Rotarians in Abuja staged a walk at the weekend to canvass peace, especially
in parts of Nigeria with security challenges, days after International Women's
Day.
The Rotary Club of Abuja, Maitama billed February its "understanding and
peace month", which came on the heels of the International Women's Day, said its
president Evelyn Onyilo.
"One of the six areas of rotary is to ensure there is peace throughout the
world," Onyilo said. "We want wars to cease, and you know the situation we have
in Nigeria-insurgency and kidnapping."
Women make an absolute majority of the club, chartered in Abuja's Maitama
district two years ago.
Said Onyilo: "So from the perspective of womanhood, we are naturally peace
lovers, peace promoters. [The coincidence of International Women's Day] goes to
show that our club being a gender sensitive club is celebrating by advocating
for peace worldwide and especially in Nigeria and in the Northeast region."
Rotary at international level has campaigned for health fund, and is among
the biggest donors to immunisation programmes globally.
"Polio eradication is one of our biggest projects. Each and every rotarian is
involved in this fight. You know that Nigeria is one of the three polio-endemic
countries in the world but we are working towards changing it."
Its district club in Maitama has included poverty allevation on its agenda to
ensure maternal and child health issues are brought to the fore and improved
upon.
Janet Okolo, who convened the "peace walk" said the club hoped to being
giving out grants to women.
"In every crisis situation, women and children are the worst hit. By and
large, they become widows and helpless and have to fend for themselves and the
economy does not help matters. So we intend to give them micro grants to ease
hardship so they can engage in small scale businesses to uplift themselves,"
Okolo said.
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