How Rotary Club Of IKOYI Has Been Battling POLIO

• POLIO Ambassador, CAROLINE HUTCHINGS Explains

When she was unveiled as Rotary Club of Ikoyi’s Ambassador for Polio eradication, a few months back, not many were in doubt as to Carolina Hutchings capability to deliver on her new role and responsibility. This is because many who have followed her closely over the years knew she was well suited for the job.

Caroline is no stranger to humanitarian work at the time the Rotary club of ikoyi’s Ambassadorial role came. She has been running her own foundation called Hopeville Foundation for close to two decades running and still counting. And she ‘s made such a remarkable  impact with her foundation, bringing smiles to the faces of hundreds of women and children who have had the good fortune of having their various health challenges solved by Hopeville foundation.

The very enchanting Scottish-Nigerian actress has evolved over the years from being a popular actress to becoming one of the young most impactful entertainers in the land today. She is also a serial business woman and philanthropist. Her very significant contributions to the upliftment of under privileged women and children, young but mentally unstable mothers, and interventions she made in the cases of the Ayeni conjoined twins have been well documented. Caroline has also offered fibroid surgeries to women and provided free Mammogram to about 200 women who badly needed it.

These and many more are some of the reasons why the Rotary club of Ikoyi recently appointed Caroline Hutchings as its Ambassador for Polio about six months ago, a position she would use to help the Rotary fight Polio and enhance its eradication from the state. She was not picked simply because she’s a stunning young lady, she was picked on account of her modest but astonishing accomplishments with Hopeville foundation. And may we add that Caroline is also one of Naija’s brightest exports in Nollywood today and if truth be told, only a very few of her contemporaries can hold a candle close to her.

At the 40th anniversary gala nite of the Rotary club of Ikoyi held two weeks ago, Caroline was there in her capacity as the club’s Ambassador for Polio eradication, and as one would expect, she lit up the hall with her compelling presence. She was there with her young, adorable looking daughter, Elizabeth. At the tail end of the programme, Caroline spoke with City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) and shared with us her experience so far in her role as the club’s Ambassador for Polio eradication. Enjoy excerpts.

It’s been almost six months since the last time spoke. You were just unveiled as the Polio Ambassador for Rotary Club at the time, share with us your experience since then..

My experience joining the Rotary Club of Ikoyi as their Ambassador for Polio has been amazing experience. As I had said earlier on, my love for humanity and ser4ving the less privileged is something I have been doing with my foundation, Hopeville Foundation. As a matter of fact, this year marks the 18th year of Hopeville Foundation. We’ve been on it since 2006 and we’re looking forward to celebrating our 20 years which will be the big figure. So, doing something I am passionate about, which is giving back to the hopeless, but I would rather call them the hopeful, is something I am very passionate about. And being a part of this amazing family, which is the Rotary club, Ikoyi, and the Rotary club in general, their main objective is actually to help and to give back to the society, to  see how they can reach out to people that need hope, that need comfort, that need assistance. It’s such an inspiration for me, such a motivation, and it’s like, you know, when you pray for something, you pray for a family that is selfless.  God literally positions you exactly where you need to be, so everywhere I turn to, I see amazing people that I can reach out to. People I can call mother, father, sister, brother, and all those I can work with to  actualize what I’ve always loved to do which is giving back and serving humanity. So, it’s been more than just Polio to me. It’s been a movement to reach out and show compassion to every sphere of humanity.

And, apart from Polio, on the 23rd of November, Rotary Club, Ikoyi, commissioned the solar system at the Motherless babies’ home in Ikoyi. And there was a cinema at the home and just walking into the cinema, watching these innocent little children watching cartoon powered by the solar energy, it was so amazing. And it just gives them comfort. Everyone knows things are tough right now, but I am just so happy that a club like Rotary club of Ikoyi can also find a more comfortable way of saving cost by providing solar system which will reduce the cost of diesel and electricity. So, I am really happy to be involved in this. Whether I am an Ambassador or not, I just want to be a part of this movement. It’s really encouraging to see that in this trying time to help their neighbours, its kindness, its empathy. It’s something I want to emulate. And congratulations to the Rotary club of Ikoyi for turning 40 years old and I pray that younger generations, my daughter is here with me, we will get to learn from our leaders, our mentors, that there is no life if you can’t give back to your society.

I am very inspired hearing well educated people, professors, who have been in government, civil service and all that, they are still here, serving. It’s really encouraging and it puts us young people in a place where we have to ask ourselves, do you want to clubbing, do you want to go partying or you want to put yourself together to good use and serve humanity. You have to change the narrative so that when you’re no more people will remember you for something good and you left an amazing impact in the world and that’s literally the legacy you leave behind. It is not where you clubbed, its not where you partied, its literally the value you added in another person’s life, that you were able to develop someone or uplift someone, how you were able to meet someone at their trying times and challenging moments, those are the things that people are going to remember you for. The kind words, the kind deeds, the kind actions you gave back to society. I can go on and on. Everyday I’m called upon, I am happy.

Tell us a few of the activities you have been involved in from the time you were unveiled as Ambassador for Polio to now?

Yeah, not long ago, we had more like a training by the Lagos state government for Polio, that was in Ikeja. We went to the Polio office, there was a training, and subsequently, there were other things such as giving back to society as well, donations and Polio movement. At the time they were doing the Polio movement, I was in London, but immediately I came back, because I have two boys in London, one is writing his A –level and the other one is about to write his GCSE. So, immediately I retuned, I came for the motherless babies’ home solar project. So, it’s been back and forth literally and it’s been an amazing journey. Everything that they’ve done, they’ve been carrying me along.

How about your own foundation, how has it been in the last few months?

So, when it comes to my foundation, right now, we are moving, we are rebranding the foundation. We have actually on boarded a few more people that can actually help to handle the foundation and take it to the international level where we can reach out to other people. With my foundation, the focus has always been, how can I support the government because I know the government can’t do it all. So, my focus is, how can I, as an NGO, support the government, reach out to the poor, reach out to the needy. My NGO, Hopeville foundation, literally means the village of hope which focuses on women with child bearing issues , including young girls. You know, early child bearing issue, complication and all that, and also children with birth defects, all of these is our passion, but we also compassion to the needy and the less privileged. Right now, we are on a campaign we call Feed Lagos Campaign. We started two months ago and we’ve done 2,500 people and we’re about to do another one. And we’re about to do mammogram before the year runs out. Today, Hopeville foundation paid off a bill for a deaf and dumb boy for his hearing aid at LUTH. By the grace of God, they will be able to take care of him and he will start his speech therapy. So, that’s what we’ve been doing.

And we’ve successfully done IVFs, successful separation of conjoined twins, free fibroid surgeries, we’ve provided funds for SMEs, educational funds and grants, we have nine adopted children. We’ve done quite a lot for the past 18 years and the list goes on and on. So, when I’m on the feel, I’m on the field to serve. I don’t think about anything else but serving while I’m out there.

I also know you’re into construction, how have you coped with that male dominated sector?

I am into construction, real estate and interior designing. I am a very creative person in that aspect and I am very dedicated. My honourary degree came for construction from a European American Institution. As a woman, because it is a male dominated sector, you need to give it your ultimate best. Same thing with oil and gas. I was in oil and gas for five years and it was a 9 to 5 job, funny as it may sound, but now I own my own oil and gas company. So, home construction, interior design and oil and gas, its really tough being there, and so, when you’re in that field you have to be a professional, your quality must be top-notch, and Lagos being a mega city, you need to be ready to be innovative or disruptive, so you can promote Lagos higher than what it is actually.