UNICEF, Sheraton raise N6m to tackle guinea worm
By Felix Kuye
ABOUT N6 million was raised at the weekend by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria and Sheraton Hotel to boost the fight against guinea worm disease in the country.
The fund was a product of the global partnership between UNICEF and Sheraton Hotel known as "check out for children". It is essentially an initiative to raised fund locally from the private sector for specific UNICEF projects. It is marked yearly by a carnival-like walk.
Companies that donated to the global agency this year, include the British Airways, Chevron Texaco, Vmobile, United Bank for Africa (UBA), KLM Airline, Coca Cola, Unilever, Standard Chartered, DHL, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL).
Over two thousand officials of the donor firms alongside others participated in this year's edition of the "Sheraton-UNICEF Walk" held in Ikoyi, where the fund was raised at the weekend.
For about an hour, the participants, a medley of white and black men and women as well as children wore T-shirts on which names of the donor firms were printed with a white cap to match. They walked in sportsman-like manner through marked routes under security escort.
Back to the UNICEF office, the representative of the Minister for Health, Dr. Kamorudeen Ojodu said guinea worm disease is caused by consumption of bad water, especially in the rural areas.
He said: "The Federal Government has always been in the vanguard of efforts to eradicate guinea worm disease in the country. From 653,620 cases recorded in 1988, the number has been successfully reduced to 410 by October 2004."
Ojodu, who is the national co-ordinator of the Nigeria Guinea worm Eradication Programme (NIGEP) of the Federal Ministry of Health commended the former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, UNICEF and other organisations for "their laudable role in the fight against the disease".
He urged Nigerians, especially those in the rural areas to quickly report any case of infection for prompt action to be taken. He also called on all tiers of government to make potable water available to the people.
UNICEF representative Dr. Ezio Murzi said the partnership with Sheraton is to raise funds to boost provision of basic services that would improve the lots of the people.
Murzi also commended Gen. Gowon for establishing the Yakubu Gowon Centre (UGC) that "has been doing invaluably well to eradicate guinea worm in Nigeria" just as he praised the donor firms for their gesture.
The General Manager of Sheraton Hotel, Mr. Alexander Gussaver pledged constant support of his organisation to UNICEF and other laudable programmes in the country.
The Chief Operations Officer of Vmobile Karl Toriola said: "We are participating in this event because we share the vision of the United Nations and more specifically, to support the role of UNICEF, Country Mission in Nigeria."
The Head, Private Sector Unit of UNICEF, Ms Sweet Giwa-Osagie, who disclosed the amount realised, said the funds would be used to provide portable water in most endemic areas, among others.
