While the BusinessDay Dollar A Day initiative is re-strategisIng on ways to make greater impact in the lives of grassroots women with the support it has been enjoying from its esteemed readers, two women have received yet another support.
One of the esteemed readers of BusinessDay went out of his way to pay a visit recently to ‘The Brook’, that is the BusinessDay corporate headquarters at Apapa Lagos and made donations totalling N200,000 to two women with urgent needs- Nike Akinola Saheed and Justina Obi.
Nike Akinola Saheed was abandoned by the father of her daughter when the child was still a toddler and she does not know his whereabouts. This woman’s child now seven years became completely blind shortly after recovering from measles attack at the age of five. Initial reports indicated that the girl would have to spend the rest of her life as a blind person.
Nike had to leave her job as the child then needed constant attention. She has spent virtually everything she has in addition to what various donors through the BusinessDay Dollar initiative have given to her on medical bills. Thank God, the various treatments and surgeries have had positive results. The recovery was slow, first there was partial sighyt on one eye and then fully with that eye and then after the last surgery at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, she recovered sight on both eyes. But the mother who has been out of a steady job in those two years was unable to afford the drugs recommended after the surgery in addition to fresh threats of eviction from her one-room in Ijegun area of Lagos state due to inability to pay rent in due course.
In response to that, this donor who also contributed N50,000 previously to the bills of the last surgery came to the rescue again with a lump sum of N150,000 to help Nike to buy the recommended post-surgery drugs for her daughter, repay the loan of N30,000 she borrowed to clear the last of the hospital bill and restart a business which she attempted to float when she could no longer hold on to her job, pay her house rent and enrol the girl in school.
The little girl who was already attending school before the unfortunate incident has stopped school for almost two years now.
The N150,000 is to help her and her daughter with a fresh start after the little girl’s two years of visual challenge.
The second woman, Justina Obi who got N50,000 from the donor is a widow with eight children. She has also in times past been a beneficiary of the graciousness of BusinessDay readers. With the first donation over a year ago, Justina was able to rent a room so as to have a roof over head and for her children who were then living apart from her at the time. She also went into the selling of fruits. Though, it has been tough financially, she and her children were coping but she suddenly discovered the growth of a tumour in her breast giving her very intense pains. As a result, she is unable to see to her business which started dwindling. The donation is to assist her do a test, buy needed drugs and also inject into her business.
If the test results, indicate a serious medical condition, Justina may need additional help. She strongly desire that the condition would not be cancerous. With the donation, Justina would at least know what the tumour is.
OLUYINKA ALAWODE
