By Peter Okolie
An Austrian-based Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Henry Igbokwe, and his European partners, on Sunday, unveiled a N25 million solar-powered water project and other facilities at Umuezegwu community, Ihitte Uboma LGA of Imo.
The humanitarian intervention also featured a three-bedroom bungalow, youth empowerment through the distribution of sewing machines, educational scholarships, school learning materials and bags of rice for the underprivileged.
Speaking at the event, Igbokwe said the gesture was aimed at improving rural health and access to clean water.
He emphasised that true religion must address physical suffering, saying, “faith must have hands, love must have feet, prayer must sometimes become bread”.
The cleric explained that “poverty cannot be understood strictly through textbooks.
“Academic statistics fade once a human heart truly encounters a person who is poor,” he added.
Addressing the beneficiaries, the cleric urged them to utilise the sewing machines diligently as seeds to build completely different futures and escape societal neglect.
He equally challenged the scholarship recipients to dream big, saying, “our inability to help everybody should never become an excuse to help nobody.”
The cleric stressed that true charity should never create permanent dependency, but rather empower vulnerable citizens to stand independently and lift others.
The multi-million Naira charity drive was funded by international benefactors from Austria, who traveled down to witness the inauguration of the facilities physically.
Representing the foreign donors were Mrs Waltraud Pühringer and Dr Christina Schmid.
In a remark, Pühringer said their presence proved “humanity has no borders and compassion needs no passport.
“We believe that clean water is very important for the people here,” she said.
Pühringer described the project as a “lifeline for residents”, noting it would reduce water-borne diseases and ease the burden on women and children who trek long distances daily to fetch clean water.
Also speaking, the Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly, Mr Chike Olemgbe, praised the donors, saying he attended the event to support the grassroots development.
Olemgbe said he had embarked on similar projects including provision of boreholes and renovation of health centres in the area, pledging to continue supporting humanitarian gestures.
A beneficiary, Miss Nkemdilim John, who received a sewing machine, expressed gratitude to Igbokwe and his Austrian partners.
“This machine will change my life. I can now train others and earn to feed my family,” she said. (NAN)(www.nannees.ng)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi