“The first time I held my boy after delivery, it was really devastating. I wept for days,” says Elfrida Osuma, mother of a child who was born without limbs.
She was probably crying because she
knows that living in our society without a body part, or any kind of
disability, is very challenging. Perhaps even more so for children.
The cost of getting an artificial limb
or prosthesis can be very high – a prosthetic limb costs an average of
N1 – N1.5 million to buy and fit. And then there is the stigma! So the
family of these children often end up relying on others for help,
sometimes with measures as desperate as begging.
Fortunately, Stanbic IBTC has undertaken to provide some children with prostheses as part of its #Together4ALimb
Corporate Social Investment initiative. As well as the artificial
limbs, Stanbic IBTC also gifts each of them with educational trust funds
to ensure they get quality education.
With 5 children helped last year and
another 8 this year, thirteen children now have the benefit of mobility
that we too often take for granted.
On the initiative, Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Sola David-Borha says:
“Stanbic IBTC’s corporate social responsibility has three areas of focus: health, education and economic empowerment. We wanted to have a cause that people will identify with and we arrived at health for children, specifically, prosthetic limbs. We are focused on children who are not well supported so that we can make a real difference in their lives.”
And the benefit of the initiative is
clearly evident. As Mrs Osuma, whose son is one of the beneficiaries,
put it: “Imagine me saving N1 million yearly for prosthesis. How much is
my salary?”
And beyond the provision of prostheses
and scholarships to beneficiaries, Stanbic IBTC is trying to raise
awareness and encourage others to pitch in to boost access to prosthetic
limbs by those who need them.
Last year, the financial institution
organized a charity walk in Lagos to draw attention to children who need
limbs. “The event (the charity walk) will go down in history as one of
those with the most profound impact on the children of this country,”
said Bolanle Ambode, wife of the Lagos State governor, who flagged off the 5-kilometre walk.
This year’s walk is taking place on Saturday 24th September
in Abuja. The walk kicks off at 7am from the Stanbic IBTC regional
office at Plot 1049, Ahmadu Bello Way, Garki 2. Join us and let’s walk
#Together4ALimb
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