When Chief Akudee Duru paid a visit to the Social Home in Orlu, her heart broke witnessing the neglect and poor conditions residents endured under state management. This government-run home for the disabled was understaffed, filthy, and lacking in basic resources for the dozens of people with long-term physical and mental impairments living there. Many had been abandoned by families who could not care for them.
Chief Duru sprang into compassionate action. She immediately employed four new nurses and two cleaners to properly attend to the residents’ needs. Understanding that specialized care requires fair wages, Chief Duru pledged to pay all salaries out of her pocket rather than wait for the slow-moving state bureaucracy to help.
Her own younger sister, Miss Chekwube Duru, volunteered for one of the nurse roles. The tender care Chekwube provides is already improving spirits and health outcomes among the home’s residents.
While infrastructure repairs are still needed, the staffing expansion financed by Chief Duru’s selfless intervention is a powerful first step. Her willingness to identify where government support falls short, and then subsidize solutions, sets an example for other leaders.
When visiting the marginalized and forgotten, we must open our eyes to harsh realities – and then back sympathetic words with concrete change. Chief Duru continues demonstrating the power of compassionate action to uplift the vulnerable communities left stranded by systems failing to uphold human dignity for all people.
