Rotary Club of Maryland Donates Maternity Kits to 60 Pregnant Women

Rebecca Ejifoma 

For the Rotary Club of Maryland, a significant increase in saving mother and child from pregnancy and childbirth related complications is a cause worthy of pursuing.

Recently, the club donated maternity kits to 60 pregnant women and nursing mothers at the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC), Ogudu in Lagos State.

For its theme, “Maternal & Child Recognition Month”, the club mapped out plans and activities for mothers, pregnant women and children in their efforts to significantly reduce maternal and infant mortality in the country.

The 21st Hope President of the Rotary Club of Maryland, District 9110, Rotarian Rissy Taiwo remarked on the essence of the donation.

As part of their aim to improve the health of these women, the president said, “Today, we catered for 50 women. Luckily for us, we got 60 pregnant women. 

“We have taken down the list of the women that could not get anything because what we brought was 50. We’ll be coming back to give to the remaining people.”

According to Taiwo, the gesture would go a long way because many pregnant women sometimes cannot afford some of these necessities. “It’s like encouraging them to do what is right,” she emphasised. 

Rotary Club of Maryland distributed maternity kits, including mosquito-treated nets, to curb the scourge of malaria affecting mother and child and accounts for 11 per cent of maternal deaths and 25 per cent of infant deaths in Nigeria, according to the federal government.

The president outlined: “We have a cab that will help them with their breast milk. We have folic acid, which assists with the blood formation and then hand wash kits which will prepare them to be hygienic when preparing anything for their babies.” 

On his part, the Chairman of the Kosofe Local Government Area, Moyosore Ogunlewe, commended the team for their widow’s mite.

Ogunlewe, represented by the LGA’s Supervisor for Health, Abayomi Elugbede, admitted that the club had brought smiles to the faces of pregnant women.

He, therefore, urged other organisations to emulate the Rotary Club of Maryland to assist the government in making Nigeria a better nation, especially reaching out to pregnant women and nursing mothers.  

In the words of the Chartered Vice President of Rotary E-Club of Maryland, Joyce Idowu, the club is about service and is set to bring succour to the distressed.

She added: “We are a subset of the Rotary Club of Maryland. We’ve just been chartered this month. 

“When I say online club, we have members from all over the world. For example, my chartered president is based in the UK, while I’m in Nigeria.” 

We have some in America. I’m here to represent the whole body. Rotary is about service, and when you say E-Club, there are quite a number of us that maybe meeting physically may be challenging. 

Also speaking, the Chair of the Committee on Maternal & Child Health, Rotary Club of Maryland, Dr Ibitomilayo Omololu, said the beneficiaries of the empowerment had been trained on how to use the pregnancy kits.

Beyond the training, these pregnant women can now visit the health centre for guidance whenever they are in doubt.

Omololu highlighted: “Rotary Club of Maryland can also, in the future, come back here to build upon what we have done on other aspects of health. We are always available to do more. We are available for any more projects on health.”

The club, which started this year’s programme by going to Ghana to celebrate the month with the Rotary Club of Accra West, and visited Ghana with Rotary E-Club and Lekki Novare to celebrate the month with them, believes little efforts like this donation could alleviate the hardship on the women.