JUST IN: Dawaki Community Gets Education, Healthcare Boost as Hornecker Awards Scholarships, Donates Drugs

 

 

By OGB Joseph, Abuja 

 

 

 

 

Residents of Dawaki community in Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State have benefited from an educational empowerment programme and healthcare intervention aimed at supporting less privileged children and improving access to essential medical services.

The initiative, facilitated by an illustrious daughter of the community, Madam Deborah Jan Hornecker, featured the distribution of school materials, scholarships for outstanding students, payment of examination fees and the donation of medical supplies to the Dawaki Primary Health Care Centre.

The intervention also included a financial contribution of N600,000 towards the expansion of the primary healthcare facility.

Speaking during the launch of the Back-to-School Empowerment Initiative, the District Head of Dawaki, His Royal Highness, Nde Julius Dimbak Gombwir, commended Hornecker for her commitment to the educational advancement and wellbeing of the people.

The traditional ruler called on other privileged sons and daughters of the community, both within Nigeria and in the diaspora, to emulate her gesture by investing in the development of their hometown.

He said collective efforts by indigenes were necessary to promote sustainable development and improve living conditions among the Pwel people.

Gombwir also urged the beneficiary students to make judicious use of the school bags, books and other learning materials provided, while encouraging out-of-school children to return to the classroom and take advantage of available educational opportunities.

Beneficiaries of the school materials included pupils from LEA Kangpus, LEA Kapil and LEA Lungwa.

At Government Secondary School, Dawaki, the three best-performing students in each class, from Junior Secondary School One to Senior Secondary School Three, received scholarships covering their school fees for the current term.

The initiative further pledged to pay Junior WAEC examination fees for the three best-performing students in JSS Three and Senior School Certificate Examination fees for the three best students in SS Three.

All students in JSS One also received school bags, textbooks, water bottles and writing materials to support their learning and ease the financial burden on their parents.

Speaking on the motivation behind the intervention, Hornecker, coordinator of the Back-to-School Empowerment Initiative, said the programme was designed to assist children whose parents could not afford basic educational materials and school uniforms.

She urged well-to-do members of the community to extend assistance to vulnerable families, noting that government alone could not meet every societal need.

Hornecker also commended the Federal Government’s efforts in the education sector despite the prevailing economic challenges, stressing the importance of complementary support from individuals and community stakeholders.

In the health sector, the initiative donated medical drugs worth millions of naira, alongside essential medical supplies and test kits, to the Dawaki Primary Health Care Centre.

The donation is expected to strengthen the facility’s capacity to provide healthcare services to residents, while the additional N600,000 contribution is intended to support its expansion.

The Chairman of the Pwel Development Association, Dr Samuel Bagas, praised the intervention, describing it as a significant contribution to the wellbeing of the community.

Parents, teachers, school principals and officials of the primary healthcare centre also expressed appreciation for the support, calling on other indigenes to contribute to educational development and improved healthcare delivery in Dawaki.

They said interventions by individuals and community-based initiatives could complement government efforts, particularly in supporting vulnerable households and strengthening essential public services.

Hornecker, in turn, thanked members of the community for their warm reception and prayers, pledging to extend similar empowerment programmes to other communities across Plateau State and Nigeria.

The initiative underscores the role of community-driven philanthropy in expanding educational opportunities, supporting disadvantaged children and improving access to healthcare, particularly in underserved communities.