Soludo’s Wife Promotes Healthcare Among Teenagers Through Health Clubs 

By Chuks Eke
Mrs. Nonye Soludo, wife of Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has established ‘Healthy Living Clubs’ in primary and secondary schools across the state to provide schoolchildren, youths, and teenagers with early exposure and awareness of healthy living habits and lifestyles.

The clubs, comprising head teachers, teachers and students drawn from about 325 primary and secondary schools across the 21 local government areas of the state were inaugurated at the headquarters of the State Universal Basic Education Board in Awka, on Friday.
During the event, Soludo emphasised that the primary goal was to guide students and teenagers through the routines for healthy, sound, and happy lives by assembling an army of healthy living enthusiasts and that every school child in Anambra State must be fully involved in the movement.
She said, “This marks the beginning of a renewed dream driven by immense passion. I thank you all for volunteering to be part of this great movement. Today, you are taking up a responsibility to self and humanity. Our target is one and simple, healthy living.
“Healthy living with Nonye Soludo is a product of deep passion. We are aiming to inculcate a healthy living revolution that cannot be quenched. What we want to achieve is a culture of health consciousness among our pupils. A mindset of change. Being conscious of one’s body is the first step to achieving the right health. I describe it as being selfish with your body.
“Living right does not cost a fortune. It is all about simple and deliberate habits that define one’s approach to a healthy life. It begins with what you eat and how you take care of your body. I prefer to use the slogan ‘You are what you eat.’ The bottom line is that if you do not understand what you put in your mouth, neither will your body.
“Healthy living is a very conscious practice. You must make up your mind to sacrifice certain unhealthy habits that do not go well with your body formula. You must understand that to live healthy is to live happily.
“Therefore, our central focus is to guide the students and pupils on the routines for healthy, sound, and happy lives. We want to build an army of healthy living enthusiasts. Every school child in Anambra State must be fully involved in this movement.”
She further tasked the teachers and other ambassadors to carry out the duty with the greatest commitment, reminding them that as ambassadors in the project, their responsibility is to groom the teenagers in line with the standards set by the club.
“The platform is designed to give every child a platform to succeed. Each club member carries an identity of difference. That is why we insist that one of the requirements for being a club member is cleanliness. Members of the club must stick to its foundational norms, always. We have set our standards high because healthy living requires strong discipline.
“Healthy living is a crucial way of life. Our relationship with the body will ultimately define what it gives back. If you feed it well, it gives you wellness. If you feed it badly, it gives you sickness. That is the ideology we want to instil in the minds of our pupils,” she added.
The first lady also disclosed that there would also be a “Healthy living garden competition” which will be a termly challenge across all the schools where clubs are currently domiciled to promote purely organic crop planting methods among the teenagers.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Executive Chairman, ASUBEB, Assoc. Prof. Vera Nwadinobi, commended Mrs Soludo for championing healthy living among the pupils, adding that the “ambassadors” were carefully selected to propagate the programme in their various schools.
Nwadinobi stated, “The Ambassadors were carefully chosen to promote healthy habits in our schools. The best way to ensure that our students develop healthy habits is to set a good example. This is accomplished by sharing healthy foods, remaining active, drinking plenty of water, and getting adequate sleep.
“If we catch them young in terms of healthy living, society will be full of healthy adults and youths eager to contribute to the welfare and development of society, particularly Anambra State.
“As an Ambassador in a school’s healthy living club, you would be responsible for a variety of important tasks. To begin, you would be expected to be a role model for healthy living by demonstrating good habits in nutrition, physical activity, mental well-being, and stress management.”