Rotary Club of Abuja Aso-Golf, on Tuesday awarded scholarships to 111 indigent pupils of the Science Model Primary School, Garki 11, Abuja.

President of Rotary Club of Abuja Aso-Golf, Clement Chinaka, made this known at the club’s outreach with the theme ‘Create hope in the world’ in Abuja.

Mr Chinaka said that the club also donated school bags to 380 pupils and it was carrying out other projects as part of its contribution to address the out-of-school menace.

According to him, rotary is a worldwide humanitarian organisation with the ideals of impacting on the immediate community.

He said that part of the ideals of the rotary was to help humanity, to make impact where it’s most needed.

 Mr Chinaka said, “That is what we have come here to do today. Leading to this, our investigative team came to inquire and discovered that some students could not pay sundry fees. As such they were not going to continue with their studies and probably would be stopped from taking exams. So we have paid that today for about 111 students, and also donated school bags to them because we know that times are hard and parents are struggling. So, this is our way of reaching out to the children, by necessary implication their families, to be able to assist them with what we have brought today.”

He said that the club had to step in for the children so they could continue schooling because education is the bedrock.

He encouraged other well-meaning Nigerians to help indigent children adding that,” Whatever anyone can do to impact the next person positively, please we urge that it be done.’’

Also speaking, President-nominee of Rotary Club of Abuja Aso-Golf, Ehi Uwaifo, said that the club was impacting the community through the Water Sanitation and Hygiene programme.

He said, “We sponsor projects in water, health, hygiene, children’s health, education, among others. This is because education is the leveller. It is the only way that the son of a rich man and that of a poor man can bridge the gap in development. This is just one of the projects that the club has earmarked to execute over a period.’’

Mr Uwaifo said that the club also intervened in other schools to assist them in one way or the other.

He added, “We have looked at the sanitation of the Model Science Primary School and discovered that there are issues there. Both the boys and girls are using the same toilet. So it is the next step of our intervention to separate them and make it more hygienic.”

Head Teacher, Garki Model Science Primary School, Kasimi Karshi, commended the club for its intervention.

Mr Karshi said that the intervention was apt and it would go a long way in supporting their education.

 “I am glad particularly because this project happened in my school out of the about 160 schools within the municipality. On behalf of the school authority, we are happy indeed for the programme. May God continue to bless you in abundance,” he said.

Some of the beneficiaries of the intervention thanked the club for the gestures.

A 12-year-old and primary six pupil, Azizat Mustapha, said that the scholarship given to her would help her to graduate without stress.

“Thank you for helping us to pay our school fees because some of our parents cannot pay. This will help us further our education,” she said.

Another pupil, Sani Rabiu, said, “We thank Rotary Club for the bag and school fees. May God bless them with more prosperity.”

(NAN)