Group galvanises support for 1,000 orphans in FCT
Orphans
By Sumaila Ogbaje
Abuja, April 24, 2019 (NAN) Voice of Orphans Africa and Diaspora Initiative (VOADI), a non-governmental organisation, will support and empower 1,000 orphans in the Federal Capital Territory through talent hunt.
The group’s President, Mr Okokoro Folorunsho, disclosed this at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.
Folorunsho said that the organisation was determined to put smiles on the faces of the orphans by providing them with the basic necessities of life.
He said VOADI would reach out to target orphans through partnership with orphanages, adding that it is currently sponsoring four orphans from different orphanages at basic and tertiary education levels.
According to him, VOADI organises yearly carnival project that is aimed at bringing orphans in direct contact with potential sponsors to promote talent hunt for career, health, and educational development sponsorship.
“The 2019 Orphans Carnival is the second edition since we started advocating for the inclusiveness and hope of a better life for orphaned and vulnerable children.
“The idea was to showcase the latent talents and intellectual abilities of these children and to spur potential sponsors or donors to help them to have a better life by providing for their basic needs such as health care, education, and general well-being.
“The carnival with the theme, ‘’Leave No One Behind: An Orphan at a Time’’ is to create awareness and a social platform for the discovery of talents or innate abilities of orphaned children,’’ he said.
Folorunsho added that the event would create a meeting point for all the orphans and orphanage owners to broker friendship, collaboration and networking.
He, however, disclosed that 74 orphans would be awarded scholarship for 2019/2020 academic session, 50 for self-empowerment and 176 orphans to be sorted in partnership with some private and government boarding schools.
The group leader, therefore, called on well-meaning Nigerians, CSOs, NGOs, private corporate organisations, religious bodies, government and United Nations to partner VOADI to secure a better life for the orphans.
Mr Success Ikponmwosa, Vice President, VOADI, said that the strength of the organisation was in partnership with relevant organisations such as government agencies, corporate organisations, and orphanages.
Ikponmwosa said VOADI had secured a partnership with 36 orphanages to identify children with educational needs through its monthly interface with the homes.
He said that VOADI had sold its vision to a lot of organisations to galvanise resources for its projects.
He said the group gave out six scholarships in 2018 and was able to implement four while its it’s still working with some organisations to actualise the remaining two.
“Our scope is to focus on orphanage homes and we work hand in hand with some relevant government agencies to be able to identify the orphans who do not have access to education.
“We pick them on our scheme and spur well-meaning Nigerians to look into their plights for sponsorship,’’ he said. (NAN)
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Edited by Joan Nwagwu/Ismail Abdulaziz