One of the mentally challenged persons having a hair cut during the monthly clean up in Kaduna

The Malam Ahmadu Na Funtua Foundation, has introduced monthly baths and clean up of mentally ill persons roaming the streets of Kaduna, in emphacy with their condition.

Malam Usman Sulaiman, who heads the foundation youths, said during the exercise on Tuesday in Kaduna that apart from getting them bathed, they also cut their nails and dress them with clean clothes.

According to him, the organisation embarked on the exercise in order to help in changing the lives and transforming some of the lunatics back to their homes to meet their families.

He explained that the exercise was initiated by a community leader, late Malam Ahmadu na Funtua, who died some years ago.

“Since then, we have continued to do what he taught us, which is toward helping those mentally challenged persons that were sleeping in dirty environments.

“We have washed over 50 mentally challenges persons that were sleeping in dirty places across Kaduna and some had regained their memories and went back to their homes.

“We do not stigmatise them, we show them love and care that is why they are our friends.

“We don’t use any force or medicine to bring the lunatics from the streets for their monthly bathing.

“We meet them in their normal places and tell them that today is bathing day and they follow us to the normal place where we gather them for their bath.

“After cleaning them up, we offer them good food three times daily and make them become good friends.

“During their stay, a few of them had remembered where they came from and we contributed money and send them home,” Suleiman said.

He said “what we do every end of the month is to bring them to the normal place, wash them, have their hairs, toes and finger nails cut, bath them and then change their cloths.

“We are very happy with the kind of support we are getting from the public every month end’’, he said.

Mallan Salihu Yuguda, one of the volunteers, said people contributed hand gloves, Dettol, Izal, Razor and shaving sticks, detergents, soap, buckets, cups, sponge, freshener, nose cover, waste basket, and other materials.”

Yuguda explained that it was good to see the lunatics looking good and not very dirty.

Another volunteer, Mallam Mohammadu Kabiru, said he mobilises new cloths for the mentally challenged persons brought for the exercise.

According to Kabiru, he finds joy in supporting the initiative and urged other Nigerians to support the weak and vulnerable people around them.