THEY had consigned their hope of ever walking again to fate. With no cash in hand or anyone to support them in buying artificial limbs to walk, their hope of ever walking again had been dashed. But all of their despondency and melancholy have given way to smiles and celebrations, courtesy of an act of kindness and compassion visited on them by a consortium of organisations and individuals who are concerned about the conditions of the physically challenged.
The generosity of these donors has restored the challenged people’s strength and reduced their vulnerability. This is the story of the beneficiaries of the free artificial limbs being provided for persons with disability across Benue State courtesy of a humanitarian organisation, the Lion of Judah Women Global Initiative, LOJWGINIT, the brainchild of Mrs. Deborah Gbaishima in collaboration with Oshk Tolaram Foundation.
The intervention by the foundation, which began two years ago, according to Mrs. Gbaishima, has so given hope to no fewer than 2,390 vulnerable persons who after being identified by the organisation were moved to Makurdi from their various localities to receive free limbs to help them live normal lives. Many of the beneficiaries who were seen at the LOJWGINIT headquarters in Makurdi for the artificial limbs could not hide their excitement. They told heartbreaking stories of their experiences while living with the disability and how their lives have received a turnaround with the artificial limbs given to them.
One of such beneficiaries who lost a limb in 2009 and remained incapacitated due to a lack of financial wherewithal to purchase an artificial limb in the open market is Titus Agera, a 45-year-old father of five from Gboko Local Government Area. Agera told the Arewa Voice that his life had been shattered since he lost his leg 13 years ago and had no means of securing an artificial leg for himself.
“I lost one of my legs in 2009, and since then, life has become tough because I became incapacitated, and I could not get an artificial leg to help ease my ability to move around. At one point, I was told that I would need up to N350,000 to get one. I couldn’t afford it and didn’t get any support until today, when the Lion of Judah came to my rescue with this free artificial leg. I’m overjoyed that this is happening to me from an organisation that hasn’t taken any money from me. In fact, I cannot explain how I feel. Before now, I could not even go to my farm, and often found it difficult to move from one place to another. But all that has changed with this big help. I am eternally grateful to this God-sent organisation. May God continue to bless and sustain them so that they will continue to help the less privileged.”
A father of two, Gabriel Godwin, from Otukpo LGA, who also lost his leg a year ago, said it was too real to believe that he could get a free prosthetic limb to aid his movement. “I lost my leg in 2021. And this is the first time I am getting an artificial limb. Strangely, I am getting it for free. I did not know that a Nigerian could do this for people like us. It is strange and unbelievable. But we have seen that God has actually raised an organisation led by a Benue woman to change my story and those of other people who are beneficiaries of this intervention,. I never imagined that I would need an artificial leg in my lifetime because I couldn’t afford it.
“And when I was told that an organisation is ready to give me one for free, I thought it was fake news, until I was invited for measurement and eventually given the artificial leg for free. To add to this free leg, the organisation also transported us from our places and also fed us, after which they transported us back to wherever we came from. It is like I am still dreaming because my family and I cannot believe that this is real and true, but it is real, and it is true. I must confess that this has obviously changed my life completely. It has also changed the life of my family, because some of the burden they were going through because of my disability has been greatly reduced,“ Godwin said.
Also, Enyi Oche who hails from Ohimini LGA, who lost his limb 14 years ago, said: “Since then, I have not been able to get an artificial leg until today. I cannot explain how I feel. Before now, I had heard of this organisation and I did not believe that somebody could initiate it in this country and give the less privileged like us free artificial legs. It is like I am dreaming, but it is what God can use good spirited people to do for us in this part of the country. We cannot appreciate them enough because this intervention is life-changing. Now, I can go to my farm without serious challenge. I can visit my friends, and for the first time since I lost my leg, I will be able to move like a normal human being. It’s incredible; even my friends might not recognise me if I’m standing on two legs. It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our sight,” the recipient said.
The president of LOJWGINIT and humanitarian worker, Mrs. Deborah Gbaishima, explained that she gave out the artificial limbs to the beneficiaries out of her selfless vision conceived to impact humanity and change the lives of the vulnerable and less privileged in society.
“This intervention is free of charge. We are not taking anything from any of the beneficiaries. It is a humanitarian service to change the lives of the beneficiaries; so nobody is paying anything to benefit. In this particular intervention that is running from November 7 to 9, 2022, we are expecting to give out 120 free limbs to beneficiaries across Benue State, including the internally displaced persons, and already we have done 75. It will also interest you to know that in the last two years, we have given out 2,390 free limbs to amputees. And as for how we are able to profile the beneficiaries, we usually go to the 23 LGAs of the state to gather our data.
“We have coordinators in each LGA and even in the North Central states where we are intervening. So once we are going for intervention, they move round to collect data for the intervention. They move around the LGAs to ensure that the right persons were profiled. And you know that this project is capital intensive, even at that we give the limbs at no cost to the beneficiaries. And to make this a reality, we are partnering with an organisation in Lagos, known as Ishk Tolaram Foundation. And this has been sponsored by international donors, stakeholders, individuals, banks across the country and Europe. But they are an Indian-based organisation that is also operating in Europe and Singapore.
“What it takes for us to bring them is to source facilities and meet the specific criteria they want us as an organisation to meet. So we make available all the logistics concerning this project. They bring their technicians from Lagos which we fund, along with every other logistics. They come to measure the limbs of the beneficiaries. We also bring the amputees from across the state and ensure that we pay their fares; we give them food; make sure that they access the services and go back because they are vulnerable people. We are working for them at no cost and we ensure that they are happy going back to their families with replaced limbs.”
