A group, SOS Children’s Villages, has shed light on the alarming number of orphaned children living in vulnerable conditions in Nigeria, with a staggering 153 million in total.
This was made known during the commemoration of the World Development Information Day in Nigeria.
The Fund Development Manager, SOS Children’s Villages in Nigeria, Thelma Ojelabi said, “Tackling the issues of Nigeria especially for the children requires a united front with strong and effective collaborations.
“SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria calls for more attention to the pressing development issues affecting children and communities across the nation.
” So as we commemorate World Development Information day, remember that it is our critical and collective responsibility to ensure mitigation against incidents that plunge these children into devastating situations and build sustainable development for a brighter future for all children.”
Fela Awosika, a photojournalist who documents street kids across Nigeria, made it known in his report that there are millions of children who are neither cared for nor have the prospects of personal fulfillment for the future.
Their forlorn outlook paints a graphic portrait of their state of helplessness. Bereft of hope and cut off from the sustenance of family ties, these children roam the streets in a daze. They appear unkempt, emaciated, a picture of innocence defiled. Speak to them and they reveal a total absence of hope regarding their future. They make their “homes” in some of the filthiest, most dangerous parts of cities and towns, including abandoned buildings, underneath overhead bridges, and near refuse dumps which they scavenge for food.
They usually retire to their dangerous “abodes” at dusk and dash out early in the morning before they are seen by the prying eyes of the police or rightful owners of some of the structures that serve as haven.
In a country where the vast majority of the populace is racked by abject poverty, the state of street children is particularly grim.
Leave a Reply