The executive director, Kingdom Kids Klub, a Jos based non-governmental organization, Mrs Sandra Chikan, has stated
that orphanages are not the best places for orphans to live and grow.
Chikan who stated this at the launch of the “Mother Me” initiative in Jos, described orphanages as temporary abodes for children in need of immediate care.
Chikan, who runs a children’s home known as Destiny Home, advocated for the adoption of orphans by relatives, instead allowing them to live in orphanages.
The executive director said the “Mother Me” initiative was aimed at taking adoption advocacy to pastors’ wives, women associations and networks, women in communities, mothers, grandmothers, aunties and sisters.
According to her, the purpose of the initiative is to also encourage kinship care, reunification and family strengthening.
“It is with this reality that we seek to raise a network of women in all the 17 local government areas who will become champions for kinship care, and mothers to orphans and vulnerable children in their communities.
“To this end, the first Mother Me gathering is to share this vision and connect with powerful strong women who have for decades carried the burden of caring for our children.
“At Destiny Home, we provide immediate, short term and medium-term interventions for orphans and vulnerable children.
“We provide education, food and nutrition, healthcare and life skills training for 69 children in residential care,” she said.
According to her their mission is to provide care and support to vulnerable children and women through advocacy, counselling, economic empowerment, educational opportunities and trauma healing for a godly society,” she stated.
Chikun called on women at community level to advocate and lend their voices to help vulnerable children to live in homes instead of orphanages.
