Inner Wheel provides health assistance for women in Enugu

For three days last week, care and other works of charity took the centre stage in Enugu as members of the International Inner Wheel organisation gathered for their 30th National Conference.

It was an opportunity to reach out to the less privileged, the elderly, women and young girls with medical care, counseling and health talks that would help them.

Members refrained from much talks to give free cancer screening for reproductive women, medical checkups for the high blood pressure people, eye test, malaria test and others. 140 women drawn from various parts of the state were treated of various ailments, while 130 female students from eight schools within the metropolis benefitted from health talks delivered by health experts.

The international President of the organisation, Oluyemisi Alatise, who is the first African and Nigerian to lead the over 90 year old organisation, told The Guardian that; “ We are doing this because our objective is first to promote friendship, do personal service and foster international understanding. So it is a way to encourage the ideas of personal service by way of good health to the women, touching and helping to improve the lives of women.’

She stated that the focus was on women because the organisation itself is a woman organisation.

“If you take care of a woman, you take care of a nation, because she is going to look after the man, look after the children”.

Alatise said the International Inner Wheel, which has over 102 countries as members was set up to assist Rotarians and draws its membership from being their wives, daughters and daughters- in-law.

“We want to continue to provide assistance the little way we can to the women. I have so far visited 10 countries to encourage women and provide them with the little empowerment we can afford. What has been my motivation is the fact that being the first African to lead this organisation, I want to use it to make the statement that Africans can do better that their European counterparts

“I don’t want to be the last African or Nigerian to hold this post. So I want to make sure I leave a good legacy for the 102 countries that belong to Inner Wheel. Nigeria is one out 102 countries where Inner Wheel exists and I can only visit a country once. I am planning to go to Kenya and Malawi to strengthen and encourage women over there and hopefully my presence will be felt”, she said.

Speaking further on the activities of the organisation, Alatise stated that the kind of politics played in most African countries have affected the progress of women, stressing that majority of them have not aspired beyond their duties at home.

Accompanied by the National President of National Governing Body, Lady Uche Agbim and over 200 members, Alatise paid courtesy calls to the governors of Ebonyi and Enugu, where she advocated the need for continuous assistance and support for women.

Enugu State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi while receiving them sought the support of the public for the organisation. The members later visited the Innoson Technical Industrial Company and decried wastages in terms of machineries and human resources, due to lack of production materials.