THE government of Rivers State has begun a daycare program for children to ease the challenge of working mothers in the oil-rich state.
Described by its French terminology as Crèche, the program was launched on Tuesday by the state’s head of service, Mr. Samuel LongJohn, who said the idea was tp lessen the burden nursing working mothers face in child care.
Inaugurating the crèche at state secretariat, Port Harcourt, LongJohn commended the Ministry of Women Affairs for championing the establishment of the crèche.
He urged nursing workers to utilise the opportunity created by the crèche and be more productive at their places of work since their worries over their babies’ well-being, while at work, were over.
LongJohn approved more office space for the crèche to be able to accommodate more children and tasked the ministry on sustenance and maintenance of the facility.
The immediate-past Head of Service, Mrs Esther Anucha, described the crèche as a “good thing which will make life easy for the nursing mothers.
“Nursing mothers will now work and relax with the feeling that their children are well-taken care of,” she said.
Anucha, who was the Chairman of the occasion, commended the Ministry of Women Affairs for achieving the feat, saying that it would go a long way to enhance the working mothers’ productivity.
In her address of welcome, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Joeba West, said that the crèche was the initiative of the state governor’s wife, Dame Patience Amaechi.
West said that her ministry only executed the project, adding that the state government believed in “catching the children young for education.”
She explained that the crèche would be for children of three months to two years and that, a token, to be paid by mothers, would be used to appreciate the staff looking after the crèche.
West said that trained minders and care-givers had been engaged to ensure adequate care for the children in the crèche.
“With this crèche, mothers will be productive and efficient as they come to work with their children and go back home with them.
“The children will now be taken away from the house-helps or neighbours who could abuse them,” she said.
West, however, requested for more space at the secretariat for the crèche so that the target of 100 to 200 children would be met.