While spending time in Abuja working on our papers, I had some interesting meetings and conversations with some individuals regarding OVC’s in FCT. Some time ago TWCF was asked multiple times to move and open our children’s homes in FCT as there was a great need in the middle-belt and more northern regions. Due to the religious conflicts going on it was something that was a possibility at the time. Although we listened with sad hearts to the types of situations that children were facing. Throughout the years we have been continued to be asked and encouraged to re-visit the idea of opening a home in the FCT area so as to meet the high need of placements for OVC. We previously were aware that due to religious conflict, there were many children left without parents, as well as children that were still being killed in villages due to traditional believes and juju magic. In the last few weeks I have been re-informed that these issues are still very much present. As a matter of fact, some of my friends up here are shocked that the practices still occur, especially in FCT, which is the state area that houses the capital of the country. The fact that is there are villages on the outskirts of the capital city that still practice the killing of twins, facial scarring and genital mutilation, sacrifices, black magic, ect. Aside from that, there are still many children that somehow migrate more towards Abuja, having survived journeying from the north were religious battles and slaughtering are still occurring. As I heard a story from a friend’s friend who is a lawyer (who was looking into a case that led her to one of these villages), I was reminded that these are all the same things that were going on a few years ago. I decided that while I was waiting on paperwork, I would start looking into these matters. With Kayode’s help we started contacting someone people in government and eventually had a meeting with the Assistant Director of Child Welfare for FCT. This man is also the one in charge of orphanages, setting them up/monitoring them/closing them down. This man confirmed that the issues I mentioned are still very much present, and the numbers of children that they are dealing with on an ongoing basis are too many to keep up with. Aside from that it would seem that there are many orphanages and motherless babies homes in FCT that get shut down due to improper paperwork, wrong motives, ect. This leads to the few proper homes being filled to over capacity. While we were in this man’s office, four children were brought in by the police having been found on the street, three separate cases. He said the day before a baby was found near a garbage pile, and over the last week four other babies were found. I discussed with the man about the protocol and procedure for setting up and running an orphanage home in FCT, and shared with him our program and how we run. After reviewing our papers, he was very excited for what we do and hoped that we will consider opening a home in FCT. He said there would be no shortage of children to place. I asked “if we open a home tomorrow, how many children could we have”, to which he stated, “you better give us a number of how many you want because we will keep giving them to you, do you want 10, 20, 30, 60, how many?”
Hmmm, need I say more…
