By Stanley Onyekwere
As part of activities to mark this year’s All-Africa Service Project, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints thronged out and carried out a thorough clean up exercise within the environment of the Wuse General Hospital, Abuja.
It was observed that despite the early Saturday morning rains, church members, numbering about 90, who were equipped with rakes, brooms, cutlasses, trash bags, hand gloves, facemasks and other cleaning objects volunteered their time to the environmental cleaning initiative, as a way of supporting the management of the Hospital to maintain cleanliness in the healthcare facility.
Speaking during the community outreach, Abuja- Nigeria Wuse Stake President, Barr. Obinna Alaribe Ubazuo, explained that the project organised annually by the the Church, aims to encourage members to emulate the example of Jesus Christ, by serving others and improving their immediate neighbourhoods and communities at large.
Ubazuo, added that part of the objectives are to strengthen their neighbours and show kindness to one another, in line with the counsel of Jesus Christ, who through His apostles teaches that when Christians are serving their fellow men, they are also in the service of God.
He said the contributions of the church members are in support of the massive effort the hospital management is doing in trying to care for those who are sick or somehow afflicted in one form or the other.
According to him: “It’s an ongoing project, and we’re also doing it in other places, as other members of the church are doing it in other areas. We believe, as taught by our prophet, President Nelson, that the Lord wants us to be happy. The Lord wants us to be peacemakers. We need to be peacemakers to create peace, happiness, joy in our community.
“Our charge for the members of society is that we should all strive, irrespective of how boring some life might be, to contribute our own quota of support to the community.
And showing love is an attribute of Jesus Christ.
“All you need to do is just to contribute a little quota of your time, energy, resources, or even have the intention. And it is going to go a long way in helping the community be a better place. ”
On the choice of a hospital for this year’s project, he said: “We looked around the environment, and of course we understood the fact that life is becoming a little bit more difficult, especially for those who are also afflicted. And we also felt it was very important and necessary that we support our caregivers, those who provide care to those who are going through a lot of stress. So that is what moved us to choose the hospital.
“The caregivers are doing a lot of work in our community. Our state centre is in the Wuse area. And the hospital has been of great support to those who are sick, afflicted, pregnant persons, and all what not.
“So, we cannot overemphasise the importance of a hospital. So coming to say thank you for all you’re doing, we appreciate your contributions, for the dedicated staff who are committed every day long, morning to night, to support those who are sick.
“So one way we chose to come in and help them clean up their environment, to support whatever efforts they have, just to show them that we truly care for one another.
“And the work has been carried out, both from the church members and from the management of the hospital. So, we are very pleased to help.”
Similarly, Second Counselor, Abuja- Nigeria, Wuse Stake Presidency, Michael Okonkwo, noted that the project will also help create an awareness that the people don’t always need to wait for government for a lot of things especially keeping the environment clean.
“A healthy environment is actually a healthy people. So if we have a healthy environment, those who come to the hospital to access health care will be able to not go back with extra disease.
“But rather, because there is cleanliness in the environment, that also affects the kind of care they receive also in a facility like this”, he stressed.
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