…It Was A Major Milestone For Us, Says Project Coordinator
By Ken Asinobi
In a heartwarming show of appreciation, the George Izunwa Foundation (GIF) has generously rewarded the dedicated volunteers who participated in the Bakana Free Medical Outreach for their exceptional service to the community.
The over seventy volunteer workforce which took part at the Banana free medical programme (June Free Medical outreach include medical doctors, optometrists, dentists, nurses, laboratory technicians, physiotherapists, pharmacists, pastors, protocol and others.
During the special ceremony which held at the Abundance Hall of the headquarters of Gateway International Church (GIC) in Port Harcourt on Sunday, the Lead Pastor of the church and Founder of GIF, Pastor George Izunwa presented some volunteers with a certificate of appreciation, acknowledging their invaluable service to the Foundation.
The certificates, adorned with the program’s logo and the volunteer’s name, served as a token of recognition for their selflessness and commitment to improving the lives of others.
Addressing the volunteers, Pastor Izunwa expressed his gratitude, saying it is because of their compassion and dedication that the Bakana Free Medical Program was able to touch the lives of so many people in need.
“Your selfless service has made a significant difference, and I am deeply grateful for your commitment to this noble cause. This award is a small token of my appreciation, but it carries my sincere admiration and respect for each one of you”, he said.
Pastor Izunwa thanked the volunteers for queuing into his vision of
using God’s given resources to affect the lives of others. He expressed heartfelt appreciation to the Coordinator of the Foundation, Engr. Chike Nwonodi as well as pastors, sound engineers and GIC musical team for their noble efforts in the success of the program.
“I believe that Bakana was blessed. Attending to over three thousand five hundred persons was no mean feat. Even if it’s just to go and greet two thousand people, it’s still a no mean feat. God will bless you all”, he prayed as the audience echoed “amen”.
Overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, the volunteers expressed their
appreciation for the recognition and awards.
Many of them shared their stories of the positive impact the program had on Bakana community and also expressed their commitment to continuing their service.
The Bakana Free Medical Program remains a shining example of how collective efforts can transform lives and make healthcare accessible to those who need it the most.
With the continued support of non governmental bodies like the George Izunwa Foundation, and the dedication of the volunteers, the program is set to expand its reach and positively impact even more lives in the future.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Coordinator of the Foundation,
Engr. Chike Nwonodi described the Bakana event as phenomenal, even as he acknowledged that Bakana is a very difficult terrain, adding that an ‘unseen hand’ took control of everything in all three days that the program lasted.
“I commend you all for your fearlessness, selflessness and generosity in the face of the venture, as most of you have never travelled by sea before”, he said, adding that there was glaring trepidation and phobia in their minds, that the boat could capsize.
“Bakana community is very proud of you all. At the end of the event, we recorded about 3,520 beneficiaries, and out of this number, we gave out 315 eye glasses and also had 35 surgeries. Out of these surgeries, we had 21 eye surgeries. The nine of them which we tagged minor surgeries are more or less, major surgeries for those of us who are novice”, he said.
He went on: “It was a major milestone for the Foundation, and above all, we also went ahead to do empowerment with about 200 bags of rice, 200 vegetable oil and we also empowered six Bakana residents with sewing machines. I think that was phenomenal”.
Speaking about the GIF, Nwonodi said the organization which started in 2016, is founded on 5 core values with the acronym “CCEIA”.
He explained: “C stands for compassion for people, and that’s what our Pastor is doing. He has passion for the kingdom and passion for people.
“Second is Commitment. Our pastor goes extra mile to make sure he impacts lives and be a blessing to humanity. The third one is Empowerment. You know that one of the first calling our Pastor had is to “go teach my people strength”. With both spiritual and physical strength, he is also empowering all the communities he visits.
“The fourth core value is Integrity, and you know that Papa is integrity personified. Everything we do in the foundation, we do it knowing that God is watching us. The last is Accountability. Whatever you do, whether as a volunteer or service in any group here in the church, you are actually a steward and must be accountable whether people are seeing or not.
The GIF’s Coordinator disclosed that the foundation would, in the next few months, go into free scholarships for which members of Gateway church is expected to be major beneficiaries. He also announced another free Medicare program billed for Umuaka, Imo State in the later part of the year.