By Danmaryam Zayamu
In an effort to cushion the harsh effect of the Covid-19 lockdown, the Ladela School Parents Teachers Association (PTA) has supported over 650 poor indigents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with cash and food items.
It would be recalled that the FCT, Lagos and Ogun states have been under lockdown since the past two weeks in order to curtail the spread of Covid-19.
Speaking, the Executive Director of Ladela School, located in Wuse 2, Abuja, Mrs Angela Ajala, disclosed that the support was aimed at alleviating the suffering being faced by less privileged indigents of the FCT.
According to her, realizing the negative effect of the lockdown on many residents of the FCT, Ladela School quickly formulated what it christened “a comprehensive Ladela School Family Support response strategy and tasked the PTA EXCO to develop an accompanying implementation plan to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the FCT specific to the Ladela School that also incorporates the protection of populations and special groups that face difficulties such as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), refugees and migrants.”
She further explained that: “Despite the lockdown, the school family support continues to hold emergency meeting of parents, teachers and management through WhatsApp to table the current needs of the people in FCT.
“With the strategic plan put in place by the PTA, we were able to reach out to 250 children in a Catholic relief home, 300 IDPs in Lepers Colony in Karamajiji and 100 families with relief materials such as rice, bread, beans, water and cash transfer of N5,000 to 100 families.”
While commending the efforts of the federal government through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the FCT administration in trying to halt the spread of the Covid-19, Mrs Ajala applauded what she described as the extraordinary sacrifices made by health care delivery workers across the world and in Nigeria, in particular.
On his part, the Chairman, Ladela School Emergency Response to COVID-19 pandemic, Aminu Usman, said that in realization that the lockdown will cause hardship to many FCT residents, “we set up a Committee to coordinate an appeal for assistance to support low income, indigent, vulnerable and disabled persons in the FCT.
“We aimed to reach over 500 families with foodstuff and cash in the first instance but we have reached over 650 people.
“We will keep doing our best to support government’s efforts and ask that you join us today in your own way to make impact in our community so that together, we can win this war.”
Receiving the materials on behalf of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, the Health Coordinator, Sr. Cecilia Azuh, commended the effort of the Ladela family.
She said that the relief materials came at the right time adding that it is a good thing to see both individuals and private organization giving to the needy at a time like now.
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