NGO seeks collaboration, awareness to support less privileged

On May 2, 2024

An NGO, TIKFamily, has called for improved awareness and collaboration to help alleviate the economic hardships of the less privileged.

Mr Samuel Adelaja, a representative of the Foundation, told the Newsmen in Lagos that such gestures would help alleviate their plight in the face of the economic hardships in the country.

According to him, the foundation recently made some donations to Ijamido Children’s Home, a non adoption policy orphanage home in Ogun state.

He said the foundation is committed to inspiring kindness and putting smiles on the faces of people, trying to show support and help to the less privileged.

Adelaja said that the donation made by the foundation was also to create awareness on the need to put smiles on the faces of vulnerable persons and orphanage homes.

“This is something we have been doing over time for many years; before now, we never had the intention of coming out publicly to showcase or document our activities. This publicity is to create awareness and call for collaboration to help alleviate the economic hardships of the less privileged. Especially in a no adoption policy orphanage like Ijamido, where much can be done ranging from sponsorship and donations,’’ he said.

The Executive Secretary of Ijamido Children’s Home, Dr Stella Willoughby, while expressing appreciation, gave an insight into the orphanage especially as the first in the country. She said the Ijamido Children’s Home is 60 years old.

Willoughby said that managing an orphanage required collaborative efforts to achieve aims, objectives, mission and vision, and that without the help of people like Tikfamily foundation, the journey would have been rougher.

“Tikfamily has done something wonderful today because all the items donated would go a long way in alleviating the burden of the orphanage. If other members of the society can actually do something like this, then it will not be difficult taking care of children”.

Willoughby said there were 104 children in the home, ranging from babies to adult in different levels of education, from nursery to university level of education.

She said many babies had grown into adulthood in the home because of the no adoption policy in the orphanage, which is structured like a family.

According to her, it is where everybody get to stay together, get educated, acquire skills and eventually get married.

“The Ijamido Children’s Home started since 1958, the first orphanage in Nigeria.It started with a particular structure that has been working; even the UNICEF approves of the structure because I was privileged to be in one UNICEF sponsored seminar where our non adoption policy was applauded. It is not that adoption is bad but these days people carry out a lot of notorious ferocious activities in the name of adoption. At present, we have over 20 of the children in the university and other adults in vocational training”, she said.

She added that not every one could continue with academics, the home ensures that all of them get the basic education to the secondary level, and those who cannot get into the university, go for vocational training.

The executive secretary said that children are only accepted into the home from the police or the social welfare, to avoid litigation.

“Even when children are brought here, they are directed to the Police station”. She also emphasised on the need for collaboration to assist the less privileged.

NAN/Wumi