Really nice stuff here.

More companies should emulate this.


Source: http://independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=16665


Succour To Hole-in-the-heart Children
By Stella Odueme Correspondent, Lagos

Overwhelmed by an inherited defect and inadequate health facilities in the country, families of children with hole-in-the-heart live in perpetual fear and pains of loosing them.

Medical experts say stunted growth, shortness of breath, build up of blood and fluid in the lungs, legs, ankles and feet are some of their characteristics. As a result, many of them hardly know life as other children know it.

Expert also stated that there are cases that do not need treatment because the hole-in-the-heart is small and is expected to close after sometime. However, cases that need treatment are best repaired in infancy or early childhood just as adults are also treated for holes in the heart if problems develop.

Unfortunately, cases of hole-in-the-heart which could only be treated overseas abound in Nigeria, especially among people who ordinarily cannot afford local healthcare services. However, reprieve is coming the way of many families with the challenge from Nigeria’s leading telecommunications company MTN, through its Corporate Social Investment vehicle, MTN Foundation, which has been sponsoring the children to India and South Africa for treatment.

According to the foundation, it has already successfully intervened in at least 19 of such cases. Last month, the Foundation came to the rescue of another five families with children whose lives were threatened by this defect. They include; the Donald family from Benue State, Abiola family from Kwara State, Lasisi family from Ogun State, Edobor family from Edo State and the Oladokun family from Osun State, respectively. Their children had their heart defects remedied in India on the bill of MTN Foundation.

The parents of six-year-old Emmanuel, Mrs. Grace Donald, is a full-time housewife while her husband, is a policeman.

She narrated that after her child was diagnosed to have a hole-in-the-heart, she was told at the General Hospital, Ikeja after series of tests that she should raise N2 million to enable her to take him to India for an open heart operation.

Recounting her ordeal, Donald said; “I did not know what to do, or where to start from until one of our friends gave me the address of MTN, and I went to their office. MTN has made me happy. I did not imagine that we could ever go to India to get him treated. But MTN sent us to India and when we got there, I still could not believe it. When we arrived in India, they ran tests on Emmanuel before taking him to the theatre. After the doctors brought him out, he was weak but the doctors told me he was alright. Before the operation, he could not walk but now he walks and eats very well. My only prayer is that God will continue to bless MTN”.

Ms. Patience Edobor, a single parent who lost her job to circumstances associated with her daughter’s illness recalled that four-year-old Bosco Wealth was always ill and gasping for breath.

“One would imagine that she was under severe asthmatic attack when breathing. Her temperature was always very high and she could not walk until she was over two years old. So I took her to the General Hospital, Ikeja, thinking specialists at the popular Lagos hospital are fully equipped to help me. But after several tests were conducted, I was told that my daughter had a hole in her heart and that I would need money for surgery, I thought I was dreaming. I asked myself ‘where do you think you will get N2.5 million from? But they just said, go and get N2.5 million for surgery. Go and look for money.”

Continuing she recalled; “For the first three months, I did not do anything about it. I just said my God will heal her. But somebody told me that the only thing that will remove the hole from her heart is surgery. I saw other people with similar problem going out to look for money. I decided to do the same. I started moving from church to church in search of help. I also went to PM News, people called to support but the money I got was not up to N30, 000.”

She said she decided to contact MTN and was informed of the existence of MTN Foundation which she visited and dropped an appeal letter and picture of her daughter in January 2010 yet, there was no response.

Looking back, she said; “I just forgot about MTN when I did not get any response from them. I thought maybe they did not want to help me. I thought about different reasons why they would not help me. I went to another newspaper for help until MTN later called me and when they did, I did not believe it. I could not sleep that night. I told everybody that I received a call from MTN. MTN paid for my passport and visa. I went to India with my daughter for treatment on their bill”.

Though Bosoko Wealth has gone to India for surgery and back, she however has many more rivers to cross. Her case is complicated and unlike other children that spent three weeks in India, she spent seven weeks, and will still have to return there for two more surgeries on the bill of MTN Nigeria. Meanwhile, she has been put on special medication for a year to stabilise her condition.

Moradeke Oladokun, Risikat Abiola and Ayodele Lasisi whose children also returned from India with the duo of Grace Donald and Patience Edobor, all said that MTN Foundation provided them a shoulder to lean on at their time of need and difficulty.

Explaining MTN’s decision to intervene in the children’s cases, General Manager, Corporate Communications of MTN Nigeria, Funmi Omogbenigun, explained that the company was touched by the plight of children with the hole-in-the-heart defect, especially the ones whose parents are helpless because of lack of funds and decided to assist them.

She disclosed that the foundation had no special relationship with the beneficiaries prior to their selection. She said the foundation usually receives requests from parents and also pick out some interesting cases from television, radio and newspapers.

“We select the most critical ones, especially young ones. We generally send them to South Africa or India for treatment. At our office in Lagos, we have in-house medical department and our doctors would assess and contact other doctors in different parts of the world. We procure for them visas, passports, air tickets, health certificates and any other thing they would need to travel for treatment,” she said.

In 2009, the MTN Foundation sponsored nine children with hole in the heart for open heart surgery that remedied their ailment. This year, the foundation has sponsored 10 children already for treatment, and observers are of the opinion that foundation may be working towards surpassing last year’s performance.


Source: http://independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=16665

cudos to them, and others should emulate.

@Blueice4re.

Agree with you totally!

CSR should benefit society, not some preppy uptight dudes in airconditioned office who get grants to service their lifestyle.

The Bosco Edobor story is really touching.

God will bless MTN Foundation staff jare (they are d best).

Does anybody know how to get MTN Foundation's attention for similar interventions?

@Tokotaya

Tokotaya:

Does anybody know how to get MTN Foundation's attention for similar interventions?

You can check the mtn website.

G-reycells:

Really nice stuff here.

More companies should emulate this.


Source: http://independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=16665


Explaining MTN’s decision to intervene in the children’s cases, General Manager, Corporate Communications of MTN Nigeria, Funmi Omogbenigun, explained that the company was touched by the plight of children with the hole-in-the-heart defect, especially the ones whose parents are helpless because of lack of funds and decided to assist them.

She disclosed that the foundation had no special relationship with the beneficiaries prior to their selection. She said the foundation usually receives requests from parents and also pick out some interesting cases from television, radio and newspapers.

“We select the most critical ones, especially young ones. We generally send them to South Africa or India for treatment. At our office in Lagos, we have in-house medical department and our doctors would assess and contact other doctors in different parts of the world. We procure for them visas, passports, air tickets, health certificates and any other thing they would need to travel for treatment,” she said.




Source: http://independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=16665

@tokotaya.


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