New Covenant Church’s humanitarian arm, ‘Liberty International Outreach,’ has extended its 26-year empowerment and medical intervention programme to Imota, Ikorodu in Lagos State.
The outreach, first launched in Ibadan in 1998, attracted beneficiaries, including elders, children, women, youth and persons with ailments.
The event featured free surgery, free primary healthcare, empowerment, pastoral care, spiritual healing and support.
National Overseer, Pastor Abimbola Oladipo, said the initiative began with a mission to support and empower women spiritually, socially and economically.
“We started 26 years ago in Ibadan with the aim of liberating women into the light of God concerning their soul, vocation and their place in society,” he said.
“Today, it has evolved into liberating everybody. We have over 600 churches worldwide and Liberty International operates in Nigeria, U.S and U.K.”
Liberty Ambassador, Mrs. Toyin Marinho, recalled the early days led by the late wife of the church’s founder, with support from wife of former Oyo State governor, Mrs Sarat Adesina.
She said the programme helped women discover their vocations and provided support for their empowerment.
“Liberty Initiative has grown to include mobile medical services, including cataract surgery, and has provided empowerment for hairdressers, tailoring, and other skills.
“We gathered women and set them free into their calling. We had empowerment training and medical surgery supported by doctors from U.K and Nigeria,” she said.
“Young people were sponsored to universities and polytechnics. Today, we have a mobile operating theatre and carry out cataract surgery,” Marinho added.
International Director of Liberty in U.K, Kayode Adewumi, outlined the programme’s five-pronged approach – free education, empowerment, pastoral support, agricultural assistance and medical care.
He said the body sponsored 500 pupils in schools in Oyo, sunk 16 boreholes in rural areas and trained youths in digital skills, tiling, fashion designing and website development through Liberty Academy.
“ The outreach started on 28 of October , and the second day we had 1,122 adults, 249 at the eye clinic, 18 cataract surgeries, 168 eye glasses were given out, 130 trained in trades like make-up and gele artistry, 382 general medical cases and 62 cervical screenings,” he said.
Adewumi urged government authorities to give NGOs greater access to public facilities, noting that the initiative was operating on government property in Ikorodu.
“NGOs supplement government efforts. We only need access to reach more people,” he said.
Beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the free medical and welfare services.
A beneficiary,Mrs. Maria Ajibade, who regained her sight after losing vision in 2017 travelled from Ire, Osun State to Lagos for the free surgery.
“I became blind after losing my child. The first surgery was painful but the second was smooth. I am grateful to God and Liberty,” she said emotionally.
Another beneficiary, Mrs. Funmilayo Adewale, said the free drugs and check-ups were lifesaving as she could not afford healthcare following her relocation to Imota after her husband’s death.
“If not for this programme, there is no way I could pay for treatment,” she said.
Mrs. Moriamo Liasu, who attended with her child, described the outreach as “a blessing to the community.”
“They treated everyone without discrimination. God will bless them,” she prayed
photo Caption
One of the beneficiaries of the free eye screening Mr Adeyemi Ajala (Right ) during the program
some of the beneficiaries of the free eye screening
