By J. Archibong
A. Aruare Reachout Foundation
The A. Aruare Reachout Foundation was established in 2006 by Dame Patience Jonathan while she was the wife of the Governor of Bayelsa State. It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization designed to impact positively on Nigerians, in particular, the vulnerable and the less privileged. It achieves its obligations through vocational training and managerial and skill acquisition programmes.
The Foundation has reached out to the weak, elderly, and disadvantaged people with food, medication, finances, and other forms of donations such as bags of rice, clothes, cartons of soap, Pampers, and lots of other household items. Among other activities, the organization provides succour to women by supporting them in the acquisition of skills that are much needed for economic empowerment and self-reliance.
The support was given to Nigerians irrespective of ethnic group, age, educational attainment, or religious and political affiliation. And Dame Patience Jonathan was always available and at the service of the less privileged members of society.
Even though the NGO was founded many years ago, when she was the Bayelsa State governor’s wife, it has endured since then and continued to discharge its functions after she left that office because the organization was fashioned and conceptualized to be able to continue comfortably without external assistance. According to the First Lady, “these are self-sustaining, as what is generated is used to run those projects.
The Foundation established a vocational centre in Yenoga, Bayelsa State, which has impacted economically and socially on women and youths by exposing them to plenty of crafts. They have been trained in bead making, hat making, candle making, tailoring, and other forms of trade. In addition, it has set up the Old People’s Home, Multipurpose Hall, and Cold Room.
As the wife of the Vice President, Dame Patience Jonathan often visited orphanages, prisons, and the less privileged people. Samson Makanju summed up the benevolent disposition of Dame Patience Jonathan as follows, stating that her “Benevolence is a virtue of the highest order…”
Physically challenged persons
The First Lady’s milk of human kindness has also been extended to physically challenged persons. She specifically praised their role and contribution to national development. She mitigated their hardship and other difficulties by distributing wheelchairs and solar lamps to them. Among other things, the First Lady noted as follows:
“It is worthy of note that the history of the world will not be complete without due recognition and appreciation of the contributions of great men and women who turned their challenges into lifelong blessings. I challenge us today to learn the lesson of life from these brave and heroic people who have achieved a lot of success in their lives in spite of all the seeming hindrances they have had to face as they journey through life. These courageous people have continued to amaze the world with their belief, determination, and strength, which have amazingly turned their disability into ability.
“The disabled persons should be recognized and appreciated for their heroism and bravery.”
History, according to her, is replete with instances of physically challenged persons who utilized their endowments and potentials for the benefit and growth of humanity. One of such persons is Albert Einstein. Disability arising from autism did not prevent him from fulfilling his destiny as one of the greatest physicists and mathematicians of all time. Another example was cited as Thomas Edison, a partially deaf person with a learning disability from childhood. A great inventor of the 19th century, he is credited with the invention of bulbs.
The First Lady also mentioned Helen Keller, a deaf, dumb, and blind person. She was an activist, socialist, and author, and the first blind person to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree. The achievements of these and other disabled persons should be a challenge to them. In the words of the First Lady: “I therefore challenge all of us to learn something from these amazing people. We must learn to respect life and what we have and to never let go of our dreams and God-given vision.”
Celebrating the less privileged
Dame Patience Jonathan celebrates with the poor and less privileged in our society. She has always demonstrated her desire to show God’s love to the poor. Mrs. Jonathan had always stated that it is more blessed to give than to receive and that everyone is a unique part of God and deserves the right to enjoy the good things of life. In this respect, Samson Makanju states thus:
“To those who know Dame Patience Jonathan, she has always appreciated any work that concerns itself with alleviating the sufferings of the poor and the less privileged. She founded the A. Aruera Reachout Foundation, a project initiated in 2006 when she was the wife of the Bayelsa State Governor.”
The project gave attention to mothers by helping them acquire skills that will empower them economically and make them self-reliant. The foundation has reached out to the elderly with gift items such as foodstuffs and the provision of drugs. Dame Patience Jonathan donated bags of rice, clothes, cartons of soaps, Pampers, and a host of other household items to be shared among the less privileged. She paid a visit to St. Mary’s Home for Orphans and Destitutes in Gwagwalada. While there, she offered a scholarship to three of the orphans up to university level, pledged to assist the management of the orphanage in tackling the problems facing the home. The First Lady donated bags of rice and other household items to the home. According to the Reverend sister in charge of the Home, Dame Jonathan’s visit to the Home happens to be the first by any public servant or their spouses.
At the presentation ceremony of wheelchairs and solar lamps, the first lady was described as a source of encouragement to the disabled. “I thank the First Lady for her encouragement always. This is the first-ever disability-friendly government, and for her contributions, we are conferring on her the pillar of Disabled People,” said the president of the Joint Association of People with Disabilities (JONAPWD). The donation of the wheelchairs and solar lamp was received by a member of the Taiwan Mission to Nigeria, who partnered with the First Lady NGO. He applauded the First Lady for extending a hand of help and support to those who needed it most. Another beneficiary prayed for a long life for her and her family for her good works.
Mother par excellence
Dame Patience Jonathan had always shown kindness to the less privileged. She had always identified with their causes, challenges, and aspirations. These are people who, most of the time, are forgotten by society and even by their families. But one person who has not forgotten them is Dame Patience Jonathan. History, according to the First Lady, is replete with instances of physically challenged persons who utilized their endowments and potentials for the benefit and growth of humanity. One of such persons is Albert Einstein. Disability arising from autism did not prevent him from fulfilling his destiny as one of the greatest physicists and mathematicians of all time. Another example was cited as Thomas Edison, a partially deaf person with a learning disability from childhood. A great inventor of the 19th century, he is credited with the invention of bulbs.
The First Lady also mentioned Helen Keller, a deaf, dumb, and blind person. She was an activist, socialist, and author, and the first blind person to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree. The achievements of these and other disabled persons should be a challenge to them. As aptly stated by the First Lady: “I therefore challenge all of us to learn something from these amazing people. We must learn to respect life and what we have and to never let go of our dreams and God-given vision.”
Donation of medical equipment
The First Lady took the health of Nigerians seriously because only healthy people could contribute to national development. In furtherance of this goal, she donated dialysis machines to some states. On this occasion, she enjoined the wives of governors to utilize the equipment properly in the business of saving lives in their states.
Feeding the Poor
On March 22, 2008, Dame Patience Jonathan celebrated Easter with the poor and the less privileged in the society.
On that day, they were gathered at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, and St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama. Addressing the two gatherings, Mrs. Jonathan stated that it is more blessed to give than to receive,saying that everyone is a unique part of God and deserves the right to enjoy the good things of life. She maintained that her desire to show God’s love to the poor prompted the idea of a soup kitchen. She appealed to the privileged ones in the society to assist the poor in whatever way they could and also assured that the present administration has the interest of the people at heart.
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