Olowu Olumide
In commemoration of its ten years anniversary, the Samaritan Mission to Africa, a humanitarian group continue with the gesture of providing free medical services and food palliative for 400 residents of Igbogbo.
For a decade, the group has focused on supporting those that are homeless, refugees, and victims of natural disasters and famine across the continent. The group support the needy through supply of relief in emergencies and used food assistance to build peace, stability, and prosperity for people recovering from conflict by providing food, water, shelter, medical care, and other necessities.
400 residents of Igbogbo benefitted from the December 2024 Free Health Care, Free Glasses, Annual Food Distribution and Children’s Xmas Party, which held at the Miksson Onas Hall, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Road, Igbogbo.
Various medical treatments and free eye glasses and food items were given to beneficiaries, while children also had great time with Santa Claus.
Certificates of appreciation were also presented to personnel and volunteers that have been working and supporting the humanitarian group for their services.
Engr. Ajani Olanrewaju Olufunmi, President, Samaritan Mission to Africa, said that the outreach programme was brought to Igbogbo which happens to be his community, due to many requests after years of organizing it in other areas.
He described the outreach in Igbogbo, as a fulfilling and another successful outing where those in need were actually reached.
“This is all about reaching out to the ordinary and common people. This is all about reaching out to the less privileged in the grassroots and giving them support.
“We offered them medical treatments and food palliatives and they were happy. This is a rural community where people who are truly in need”, he said.
While assuring that the mission will continue its work in 2025 and beyond, Engr. Ajani called for support for the organization from those that are privileged to enable them make their outreach in 2025 bigger and reach out to more people in need.
“We want support from the people so that we can do more for the people in 2025.
“Today, we are providing medical treatments and various kinds of food items to 400 people, including children.
“We believe that December is a period of joy. People need to be happy and celebrate. That’s why we always have our programme in December.
“We used to do it twice a year before, but due to economic challenges, we decided to make it once and make it meaningful
“We hope that by 2025, it is going to be bigger than this”, he said.
Pastor Adebajo, a resident of Odogunyan, a beneficiary described the gesture as a wonderful one and commended the organisers for supporting those in need to cushion the harsh economic conditions.
“This is wonderful, because I actually do not know what to use to qualify this gesture being offered by some people at this time in Nigeria.
“They are giving out free medical tests, food palliatives and free glasses.
“This is great because we all know the value of going to the hospital to do all these and also going to the market to get all these food items. This is a big gesture from the organisers”, he said.
Another beneficiary, Adegbemele Idowu, a civil servant who also spoke with THE IMPACT, described the initiative as well – organized and a good development.
“This is a well-organized programme. The turn -out of people is very high. You can also see the way everything is arranged and people are being attended to.
“There are different units taking care of different activities which made the whole thing properly coordinated. This is a good development”, he said.
In her own submission, a woman who resides in Igbogbo, said:
“It’s marvelous because some people are doing what the people above and those in government should have done. Somebody is taking the responsibilities of caring for people. I do not even know this person.I only heard of the name of the organization.
“They operate free of charge, gave out free drugs and food.
“They are helping people to eliminate hunger and providing them with food which the government should be doing”, he said.
