In a survey carried out by Healthy People 2010 Final Review, it shared that healthy people provide science-based national goals and objectives and equally adding every available, important and necessary value to the productivity and development of the country.

 

Researchers who also studied health matters presumed deterioration of health in many countries hence advised for a healthy lifestyle but each day, with new struggle further makes it a huge burden to shoulder health-related issues.

 

In Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria, Peace and Life Enhancement Initiative International (PLEII) believes that a healthy mind will definitely announce nature endowment and individual’s hope which would in the long run tackle poverty and increase productivity through the provision of peace and positive transformation.

 

Mr. Odukoya Olugbenga Olatunji, PLEII’s Executive Director said he had always lorded humanitarian works and was eventually moved to work for humanity.

 

According to Mr. Odukoya, he said that PLEII in June 2014 was fortunate enough to be one of the 15 CSOs who scaled through the Financial, Technical and Capacity assessment conducted by World Bank and Ogun State Agency for the Control of AIDS, for the HAF2 grants (HIV/AIDS Grants). And still, on this project, PLEII started intervention activities in July 2014 in 5 Local Governments (Ijebu Ode, Ijebu East, Abeokuta North, Abeokuta South and Ado-Odo Ota) in Ogun State, Nigeria.

 

Although extremely passionate on health-related matters, Mr. Odukoya did reveal that gnawing cravings to assist the less privileged in the society mounts, like organizing seminars, talk-shows, symposium and workshops on issues related to health, education, peace and agriculture, organizing adult literacy and vocational training programme, sensitizing and mobilizing women to assert their fundamental human rights, advocating the active participation and involvement of women and the physically challenged people in the development processes in the country and supporting the government and the societies in developing the youths and the children.

 

Recognizing that children and youths are important factors in the society, PLEII began and developed a soft support system for vulnerable children in 2009, a micro identification and enrolment of children.  This project was tagged Support for the Poor and Marginalized Children (SPMC) and was carried out in some communities in Ijebu Ode Local Government and Ijebu North East Local Government with 200 children enrolled.

 

“The SPMC project has been consistent since 2009 and has always replaced our children who have exceeded the age of 18 with new ones,” the executive director said. He highlighted the services rendered to children. They include educational support, health support, nutritional support, psychosocial services, and the right protection.

 

Mr. Odukoya further emphasized that there has been an expansion and increase over the years, that estimates of vulnerable children have moved from 25 in 2010 to 150 in 2013 while PLEII’s has continued to record tremendous growth. Some which are Support to 15 OVC in gaining Admission to a higher institution of learning, vocational skill programmes to vulnerable children through resource center, stabilization of OVCs health through health support services, Promotion of attitude conducive for safer sex practice and increase acceptance for condom use.