PHOTO: David Nah Eskein, President of Gentlemen Club
By Charles Gbayor, maorethason1997@gmail.com
HARPER, Liberia- The GENTLEMAN CLUB in Harper, the capital city of the southeastern Maryland County has embarked on stepping up awareness and educating citizens and Residents in this area about the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials of this club say it is non-for-profit, nonreligious, nonpolitical and basically a social organization intended to build the moral of older and young men in contributing to the growth and development of the society.
The awareness campaign by the Gentlemen Club started last Saturday in the Jacksonville Township Market, where over two hundred marketers had gathered to trade their products and commodities outside Harper and the awareness raisers climaxed the day’s activities at the Harper general Market.
Hundreds of marketers and citizens including as well as residents were educated about the preventive measures to be taken against the killer virus and the need to respect the restrictions under the current State of Emergency.
This Harper-based organization joined the list of several organizations including Peace Liberia, Healthy Volunteer of Liberia, Tubman University Coronavris Task Force Team, the College of Health Science at TU and who have been raising awareness about the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Coronavirus pandemic entered Liberia in March of this year, after the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia returned from a visit in Switzerland was tested Positive for the Virus by Health Authorities in the Country.
The GENTLEMAN CLUB program Committee Chairman, Mr. Abel Seton said as a social Club, it is his organization’s way of “giving back to our Community and creating more awareness so that our people can stay safe during this pandemic.”
“We are aware of what is affecting our global community. We are all aware that what affect one country also affect other Country,” he added.
Mr. Seton disclosed that the GENTLEMAN CLUB is partnering with the Maryland County Health Team and they have even provided standardized flyers they use for their Awareness.
“We started our Awareness in Jacksonville Township, We went to New Kru Town, Hoffman Station and the Harper General Market and through the Principal streets Educating Marylanders about COVID-19.”
During our Awareness, he said they told the locals to always wash their hands, avoid crowded places, avoid shaking hands and they must always sneeze in tissue or at their elbow.
“I want our People to disabuse their minds of listen to conspiracy theory because Conspiracy theory have not help us our the years and entries, let the massage go across our County and Region that COVID _19 is real it’s affect and take away life. Let our People believe and follow the Health Authorities Measures and protocols.”
According to the President of the GENTLEMAN CLUB, David Nah Eskein, his group held a meeting with the County Health Team and they will be working alone with the Health Authority in the County in the fight against the virus, which has so far killed eight people in Liberia.
“We have a partnership agreement with the County and we submitted a one month plan for Awareness that will cover all the Administrative and statutory Districts across the County. We expect our Community dewllers to be law abiding Citizens and those getting message should share with others especially for those young people under , please don’t keep these information to yourself,” Mr. Eskein said.
The GENTLEMAN CLUB President lamented that although the messages on the preventive measures are being heard by citizens, many of them are not adhering to them.
“I want the County Administration through the Joint Security could go around to not to arrest people, but to ensure that people adhere to these preventive measures. We went to New Kru Town Market and visited other Homes. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any Hand Washing Bucket and Drum that can help to disinfect our hands”
We are in Harper today and we will be going to Pleebo Sodoken District, specifically Pleebo City, Karloken and Glofaken to create the awareness about COVID 19,” said the President of the GENTLEMEN CLUB.
“Let’s report people who have not been seen in our environment for over one week to the Joint Security or Health Authority for them to be tested.
We will also be donating santitay materials and hands Washing buckets, chloride, tide soap and among other but we are still lobbying with our friends and partners for these materials,” Mr. Eskein added.