By Dayo Johnson
Over 500 people with disabilities, widows, aged and the less privileged from the Ikale community in Okitipupa council area of Ondo state have benefited from an empowerment programme courtesy of Olumuyiwa Daramola Foundation, ODF.
The Olumuyiwa Daramola Foundation was initiated for medical outreach, free treatment and drugs for the aged ones, supporting people with disabilities, alleviating the people suffering through empowerments and giving scholarships to indigent students.
The beneficiaries were drawn from Okitipupa, Igbodigo, Ode-Aye, Ilutitun, Ikoya, Ayeka, Irele and Erinje communities, received items and cash worth over N20 million for small-scale business start-off items.
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Founder of the Foundation, Dr. Olumuyiwa Daramola, said the gesture became necessary to put smiles on the faces of the less privileged in the community by empowering them through the initiative.
Daramola who was represented by Mr Funminiyi Daramola said the beneficiaries were selected for the outreach after a survey to ascertain the needs of the aged, widows and less privileged in the communities.
He lamented the neglect of widows, aged and people living with disabilities in the country, saying the various items donated to them would enable them to start-off their small scale businesses.
Daramola listed some of the items distributed to include, wheelchairs, portable generators, gas cookers, grinding machines, clippers, series Itel mobile phones, cash and six yards Kampala clothes for every beneficiary.
He disclosed that this was the second edition of the annual programme, saying that the foundation was apolitical and was put in place for medical outreach and empowerment to help the needy, widows, widowers and people living with disabilities in Ikaleland.
He said: “The Olumuyiwa Daramola Foundation is not political, it is solely a medical outreach and empowerment to alleviate the suffering of the aged people, less privileged, widows, widowers and people with disabilities.
“This programme will be sustained so that many indigenes will benefit from it, I urge the beneficiaries to make good use of the items they received.”
Commending the gesture of the Foundation, the traditional ruler, the Jegun of Idepe-Okitipupa, Oba Michael Obatuga-Adetoye, described the distribution of the materials and items as timely noting that “it will go a long way to alleviate the suffering of the masses at this particular period.
Oba Adetoye said: “I think it is a good gesture by Daramola Foundation, with no political inclination or attachments to do this, I commend him and pray for long life for him.
“I want to call on well-meaning individuals in our community to emulate this initiative as it will help to reduce poverty and suffering in our land.
“We should not leave everything in the hands of the government, we have a role to play too in making life easier for our people”
“Some of the beneficiaries who expressed their appreciation towards the gesture prayed for the foundation and those behind the initiative.”
A widow, Mrs Moralayo Ejinkanle, who was given a grinding machine expressed joy, noting that the grinding machine will go a long way to support her family and finance her wards’ education.
