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| Lehi Social Impact Foundation Team Donates Medical Supplies, Food Items, and Mattresses to Hospital in University Teaching Hospital, Abuja as Part of Their Annual 'Christmas at the Hospital' Initiative. |
The foundation, whose target for this year is to bring festive cheer to hospitalized children and new mothers, handed over medical supplies including two wheelchairs, a CPAP machine, a suction pump, an infusion pump , food items to patients in University Teaching Hospital Abuja.
In Lagos, the foundation renovated a creche at Bagada General Hospital and distributed Christmas packs containing food items to children on admission.
Speaking during the presentation, on Tuesday in Abuja,the convener of the foundation, Lawyer, Philanthropist and lead partner at Lehi Attorneys, Babayemi Olaniyan, explained that the donations were informed by a needs assessment conducted in collaboration with the beneficiary hospitals.
He said “Christmas at the Hospital Initiative started in 2019 when my friends and I decided to do something for Christmas. We chose to visit a hospital and give items to children on admission. The key focus is children who can't attend Christmas parties. So, we bring the Christmas parties to them and also reach out to mothers who have just given birth. We provide Christmas packs, rice, noodles, or other items as a way of showing love during the festive period."
Olaniyan explained, "This year we visited two states: Lagos and Abuja. In Lagos, we renovated a creche at the Bagada General Hospital and distributed Christmas packs to the children. For Abuja, we provided mattresses, two wheelchairs, a CPAP machine, a suction pump, and an infusion pump.
These are very expensive hospital items, but we decided to give them because the hospital identified them as essential during a needs assessment. This assessment guided us in purchasing the various items."
The initiative was made possible through partnerships and support from several organizations. While expressing his gratitude,
Olaniyan said, "I must say a big thanks to our partners, NALA, a payment solutions company that facilitates local and international transfersfacilitate I Just Gave Back,They came together to contribute, alongside Eilish Consulting. All these partners made this year's initiative a success."
Speaking on future plans"By God's grace, next year will be bigger and better. We might expand to a third, fourth, or even fifth state. Love is one of the greatest things humanity needs. If, as humans, we show love constantly, it helps the whole world. If I show you love and you show me love, the whole world is effectively showing love. This could eliminate conflict and war. Love. Just a little drop of it can make a significant impact."
He added,"The Lehi Foundation is our main foundation, but we run different projects throughout the year. One of them is Project Smile, which we conduct in February and sometimes around August or October. Our latest initiative is Food Bank Nigeria, which we are launching soon. The goal is to provide foodstuffs to people in need."
Earlier,head of Department pediatrics, Dr Eno Ekop,receiving the items said ,
“We are very very grateful indeed this is the christmas spirit you have brought to this hospital to our children and our staff this equipment uh really needed to aid our service delivery and um bringing these to us i i can't say how happy we are indeed he came last month and all he wanted to do was just you know bring christmas packs for the children and some mothers and i was like what about the children need these things to you know to get better in the hospital and i said okay just write what you need we see what we can do as i was writing my list honestly i i wasn't sure i was going to get you know these things but surprisingly from your good heart from goodwill from your pockets you got these for us and we are really grateful may god replenish you a thousand poles thank you very much oh okay i'm dr eno echo i'm the head of you”
On his part, Pastor of Supernatural Life, Church Philip Olubakin said, "The first thing is sharing joy, the joy of the moment. We all know how it is for a mother who has a child in the hospital at this time. They may be depressed or sad, but bringing joy here with all the singing, dancing, and smiling communicates that they are not alone. That feeling of being remembered can go a long way in improving the health of the child."
Pastor Olubakin linked the act of giving to the message of Christ. "The coming of Jesus into the world was God sharing His love with humanity. That’s the love we are sharing today. We don’t have anything else to give but love, and it’s the same Jesus who has touched our lives and asked us to share His love with others. This initiative is a reflection of that message."
Speaking about the convener, he added "I always create time to be here with him because his commitment to showing love and care is truly inspiring.”
Umar Atahiru, a parent whose 6-year-old son had been in the hospital for five days, expressed his gratitude, saying: "We don’t have anything else to say. We really appreciate you people. Thank you very much. We have just been discharged, and by God’s grace, we will go back home and celebrate whatever you have given to us. I came here on the 19th of this month, so it’s been almost five days now. We are truly grateful."
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| Umar Atahiru, a parent whose 6-year-old son had been in the hospital for five days |
A first time mother,Janet John, shared her joy and appreciation, "I’m grateful for the gift of life and for the opportunity to receive this Christmas gift you brought to us. We are so grateful, and I’m happy to be part of this. Thank you so much, and God bless you. I’m truly thankful for this gesture."
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| Janet John with her mother |
Another beneficiary, Jamila Aliyu, whose child recently underwent surgery for typhoid, also expressed her heartfelt thanks,
"I am so thankful to the foundation for their kindness. May God bless and reward you for this wonderful gesture. It means so much to us, and we deeply appreciate it."