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Boost for Rigo health services
THE provision of basic health
services at Gunugau village, Rigo district in Central province,
has been boosted with the placement of a volunteer community
health worker.
The National Volunteer Service (NVS) placed the volunteer there
after a participatory rural appraisal programme conducted in the
village four months ago which indicated that health was one of
the areas of service lacking in the area.
After months of intense negotiation with NVS executive director
Mark Mondia and programme director Ernesto Ortega, the volunteer
was recruited and contracts were signed last week at the
village.
Village councillor Gerega Kila expressed great relief and
satisfaction in having the volunteer to help the village
community.
Mr Kila defined his role as a ward member to be very challenging
in terms of bringing service to the people and he would do his
best to perform. He explained that this aid post project was the
first and an eye opener to the villagers, a service long
overdue. He indicated that the village would continue to work in
partnership with NVS to achieve bigger and better development.
Village elder and a lawyer by profession Numana Kila told the
gathering that despite clan differences, the aid post was a
community project established to service the whole community as
well as neighbouring villages.
“It’s small but yet significant,” he said.
“What we have just witnessed is a result of many years of
planning. I am now happy that we have finally signed proper
documents. Thank you NVS, and this is the beginning of many
projects to come for Gunugau Village,” he added.
He recalled how his family dreamt up the idea and approached the
NVS executives with it.
And their push to bring service to the village landed them in
serious decisions including donating their family homes to be
used for the current aid post project. Weeks prior to the
occasion, the Kila family conducted maintenance to the building
and reconstructed it to an aid post setting, complete with a
treatment room and an examination room.
Volunteer Placement Southern Region coordinator Moses Kiagu
thanked the Gunugau community for their cooperation since the
beginning of this project.
He said he was impressed with the solid undertaking by the Kila
family to actually look after the volunteer’s needs whilst he
carried out his medical practices for a period of two years.
He also acknowledged the kind and positive words of the host
community and maintained that NVS was a government organisation
that is mandated to helping every community in the country
improve their living standard.
He appealed to politicians, communities, organisations and
provincial administrations to approach NVS and utilise the
government arm of volunteerism.
He urged those in need of basic services in whatever field it
may be – health, HIV/AIDS, education, agriculture, small
business, sports development or any others – to register their
interest with the organisation.
 
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