The Ekoi Association North America, EANA, has donated hospital equipment worth millions of naira to the Model Primary Health Centre, Usene, Ugep, Yakurr LGA, as part of her commitment to help raise primary health care standards in Cross River State.
At a public presentation of hospital beds, mattresses, bedsheets, pillows and pillow cases, a giant sized refrigerator, a type B blood pressure machine, non-contact thermometer, blood sugar machine, among others, to the facility, Patrick Eteng, focal person on the ground for the presentation, informed the local community, gathered at the event that the donation was borne out of deep desire to see how EANA can chip in and make a positive contribution in their indigenous environment. “What you are seeing here is a demonstration of selflessness by our brothers and sisters sojourning abroad. It is not a show of wealth, it is giving back time. What the organisation will be happy about is a situation where these things are professionally utilized for the immediate medical benefits of our people”, he said.
Primary Health Care Co-ordintor, Yakurr LGA, Igiri Omini Arikpo, while receiving the donation, commended EANA “for seeing the need to make this awesome donation. We were in dire need of these equipment, now that we have received them as a worthy gift from our people in diaspora, we are indeed grateful…they have just made our work less cumbersome.”
Community leader and village head of Usene, Ijom, Ugep, Sylvanus Eteng, present at the occasion, expressed surprise that “our sons and daughters in EANA, came to our aid at a time we were becoming restless that this facility is yet to receive equipment from government. I am so happy to see these equipment and I can only offer prayers to God on their behalf before we formally write to them and thank them for this wonderful show of kindness.”
Highpoint of the presentation was a guided tour of the health facility by Usene and Ijom community leaders as well as dance entertainment provided by the August Women Sociocultural group.
The Ekoi Association of North America (EANA), is an association of Ekoi People, men and women, living in North America. It exists to cater for the interest of Ekoi people living in North America, the preservation of the rich Ekoi cultural diversities as well as empowerment of its people. EANA held its maiden Convention in the city of Atlanta, United States of America in September, 2015.
In the past, it launched the Ekoi Languages Preservation Programme, ELPPTM, to raise awareness for endangered Ekoi languages facing extinction. The group also lunched the Fight against Diabetes Campaign, FADC, provided free medical screening to residents of the city of Atlanta and EANA members, just as it also launched the EANA Foundation to address the growing number of causes they advocate and further provide the opportunity for successful Ekoi sons and daughters to share their experiences, inspire others and offer mentorship as appropriate.
Ekoi people, are an ethnic group in Nigeria’s South region, spanning several densely populated communities and also extending eastward into South West Cameroon.
