To ensure healthy lives and promote the well being of all at all ages which I’d the Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, Emi-Kola Afolabi Foundation E.KA has sensitized the young people to know their genotype in order to how to choose their future partner.
The sensitization and test were held at the Oyan, Odo-Otin Local Government, Osun State on Sunday.
Co-Founders of the NGO, Prince James Adenkola Afolabi and Chief Mrs Lucy Emiola Afolabi, said the foundation which was formed about 16years ago, has the core motive of reaching to less privileged, widows, giving scholarship to students and medical outreach to the needy.
Prince Afolabi, who spoke on behalf of the foundation, said he was inspired by how genotype incompatibility has broken many homes while some children died in the process because they refused to check before marriage.
“After training a child to 20-23 years, some died afterwards. It is not easy as a parent and they don’t want the young to through the same stress”.
“In 1982, my wife and I went for a course “Marriage Encounter”, this has really exposed us to the challenges partner face in marriage” He said.
He added that the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the foundation, they later thought this is a good time to gather people to know their genotype.
Prince Afolabi, said he believes that if the young people know their genotype, they would not rushed into marriage.
A member of the foundation, Citizien Lola Wey, who spoke with Insight Media said E.K.A foundation brought the know your genotype exercise to the grassroot, for they not to missed an important decision in life because people don’t take informed decision when deciding their future partner.
“According to her, Research has showed that Nigeria has the largest population of Sickle Cell Anemia, 150 babies are born with this anemia, only 5 percentage lives up to Adulthood”.
Speaking further, Lola-Wey added that a child takes a gene from the father and mother during conception, if the child parent are both AS, which means they would produced a child of SS” she concluded.
Adeyemi Isaiah expressed his excitement for the know your genotype exercise, said he felt elated because he believed this would help him choose his future partner wisely.
