HIV/AIDS: USAID donates 250 school desks to children of victims, orphans
The United State Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated 250 dual school desks and chairs to orphans and vulnerable children whose parents died as a result of testing positive to HIV/AIDS in Plateau and Benue States.
The gesture was demonstrated at the weekend in Jos and earlier at Benue State, with St. Peter’s and St. Philomena’s Primary School Buruku and Adogo communities both in Benue and Plateau being the beneficiaries.
USAID in partnership with Sustainable Mechanism for Improving Livelihoods and households (SMILE), are poised to ameliorate the suffering of vulnerable children and orphans whom have dropped out of school or has no educational materials for proper learning.
Speaking during the presentation, the Senior Programme Manager, SMILE, Mr. Sunday Udom, reiterated that the gesture was to cushion the hardship of orphans and children ravaged by HIV/AIDS.
Udom said “SMILE, through United State Agency for International Development (USAID), is donating 250 dual school desks, teacher’s tables and seat to St. Peter’s Primary school Buruku and St. Philomena’s Primary School Adogo respectively to ameliorate the suffering of children as a result of HIV/AIDS.
“The fund for the project was generated through an instituted educational block grant meant to provide educational fee weaver for orphan and vulnerable children”, he said.
He noted that the programme is aimed at addressing children vulnerability, most especially HIV/AIDS related orphans and other less privileged children in the society through supporting institutions of learning.
On his part, the Coordinator of Caritas Gboko, an implementing partner of SMILE programme, Mr. Emmanuel Asue, applaud Catholic Bishops Conference of America Development Institute whom the fund were entrusted by USAIDS to support vulnerable children in Nigeria.
He admonished Nigerians to be generous and learn to be good to one another in all aspects of life as demonstrated by USAID through Caritas Gboko, which have resulted to the communities being beneficiaries of Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
Consequently, the paramount ruler and Kindred heads of Buruku and Adogo communities, urged the school management to guide and maintained the furniture given to them, saying that it will encourage USAID and CRS to help other learning institutions with vulnerable children.
Our correspondent reports that the United States Agency for International Development is the United States Government agency which is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid.
Kingsley Chukwuka, Jos
