November 2016 update of activities
In an effort to promote peaceful co-existence and integral development across the communities in Esan land, Uromi JDPCI engaged in health education, sensitization and outreaches across three local Government Areas in Edo Central Senatorial District. The aim was to encourage and promote healthy living at the community level. Nutrition Education & counselling were also conducted in target communities in Esan North East Local Government Area with the intention to eliminate malnutrition in infants.
HEALTH
UROMI JDPCI provided 2071 (22 male and 2049 female) caregivers with nutrition counselling which was done to assist the caregivers to provide effective and improved nutritional services to caregivers and to improve status of the caregivers and their children. Growth monitoring, where children’s nutritional status are monitored using measuring scale, MUAC tape and height metre to assess them on their anthropometric measurement such as Oedema, weight of a child that is age 6 months to 5 years, while BMI for vulnerable children living with HIV. Decisions were based on the coding; Red – less than 11.5cm, which means that the child has severe acute malnutrition, Yellow :11.5 to less than 12.5cm, the child has moderate malnutrition, green: greater than 12.5cm the child is healthy. 1667 (840 male and 827 female) children that were assessed were found to be growing well.
The care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS was done in the form of Escort services like wise outreaches that are targeted at caregivers and vulnerable children who have little or no access to health services. The commission took time to educate beneficiaries in the various communities where HIV testing service was carried out using the pre-test counseling as a medium to inform them more about the virus and the measure they should take to avoid it. Tuberculosis screening was also carried out using the TB check list in the various communities. 363 persons made up of 286 vulnerable children (122 male, 164 female) while 77 caregivers made up of 76 female and 1 male) were screen for HIV while 387 were screened for Tuberculosis.
LEGAL AID
The commission, through the legal officer visited the Ubiaja prison for legal counselling. Two inmates that were remanded, one for breaking and entry and the other for battery were provided with legal representative in court. Through the aid of the commission also, a couple remanded in prison over a fight with a neighbour was reconciled with the victim and consequently released from prison.
GOOD GOVERNANCE DESK
In order to create a path way for peaceful election in the just concluded Gubernatorial Election that took place on September 28th, 2016, and also to solicit cooperation and collaboration from traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, retired public servants, leaders of market women associations, youth leaders as well as transporter’s union, and political ward leaders towards a proactive peace accord initiative for the election, Uromi JDPCI carried out Eminent Stakeholders Forum on Peace Accord/Dialogue for Peaceful Election and Voters Education Across the five Local Government Areas in Edo Central Senatorial District ( Esan Central, Esan North East, Esan South East, Esan west and Igueben). The Eminent Stakeholders meetings were held across the palaces of the various local Monarchs and facilitated by the Uromi JDPCI Director, Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Fidelis Arhedo, assisted
by the Programme Manager – Mr. Michael Iyoriobhe, Project Manager on Good Governance – Uwadaiale Abel and others of the commission. Those in attendance were Onojie of Ekpoma, Onojie of Ukhun, Onojie of Ewohimi and Ubiaja. The Onojie of Igueben and Uromi were represented by their councils of Chiefs. Chiefs from Various Local Government areas, FRSC, NCSDC, DSS, Ward Youth from various political parties, market women and Bike riders association, all the civic groups across Esan central Senatorial District and region heads were present.
The director very Rev Fr. Dr. Fidelis Arhedo addressed all participants on Peace Accord/Dialogue for peaceful election and Voters Education and he emphasized on the need of the forum which was to enlighten the participants present and for them to go back to inform their various communities on peaceful election and also to create a community surveillance which would build the capacity of all stakeholders in their Local Government for critical consciousness, collective assertiveness for their mandate, as well as to build their synergy in more proactive measures that would help to eliminate manipulation and violence in the electoral process. The Director stated that the stakeholders’ meeting became imperative due to the prevailing political atmosphere in Edo State for the Edo State Gubernatorial Election. which he said, posed a threat to Nigeria’s fledgling democracy.
MICRO CREDIT
Empowerment of the less privileged in the society has always been the major policy thrust of the Uromi JDPCI. The commission has established the MICRO-CREDIT/PROMIC SCHEME for this purpose to empower people through soft loans, which is strictly a group loan for poor women in the society. This is opened to Catholics and Non-Catholics within the Diocese of Uromi. Currently, nineteen (19) groups comprising of three hundred and one (301) persons are currently benefiting from the micro-credit scheme of the Uromi JDPCI.
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