All for charity

Students and beauty queens from three higher institutions in Plateau State dropped their academics to engage in charity to save the lives of an ailing colleague, Sylvia Gowal, and orphans. GOTODOK LENGSHAK and SULEIMAN DUTSE (300-Level Production, Nigerian Television Authority Television College, Jos) report.

They are beauty queens and students of various higher institutions in Plateau State. They also have kind hearts. They dropped their classroom work for

charity in aid of an ailing colleague.

They were a spectacle to behold on Yakubu Gowon Way and Domkat Bali Road in Jos, the Plateau State capital, for two days. They came from the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau State Polytechnic (PLASPOLY) and the National Television Authority (NTA) Television College (TV COLLEGE) to wash cars to help orphans and an indigent colleague.

Under the banner of “The Friends of Sylvia,” the girls took over the Blue Whales Carwash and the Ultimate Carwash for two days. They took on the venture to raise money for their colleague, Miss Sylvia Gowal, ND II Public Administration, PLASPOLY.

Sylvia’s family could not get the N2 million needed for her operation, having been diagnosed of avascular necrosis in her left femur, an ailment that has left her bedridden. Her education has also been put on hold.

Tagged “Help Sylvia walk again” and held in conjunction with the She Diamond Modelling Agency, hundreds of students and youths volunteered to do the menial job. As they washed cars, music blared from a ‘corner to entertain their ‘customers.

According to the initiator of the campaign, Mr Awal Gowal, Sylvia’s brother, the move became imperative to correct the left hip that has kept his sister at home for two years.

Awal told CAMPUSLIFE that since May 2009, when Sylvia was diagnosed of the ailment, the family had been working hard to raise the funds needed for the operation but enough money was not realised.

“We had to seek for help elsewhere and brought up this concept to raise the needed money. We created the Friends of Sylvia group on Facebook to draw the attention of students and the public to our plight. We sought for assistance to help organise campaigns to raise funds because we don’t want to beg,” Awal said.

In no time, members of the group grew, with scores of students in Plateau State offering to help.

“We had to again look at how we can channel this active group of people to be productive to meet the target of N2 million we need for the operation. So, we thought of washing cars to raise the funds,” Awal added.

Amaka Osigwe, 300-Level Mass Communication, UNIJOS, a volunteer, said the group opted for car washing after the publicity on social media drew many students to the group.

She said: “We do not have money to give, but we can use our strength to work and contribute to efforts to make our sister walk again. This is so pathetic and I am calling on well meaning and kind-hearted Nigerians to do more in this regard as it might be someone close to anyone of us, who might be in need in future.”

Alex Bot, 400-Level Television Production Department, TV COLLEGE, believes youths could make money from their sweat since nobody was ready to save the girl’s life. “We will make Sylvia walk again,” he vowed.

Miss Rotmwa Gonchen, a beauty queen and founder of She Diamonds Modelling Agency, led a group of models to the streets of Jos, washing cars to raise funds in support of orphans and destitute.

Gloria Semlek, former Face of Unity, her successor, Miss Nanbam Bess, Miss Timbyn Dala, Miss UNIJOS, Elizabeth Uja, former Miss UNIJOS, and Chaliya Kapyil, former Miss Plateau, among others took part in the venture.

Rotmwa, a student of TV COLLEGE, said the agency supported the campaign because it believed in engaging in charity work to help the needy.

“When you look at orphanage homes across the country, you will agree that there is the need for support from the public. There are children there with bright future but they lack the basic support and this explains why we are carrying this exercise for purely charity purpose,” she said.

Over 300 vehicles were washed during the two-day exercise. But the volunteers could only raise N1 million for their ailing colleague.

Gillian Actor, whose car was washed, said she had never met ladies with such humility, despite their beauty.

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