The outreach saw FOCI volunteers visit several wards of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) and the General Hospital, Calabar, offering encouragement and reassurance to patients receiving treatment. The gesture served as a reminder that, even within hospital walls, patients are not forgotten during the festive season.
Speaking during the outreach, Dr. Faithful Daniel, Executive Director of FOCI, explained that the initiative was designed to ensure that patients on admission could still share in the joy of the Yuletide season despite their health challenges.
“As we celebrate the New Year, we felt it was important to reach out to those who may not be able to celebrate at home,” Dr. Daniel said. “This outreach is about compassion, hope, and letting patients know that they are seen and cared for.”
During the visits, care packages were distributed to patients and their families, bringing comfort, encouragement, and festive cheer to hospital wards.
Beyond Cross River State, the outreach was carried out simultaneously in Rivers State in collaboration with ARD-RSUTH, where FOCI extended the same gesture of kindness to patients at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital and residents at Mile 1 Market, Port Harcourt.
The dual-state outreach highlighted FOCI’s commitment to humanitarian service, spreading hope across borders and reinforcing the power of compassion to uplift lives, especially at the start of a new year.
The New Year Outreach was widely praised by beneficiaries, who described it as a timely act of kindness that brought light, warmth, and optimism to an otherwise challenging moment.
