IT would come as a suprise to anyone if he/she is told that there are still communities, just outside some major cities in Nigeria, which lack most of the basic social amenities required by man to survive. A trip to such communities is quite revealing. Though it was obvious that successive governments might have tried to lift some of such towns, it was evident that were battling with poverty the inhabitants. In such peculiar cases, all responsibilities should not be left entirely to the government alone.This was perhaps why some churches of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), particularly from Oyo province 4, led by the Pastor of Jesus Castle, Ayorinde Awe, led other pastors of his area to Odetola village, on December 24, during the 2011 go-a-fishing outreach.This year, they organised a medical outreach in an effort to alleviate the sufferings of the people who didn't have access to qualitative healthcare.With a batch of medical doctors and pharmacists, the group made its way to Odetola village, which is about 25 minutes from Ibadan city. There, over 500 people were treated for various ailments, while those with serious cases were referred to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.With the massive turnout of the residents of the village, it was obvious that they had little access to health care. The coordinator of the medical outreach programme, Pastor Ayo Awe, said that the outreach was necessitated by the desire to help communities, especially women and children, to combat life-threatning diseases posed by their environment, especially from water-borne diseases, among others. He also hinted that the idea for the medical outreach was readily accepted by the professional medical personnel who were members of the church.He also said that it was, quite surprising that a village that was close to Ibadan still had challenges such as the ones faced by the inhabitants of Odetola village, while calling on all well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations to assist the government in providing succour to villages like Odetola."We came to preach about the love of Christ and provide free medical services but we discovered that these people need more than what we can provide. They need potable water, good access road, a clinic, schools, among others. We have also brought foodstuffs, beverages and educational materials for them but these will not be enough. We hope to make our visit an annual affair and probably renovate some dilapidated buildings in the village which serve as their school. You can imagine, there are no seats or writing tables for the children and what serves as the blackboard are actually the walls of the supposed classroom. These people need our help and we will try to offer as much as we can, God willing", he stressed.Speaking to one of the villagers, Kafayat Ambali, she said the medical outreach was indeed timely, as her baby had been suffering from typhoid fever for over three weeks. She praised the effort of the medical team, adding that they were indeed god-sent.After the outreach, foodstuffs, cooking oil and other materials were shared to celebrate Christmas while an invited guest preached about Christ. At the end of the message, over 200 villagers got converted and were counselled about service to God.
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