer, flagged off free eye test to mark world glaucoma day in collaboration with the River State Ministry of Health, organized de-worming exercise for children, partnered with a United States-based NGO on a Medical mission week to train and re-train health workers, organised campaigns against HIV/AIDS, cancer and maternal mortality, launched campaing against prostitution in collaboration with the University of Port Harcourt and as well initiated the establishment of Children and Women Hospitals in conjuction with the state government.
The governor's wife further said that the Empowerment Support Initiative has also been able to launch Agric Women Empowerment Programme {AWEP} which she described as a growing business help programme for women in collaboration with Graduate Management School.
Reacting, Ms. Lindsey Barnett, an official of Med-Share, said that the agency will be willing to partner with the government of River State, River State Women Association in Atlanta as well as the Empowerment Support Initiative in order to help the people especially the less privileged ones with a qualitative health care.
Ms. Barnett advised members of the delegations to continue to help the people to improve healthcare in undeserved areas by providing doctors and nurses with needed supplies and equipment and as well help the environment in the process.
On the delegation with Mrs Judith Amaechi were the wife of the Secretary of River State, Mrs Stella George Feyi, the Deputy Mayor of Port Harcourt, Honourable Nancy Stephen, Mrs Rita Proma, wife of the State Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation who is also the President of the association, Wife of the Consular General of Nigeria in Atlanta, Mrs Esther Teneilabe, Ms Happiness Emejuru, a United States-based nursing consultant among others.
In a related development, the governor's wife while speaking during a visit to Dr. Marthins Luther King's Center in Georgia, commended the US peace campaigner for his outstanding peace advocacy crusade, adding that his struggles for peace had shown that sustainable peace can only be earned through dialogue.
Her words: “When there is peace, rights of the people are protected. When there is love, the fundamental rights of the people and accelerated development are promoted. A child who begins at infancy to learn about love will surely preach peace, promote peace in his community and respect the rights of others”