… Coordinator Pleads To Govt, Nation Of The World To Invest On The Children

… Over 3,000 Displaced Children Domiciled In The Camp

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo, Benin

It was a moment of emotion mixed with joy at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, Benin, as fresh graduates of university who have passed through the camp gave testimony one after the other on how Home for the Needy Foundation, operators of the IDP camp changed their lives

The graduates, of whom many bagged First Class in different universities were sponsored by Home for the Needy Foundation, and were majorly drawn from the northern part of Nigera.

INFO DAILY reports that 18 students who passed through the camp just graduated from different universities; over 80 students have graduated so far; over 200 undergraduates in different universities while over 150 students admissions are being processed.

INFO DAILY also reports that children under Home for the Needy Foundation care at the IDP camp are majorly children who were displaced by Boko Haram insurgency in the far northern Nigeria, mainly Borno, Adamawa states, etc.

In his testimony, a First Class graduate of Chemical Engineering, Amos Ishaku, said all hope was lost until he was brought to the camp where he was given new orientation and made to overcome trauma he was passing through as a result of the killings and shootings he experienced as a young boy.

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Ishaku, who said he came to the IDP camp from Borno State in 2014 through connection from his former Headmaster, said he had initially dropped out of school due to Boko Haram’s incessant attacks on his community and school, adding that he never thought of going back to school if not for the foundation.

He said: “I never thought of going back to school after dropping out of school for good two years. I was hustling on my own; going to people’s farm to assist them then they pay me 200 per day.”

He continued: “I was so traumatized that all I see and think about was the deaths, gunshots we used to hear. But when I came here they started encouraging us to go back to school.”

He added: “I promised to make the Coordinator proud with all efforts he put on me. So, from my day one, I made up my mind that I must graduate with First Class, and today I graduated with First Class.”

Rifkatu Ali, a Second Class Upper graduate of Law who was said to have lost hope when she was brought to the camp, said with the orientation she got from the camp she was determined to make a difference in her education, adding that God helped her.

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“When I got here we were assured of going back to school. I was told here to forget all that had happened, and that I can still make it again. So, I started school here in SS 1.

“Here, the kind of orientation we were giving is that we should not do malpractice in school during exams. We are to read our books and pass our SSCE. Because of the orientation I got here, I was determined to read and pass my exams.”

Also, Saminu Wakili, best graduating student of law in his set said: “I came here as ashes but something good is coming out of my life. I came here with a meaningless life, but today my life is meaningful. I came to Home for the Needy Foundation seeking for solace in January 2015.

“What they give us here is actually the best. They make here like a home for us. The things they provided for us here are guardian & counselling, ‘trauma-therapist,’ etc. They took away the major challenge of trauma from us and made us to focus on education.”

Speaking, Coordinator, Home for the Needy Foundation, Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, pleaded with government at levels in Nigera and nations of the world to join in investing in the lives of the children, adding that over 3,000 imates are currently being taken care of by the foundation.

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He said: “Presently, we have over 3,000 inmates in the camp all pursuing their life styles in a manner that is within the ambit of the extant laws of the country. These imates depending on Home for the Needy Foundation for their daily feeding, shelter, education,primary health care and other welfare.”

He added: “So, we are here to also plead with Federal Government, state governments and nations around the world to please come and invest in this place. We are ready to do more if the resources are available. We change lives here. We want to take children from the streets and make them useful in the society.

“We don’t do anything that is contrary to the law here, we are just adding beauty to the nation.”

The Coordinator expressed optimism that with the kind of orientation given to the children, they would go into the society and put an end to many social vices bedeviling the country.