Chief Executive Officer of ACT Foundation, Osayi Alile, disclosed this in a statement made available to PUNCH Healthwise, stressing the need for young people to know CPR to save lives during emergencies.
Alile said the initiative became imperative with the growing anxiety about the high incidence of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, cardiac arrest, and the attendant fatalities among Nigerians in recent years.
She said the menace of road traffic accidents and other traumatic injuries lately was mind-boggling.
According to a recent report by the World Health Organisation, road traffic accidents are the biggest killer of young people, especially in Nigeria and third-world countries.
Alile said the grant was a sequel to the emergence of HEI among the top 10 finalists of the ACT Foundation Changemaker Innovation Challenge and winner of the IHS Towers support grant.
According to her, this great feat also attracted an eight-week leadership/management training scholarship for personnel of HEI at the Lagos Business School.
“The program which was successfully implemented between January and May 2023 ensured that 40 secondary students and 25 of their teachers across the six educational districts in Lagos were equipped with essential life-saving skills, creating a more prepared and resilient community.
“Each of the participants acquired critical pre-hospital skills required to manage such cases as cardiac arrest, heart attack, fainting, seizures, internal bleeding, bites, poison, burns, wounds, fainting, choking, etc.
“Similarly, two first responders clubs benefitting over 1000 students across Awodiora Senior Secondary School & AUD Comprehensive Secondary School were inaugurated to ensure knowledge retention and transferability”, she said
Alile stated that ACT Foundation was committed to empowering the youths and touching lives, which explains why it keyed into the lifesaving initiative.
She urged other organisations and individuals to increase their support and collaboration with organisations that advance the health, safety, and well-being of young people and imbibe a stronger culture of effective emergency response in Nigerian society.
Executive Director of HEI, Paschal Achunine, expressed profound gratitude to ACT Foundation and IHS Towers for their huge support.
Achunine lauded the organisations for their commitment to the sustainability of its operating environment and social landscape across Africa, bearing in mind that any investment in young people would translate to business continuity.
He expressed delight that HEI was selected among the top 10 finalists out of 250 organisations in Africa.
He added that First Responders Clubs that were set up in the schools are in line with the ‘Train the Trainer’ model of the scheme.
Similarly, he noted that activities such as essay competitions, quizzes, and debates would be instituted in the schools, to foster a lifesaving culture in the state.
