Imagine a world with many well-trained basic lifeguards who respond quickly to work-related health emergencies.
This is exactly what the Rotary Club of Ikoyi has set out to do in Ikoyi and around Lagos by launching a pro bono training project for 50 people from different organizations in the community.
As a featured project for the current rotating year, the club will train two representatives from each organization at over N50,000 per trainee in Basic Life Support (BLS) – first aid and CPR, among others, with follow-up and international certification . at the end of the training.
To raise much-needed funds and create greater awareness of what people should do in times of medical distress, a “Swing To Save Life”-themed charity golf tournament, held Friday at the golf section of Club Ikoyi 1938, with local and foreign disabled golfers.
Explaining the initiative at the start of the tournament on Friday, the President of the Rotary Club of Ikoyi, Mr. Augustine Irabor, said that when someone collapses, trained rescuers know exactly what to do to save that person instead of be helpless or take pictures. .
“You need to train people on what to do immediately before calling for help and then getting an ambulance to a treatment centre.
“That’s why we have our service providers on rep training on BLS, ambulance, etc.
“We started this training in July and have the first set. After the training, we can follow the sequence, so whether it is at home, at work or anywhere, once it happens, you will know what to do. This is the purpose of organizing the tournament, in particular to raise awareness.
An awards ceremony, where selected winners will receive trophies and gifts in recognition of their participation, will close the tournament after the evening session.
Irabor said the tournament was planned to support the Life Savers Squad as the club’s flagship project, adding: “Our ambition and goal is to have at least two Life Savers Squad representatives in each organization – to train people and make them available to perform the rescue drill anytime, any day in their own organizations.
“Further training will take place in November, including people from the police hospital and yacht club, among others, and each organization is expected to select two representatives, who will train for free.”
According to him, each organization only needs to have an office within Ikoyi to qualify, and “in the process, some recognized it as a noble idea and offered financial support for the program. Profits from this tournament will be used for this purpose.
“It costs around N50,000 to train and monitor each person to ensure that the person is still relevant, and capable and certified to continue in this business.
“In addition, there will be certificates for trainees after an international examination from the certification body to enable them to carry out life logistics support. It expires every two years. The
“Our target for this year is 50, but that depends on the scale of sponsorship we get, and that’s why we’re expanding the scope of organisations.
“Our goal is to ensure that every organization in Ikoyi has at least two trained people who can provide our life-saving basic support to anyone who collapses in the office. Of course, when you train 50 people, they will be able to train others within their organization.
According to him, the tournament is open to all golfers – local and foreign, because “we have a platform for the international association of Rotary golfers; they were all invited and some came from outside.
“Others mainly come from the Rotary Club of Ikoyi, but we also have people from Sagamu who join us for this tournament. It is open to all players with disabilities with a participation fee of only 10,000 naira.
