Madam Deborah Jan Hornecker; Coordinator, BACK TO SCHOOL EMPOWERMENT/ HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE
From Cyril Mbah, Abuja.
Indigenous sons and daughters of Dawaki community in Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State have been urged to invest in their hometown to improve the living conditions of the people.
The call was made during the launch of a Back-to-School Empowerment Initiative and donation of medical equipment and drugs by an illustrious daughter of the community, Mrs. Deborah Jan Hornecker.
The District Head of Dawaki, His Royal Highness, Nde Julius Dimbak Gombwir, commended Hornecker for supporting less privileged children and improving access to healthcare, urging other privileged members at home and abroad to emulate her for the sustainable development of the Pwel people.
He encouraged beneficiary pupils to make proper use of the school bags and learning materials, while urging out-of-school children to draw inspiration from the gesture and return to the classroom. Beneficiaries included pupils from LEA Kangpus, LEA Kapil and LEA Lungwa.
At Government Secondary School, Dawaki, the three best-performing students in each class from JSS 1 to SS 3 received scholarships covering their school fees for the current term.
The initiative also pledged to pay Junior WAEC fees for the three best students in JSS 3 and SSCE fees for the three best students in SS 3, while all JSS 1 students received school bags, books, water bottles and writing materials.
In the health sector, medical drugs worth millions of naira, alongside essential medical supplies and test kits, were donated to the Dawaki Primary Health Care Centre to strengthen service delivery.
An additional N600,000 was provided for the expansion of the facility. Chairman of the Pwel Development Association, Dr Samuel Bagas, described the intervention as a significant contribution to the wellbeing of the community.
Speaking, Coordinator of the initiative, Deborah Jan Hornecker, said the programme was designed to support children whose parents could not afford basic educational materials and uniforms.
She called on well-to-do members of the community to assist the less privileged, stressing that government alone cannot meet all societal needs, while commending the Federal Government’s efforts in the education sector.
Parents, teachers, school principals and officials of the PHC expressed appreciation for the intervention and urged other sons and daughters of Dawaki to follow her example.
The coordinator thanked the community for its warm reception and prayers, pledging to extend similar empowerment programmes to other communities across Plateau State and Nigeria.
