NNPC Foundation donates mattresses, dental accessories to special needs children in Osun
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Foundation in partnership with the Nigerian Association of Paediatric Dentistry (NARD) on Thursday, donated 60 mattresses and dental accessories to Special Needs Children School in Ilare, Ile-Ife, Osun.
The presentation of the items was part of lined up activities for the 7th Biennial Conference of NARD in Ile-Ife.
Mrs Emmanuel Arukwe, the Managing Director of NNPC Foundation, said during the presentation of the items that the Foundation was committed to making meaningful impact in communities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Represented by Dr Zainab Umar, Health Care Deputy Manager of the Foundation, Arukwe said the mission of the foundation was rooted in the belief that the lives of every child matters.
“Our mission is rooted in the belief that every child matters, including the special children here with us today.
“We are committed to providing conducive learning environment that nurture growth and development,” she said.
Arukwe said the Foundation was handling over the items to the NARD for the benefits of the Special Needs Children.
“We are here partnering with NARD as part of our mission to provide adequate healthcare, education, taking care of the environment and access to energy, which is the reason the Foundation was setup.
“We partnered with NARD to provide some materials to the Special Needs Children School to make life easier for the children.
“Also, that education can be better for them and also for them to have a better life,” she said.
According to her, the special children’s resilience and courage inspire them beyond measure, with the hope that the items presented to them will bring them comfort and improve their daily lives.
In her remarks, Dr Ifeyinwa Adegbulugbe, NARD National President, said that the association had been in existence since 2005, with the mission of advocating for oral health of Nigerian children.
Adegbulugbe said oral health of the children was pertinent for national development.
She said Special Needs Children deserve the same scrutiny and care as children without special needs, adding that NAPD trained experts were also involved in providing oral healthcare to this “special group.”
“We are delighted to be here with our partners and sponsors to extend our support to the Special Needs Children School.
“We choose the Special Needs Children School because we wanted to raise awareness for this school and other special children across the country.
“The awareness is that they should not be kept at home but rather be giving the same care and attention as the other children.
“We are also advocating what we call the ‘dental home’ where we are telling the people that every child should have their first encounter with the dentist by 12 months for general check up”, she said.
Adegbulugbe said that children from 12 months old should visit the dentist twice a year so that their oral health and dentition could be monitored and develop normally.
Mrs Rosemary Egunjobi, the Headmistress of the school, thanked the NNPC and NAPD for the gesture.
Egunjobi said the items were the first intervention the school would be getting from any individual or group.
She said the school had 95 regular students and 10 irregular students.
Egunjobi commended the group for having the care of the children at heart and reaching out to them.
The highlights of the event were oral care pep talk to the children, oral test carried out on them as well as the presentation of tooth pastes and brushes to them.
The President of Nigeria Dental Association, Dr Tope Adeyemi and Osun Chairperson of Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Prof. Olayinka Olasode, also gave goodwill messages at the event.
