Ms. Joy Omotola, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on Monday offered medical care to 71 widows in Ovom Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
Omotola, who hails from Ogun, said in Yenagoa the gesture was part of her contribution to improving the welfare of aged widows in the society.
Omotola alongside other corps members, who are in the medical profession, screened the widows for diabetics and high blood pressure.
The exercise, which took place at the community town hall, included free consultation and check-up for the widows, donation of wrappers, foodstuffs including bags of rice, and bags of garri.
She noted that widows were vulnerable members of the society, who apart from suffering from the death of their spouses also had mental health illnesses such as depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, diabetics, and stroke among others.
According to her, widowhood is among the most stressful of all life situations and requires more psychological and behavioural adjustment than any other life transition.
Omotola said that the various challenges faced by widows provided justification for a proper meal, good healthcare, and good clothing.
She said that after a critical evaluation of the situation of widows in the community, there was the need to quickly reach out to them as they were helpless and this burden birthed the project “New Year for Widows”.
She said that the project was to empower the widows in the community with some basic provisions and create a healthy lifestyle for them to support each other through this period of their lives.
“The project is also to celebrate their strength and encourage them to keep pushing for the coming years and teach them how to take care of their all-round wellbeing.’’
Mr. Ibesemiye Silver, the Chairman of, Ovom Community Development Committee, spoke on behalf of the community, and the widows thanked Omotola for her kind gesture.
The community leader also prayed to God to grant her blessings in all her future endeavours beyond her service year.
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