The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Orphanage

  • Lagos shuts orphanage

    Lagos shuts orphanage

    Officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Youths and Social Development shut yesterday an orphanage in Ikotun.

    Bethlehem Charity and Orphanage Centre is located at Number 9, Andre Close, Abaranje, Ikotun and is operated by Mrs. Taiwo Olowoyeye.

    It was shut for operating without being registered.

    The operation was led by Mr. Musbau Abdullahi, the Director, Social Welfare, Youth and Social Development.

    Nineteen children, aged between two months and 15 years, were evacuated from the centre.

    The children were reportedly being schooled at the centre.

    Mrs. Olowoyeye said the orphanage was registered, but did not present the registration certificate.

    She said she had been operating the orphanage since 2002 and had never given any of the children out for adoption.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Social Development Dr. Dolapo Badru said the orphanage was never registered, adding: “She has a probation registration from the state government to operate a charity home in 2003 and that probation has elapsed. She was given a licence to operate an orphanage. She sought registration last year and our men visited the place. She was given three months to put things in place or face sanction.

    “She has operated the orphanage for about 10 years and was given the opportunity to meet the required conditions and register it, but she did not. We wrote to her and she did not meet up.”

    Badru said the government does not want cases of baby factories in Lagos and wants all orphanages registered.

  • Group donates to orphanage home

    As part of its corporate social responsibility, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) has donated some gift items to the inmates of Abuja Orphanage Home.

    The items, which were handed over to the management of the home by the Chairman, Board of Directors of NAHCO, Alhaji Suleiman Yahyah, were 20 bags of rice, 10 bags of sugar, five cartons of milk and several infants’ formula.

    Others were packs of diapers, rolls of children’s lotion, one live cow and N250, 000 cash.

    Presenting the items, Alhaji Yahyah, who said the company would find a way of going into a strategic partnership with the orphanage home with a view to ensuring continued support, revealed that the company decided to reach out to the inmates directly as against using intervention agencies as was the norm in the past.

    He praised the management and staff of the home for the good work they have been doing to make sure that the children are healthy.

    He said: “We are a socially responsible organisation. We have been making donations to this home and others in the past eight years. We have been donating indirectly, now we felt it is imperative to change our strategy by empowering those who are impacting directly on the welfare of the less-privileged in Nigeria.

    “That’s why we chose this occasion; the festive season, the Christmas season, season of merry-making, season of wishing everybody good tiding to share the joy of the season with the less-privileged.

    “We will work towards a strategic partnership with the management of the home. This indicates that we will be seen as their strategic supporter. We will look at their programmes for the year and see which of the programmes we can finance or support. We will also mobilise our people to spend with the home a day that is important to it.

    “We will look at their infrastructural requirements; some repainting needs to be done. We will look at all those things and prioritise them based on our budget and their expectations.”

    The items were received by Dr. Joe Jerry Umole, a member of the Board of Trustees of the home. On behalf of the home, he expressed his appreciation to the management of NAHCO.

    Dr. Umole, who disclosed that the home has 62 orphans who were abandoned by their parents, said it survives primarily on charity.

    He added that the 25-year-old orphanage has nurtured two of the babies to secondary school level, noting that they are already awaiting university admission.

  • Mustard Seed visits Little Saints Orphanage

    Members of the Board of Trustee, of the Mustard Seed Empowerment led by its president, Engr. Oluwatosin Adeyelu, paid a visit to Little Saints’ Orphanage Home located at Ekoro, Abule-Egba, Lagos penultimate Sunday.

    During the visit, the non-governmental organization donated items ranging from cartons of SMA Gold, Pampers, tins of Milo, Golden Morn, Cerelac, cartons of Indomie, Dettol Cool, Cool Cow milk, Maggi and a bag of rice to the inmates of the home.

    Receiving the items on behalf of the home, its Matron, Mrs. Domicila Enoh, while appreciating the organisation for its kind gesture called on other well-meaning organizations and individuals to assist the home and similar outfits in the country in their bid to fulfil their mission of rehabilitation, reformation and provision of good education for the abused, abandoned and the less-privileged children in the society.

  • NGO lifts the less privileged

    NGO lifts the less privileged

    The Peace Corps of Nigeria is using the occasion of its 15th anniversary to reach the less privileged in the society.

    The group visited the Mother Theresa Orphanage Home in Gwarimpa, Abuja. The home was  presented with food items, toiletries and drinks.

    Amb. Dickson Akoh, National Commandant of the Peace Corps of Nigeria said that their visit to the orphanage was to express concern and feelings for the young ones that are being taken care of and also thank the management of the home for the good work of promoting the cause of humanity.

    Akoh added that, “No greater service can be greater than what Mother Theresa Orphanage is doing.

    “We are basically here in solidarity with the young children here and make them know that we also care for them by providing the little we have as a non governmental organisation for their upkeep.”

    He said that the group had chosen the Mother Theresa because it falls within where their national headquarters is located, adding that the various peace corps offices at various state levels paid similar visits to various orphanages within their states because it is a national celebration.

    Aboh used the opportunity to call on the National Assembly to come up with a legislation that will make employment opportunities and admission into tertiary institutions to be reserved for orphans in such homes, so that they can as well enjoy the benefits of being Nigerians like everyone else.

    He further advised other non governmental organisations, ministries especially that of women affairs and social development, including private individuals to do their best for them.

    Ahoh said: “Taking care of them should be a collective responsibility of the society at large and Nigerians need to see it like that. ”

    The founder of Mother Theresa Orphanage,Bolanle Dare, in her remark said: “the only way people can showcase what they are doing to improve humanity is by reaching out to the downtrodden and less privileged in our society, like the Peace Corps has done.”

    She advised other NGOs to emulate them by visiting the children and not just staying back and sending gift items.

    Other activities of anniversary included visits to prisons, a special Jumat prayer at the prayer ground in Gwarimpa and a thanksgiving service at Holy Cross Catholic Church Gwarimpa, where the group thanked God for His goodness.