A non-governmental organisation, Victim Support Fund (VSF), on Tuesday handed over projects worth N55 million to the Bayelsa State government for three selected secondary schools.
The VSF Covid-19 Emergency Intervention Programme is part of efforts to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The schools, which cut across the three senatorial districts, are Community Secondary School, Otuoke, Kaiama Grammar School, Kaiama, and Community Secondary School, Sagbama.
Each school received a solar-powered borehole, four hand wash stations, 2,000 pieces of reusable face masks, five pieces of four-litre hand sanitizers, 120 bottles of 500ml liquid hand wash and five cartons of bleach.
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Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, chairperson of Victims Support Fund Taskforce on Covid-19, made the presentation at Community Secondary School, Otuoke on behalf of Theophilus Danjuma, chairman of VSF.
Akerele-Ogunsiji said the fund would continue to provide relief to victims of insurgency and armed conflicts in the country as well as vulnerable Nigerians and provide institutional support to agencies involved in the fight against Covid-19.
She said that VSF was concerned about the plight of students and teachers, especially those in rural communities in the core areas of livelihood and recovery, education and protection, infrastructural development and peace building.
“Following the successful implementation of the first and second phases of the VSF COVID-19 emergency intervention programme.
“It included the distribution of food, medical consumables and personal protective equipment to 19 states across the six geopolitical zones of the country as well as the provision of support to other groups.
“The VSF Taskforce on Covid-19 as part of its third phase commenced the handover of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities to 54 schools in 18 states across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
“Three schools in each of the benefiting states have been carefully chosen for this intervention,” she said.
Bayelsa State Commissioner for Health, Newton Igwele, commended the Victim Support Fund for the gesture which he described as a welcome development.
Igwele noted that the Covid-19 pandemic had challenged medical facilities even in developed countries adding that the state government welcomed support from such stakeholders.
The Principal of Community Secondary School, Otuoke, Grace Dafese, who spoke on behalf of the other principals applauded VSF for the gesture and assured that the facilities would be maintained.
