On June 22, 2021, my dad, *Azuka Jebose*, will turn 60. This is an especially poignant milestone for our family, as on this same day in 2020, he was finally released from the hospital following an almost week-long stay due to COVID-19. For most of that stay, we weren’t sure that he would make it back home to us, but with the help of an incredible medical team, he is not only home, but more himself now than he has been in recent months. For that, we are thankful.
As 60 years, my dad has embarked upon an incredibly ambitious project: to build a *community health center* in his home village of Onicha-Ugbo that will provide care to any Nigerian irrespective of their ability to pay for services. Although my dad has been in the United States for 25+ years, he is still strongly connected to those back home. In fact, he has spent the last several years using his own Facebook page to raise money for Nigerians in need of medical care. To date, he has raised over N100million (about $262,000) to help people afford dialysis, surgeries, or even returning their loved ones home for a proper burial.
Azuka knows the power of community – and, in particular, the desire of Nigerians to look out for each other. Even here in Raleigh, NC, myself and my siblings have come to know a network of uncles – several of whom stepped up when dad was hospitalized last year. The community my dad has built through social media is powerful, too. Every day, there is a new story of someone who needs help. I’ve heard firsthand the phone calls that take place at all hours of the day and night from those who’ve heard that Azuka fundraises and need his support. This health centre – which he plans to name after his mother, *Mama Reggie* – is a more tangible, enduring way to give back to his community and provide them with a safe haven to receive care.
As my dad has written, the Nigerian health care system is poorly developed and dysfunctional. At the primary health care level, it does not fare better. Nigeria is reported to have 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people, highlighting a disproportionate number of health care professionals available to treat the populace. As a result, many who cannot afford the spiralling costs of healthcare resort to the services of herb sellers, herbal treatments and faith-based or miracle healing for their health care. Only one percent of Nigerians have health insurance so that, in cases of medical emergencies, only a few can afford it. People die needless deaths from preventable diseases because they simply cannot afford the exorbitant fees required for proper care.
When announcing this huge undertaking, my dad offered an old saying: “The river that does not know its source will dry up.”
Therefore, this passionate appeal is to citizens of this great planet earth to help my dad actualize this audacious but laudable initiative by donating any amount. Any and all help in helping my dad give back to his source is greatly appreciated.
Those in Nigeria may donate thus:
-Advertisement-
Azuka Jebose Molokwu
*GTB CURRENT ACCOUNT:*
*0016705783*
We do everything possible to supply quality news and information to all our valuable readers day in, day out and we are committed to keep doing this.
Your kind donation will help our continuous research efforts.
-Advertisement-
-Want to get the news as it breaks?-
