The SVPie grant accelerated the progress of Project Hale and Hearty, especially towards bringing the sickbay to life. I started the project scared of what I had gotten myself into, but when I got the SVPie Grant, I felt assured that the project will be a successful one.
Omotoyosi Idris
To commemorate our sixth-year anniversary in April, we launched the Pitch Innovation & Eco-Solution Grant to support our volunteers, SustyVibers’ innovative projects. With this initiative, we aim to encourage and support young people in taking practical steps towards addressing the challenges of climate change while actualising sustainable developments in Nigeria.
Following a review of the applications, five successful candidates were identified, and they pitched their ideas to other SustyVibes volunteers, who voted on the projects’ viability and sustainability. Omotoyosi Idris was one of the two winners. Project Hale and Hearty, her idea, received a $500 grant.
Project Hale and Hearty is an initiative that aims to improve the education and health conditions of kids in underserved communities. The pilot school for this project is the Baptist Primary School, in Ogbogbo, Ogun state with its impact cutting across neighbouring communities including Imegun, Iworo, Erigo, Ijari, and Igbeba).
Toyosi was placed in Baptist Primary School, Ogbogbo for her time as a Teach for Nigeria Fellow, she soon discovered that the school’s sickbay was poorly equipped with the means to cater for the health complaints of the students. She noted that the sickbay was simply “one bed and empty first aid boxes”
The effects which range from the outbreak of disease, low concentration in class, poor academic performance, or Death in the worst scenario inspired Toyosi to launch project Hale and Hearty.
With the grant support from SustyVibes Toyosi has successfully transformed and equipped the sickbay with relevant and necessary medical equipment to aid the administration of first aid and treatment of minor diseases and illnesses such as malaria, typhoid, and minor wounds.
Toyosi and her team have also successfully organized medical outreach to improve the health conditions of underserved communities including diagnosis of Malaria, Diabetes & High Blood Pressure Malnutrition & Eye screening Health Education Medical Consultation and Drug Dispensary.
The team has also launched the Hearty Box, A Box of health dose – Drugs distribution across Primary Schools to support the efforts of the nurses and improve the health conditions in these schools.
More recently, Toyosi graduated from the Teach for Nigeria fellowship with the most outstanding #BeTheChangeProject for Project Hale and Hearty and was awarded a ₦400,000 cash prize.
In the long term, Toyosi is working towards ensuring the presence of a qualified Nurse from the Ministry of Health to run and manage the sickbay, appointment of Health Prefects to ensure the cleanliness and maintenance of the sickbay, incorporating periodic health education program / Community sensitization to be carried out by the designated Nurse with the learners, and with the parents during PTA meetings as well as drugs inventory and treatment report to be updated and shared with Baale of Ogbogbo to keep him abreast of drug flow and ensure its replenishment to ensure the sustainability of the project.
We are very proud of the progress so far and we look forward to seeing exceptional growth and expansion in the coming months. To support this project, please visit their instagram page here.