Founder and President of the Edna Nwobi (EndiCare) Foundation, 71-year-old Mrs Edna Amuche Nwobi, recently spoke toProduction Editor, Ejikeme Omenazu, on the activities of her foundation and how it is helping to check the incidence of diabetes among Nigerians
You are celebrating the first anniversary of the foundation. What would you say motivated you to found the foundation?
Edna Amuche Nwobi
I had diabetes. This made me to study about the disease. I realised that it is killing people needlessly. This is because, people do not know how to control the disease. As a food scientist, through my research, I found out that the type of food people eat as well as their lifestyles can make them susceptible to diabetes. So, when I recovered from the disease, I resolved to help people, especially the poor in rural communities and Lagos, to control the disease. I found out that people die from diabetes due to lack of knowledge. Diabetes is a killer disease, but it can be controlled through food habits and healthy lifestyles. Even with diabetes, people can still live long if they know what to do.
Since that one year, what are the achievements of the foundation?
Through the foundation, I have already authored a book titled
Healing Diabetes With Food. Through the book and my works, the foundation has created awareness
ABOUT DIABETES in parts of Nigeria, United States of America (USA) and Canada. People who read the book call in for help and consultations. We help them through telephone calls, text messages and person-to-person treatment, to control their blood sugar level. The foundation has continued to carry out diabetic education, care, giving out free drugs to thousands of people. We have reached out to seven communities in Anambra State. These communities are Igbo Ukwu, Ndikelionwu, Nnokwa, Nibo, Mba Ukwu and Amesi, all in Anambra State.