PCF: Giving succour to street children
PCF: Giving succour to street children
Pupils of Precious Childcare Foundation
during an anniversary.
Pic By DARE ALESHINLOYE
Princess Adetokunbo Abimbola is the wife of the popular Professor Wande Abimbola. Kunle OlayenI, in this piece, writes on her concen for abandoned and neglected children and how her non-governmental organisation ( NGO) is striving to end the menace through various training and programmes.
PRINCESS Adetokunbo Wande Abimbola was alarmed by the growing number of children roaming the streets, especially of Lagos, where she operates a nursery and primary school. And being a person whose job involves constant interaction with children, she knew a lot of things about them; their needs, their problems and so on.
She used to wonder how those children abandoned, neglected and orphaned as a result of various circumstances would fare on the streets, where their well-being and future were left to fate.
“Anytime you go out, you see these children carrying trays, hawking, living practically on the streets and each time I see them, I do interview them. They give me various reasons, some of which are very sad to narrate. Some of them are orphans, some of them abandoned, some of them were on the streets due to poverty.
“In some cases, their parents sent them out to go and bring money in; in fact, they had become bread winners for their parents and some are just abandoned children right from childhood. So I went through these experiences and I felt that something should be done to take care of this category of children,” she explained in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune.
Therefore, Princess Adetokunbo Wande Abimbola established a non-governmental organisation called Precious Childcare Foundation (PCF) in 1995 with the objective of educating and empowering the abandoned and neglected children as well as highlighting the social and health problems facing this group with a view to finding solutions to them.
Consequently, the foundation started organising series of awareness programmes and other sensitization activities in various states of the federation, all geared towards putting an end to the social malaise.
And on July 29, 2004, the foundation brought to limelight its first project, which was the Precious Home for street children and orphans of HIV/AIDS victims. The home is located in Alagbon, Oyo town in Oyo State. It was commissioned by the wife of the former governor of Oyo State, Alhaja Mutiat Olayinka Ladoja.
Two years after the home was declared open, the PCF received a boost from the Oyo State government. Precisely Saturday July 29, 2006 at the Aruna De Plaza Hotel in Oyo which marked the home’s second anniversary, Oyo State First Lady, Chief (Mrs.) Kemi Alao-Akala, confirmed government’s recognition of the activities of the foundation and its executive director, Princess Adetokunbo.
Represented at the occasion by the wife of the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Chief (Mrs.) Funke Atilola, the First Lady in her address stated that caring for orphans and vulnerable children requires immediate and sustained action at all levels of government.
According to her, over two million children are orphaned by AIDS in Nigeria and the rapid increase in the number of orphans is posing greater danger to the nation.
The governor’s wife commended Princess Adetokunbo and urged her not to relent in her “good job to humanity.” She donated, on behalf of the state government, mattresses, several bags of foodstuff, household items and a sum of N100,000 for the upkeep of children of the home.
Alhaja Sherifat Oyenike Amuda, Alhaja Khadijat Okunlola Oba-bi and Mrs. Funmilola Odunewu, wives of chairmen of Oyo East, Oyo West and Afijio local government areas respectively present at the ceremony, also pledged their continuous support to the foundation.
A keynote address by the Registrar of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Dr. (Mrs.) Josephine Oyebanji, highlighted the consequences of failure to rescue the less privileged children on the society.
Delivering the address titled: “NGOs to the rescue,” Dr. Oyebanji noted that the abandoned children of today are the threats to the security of tomorrow.
“The government at the federal, state and local levels should have social welfare packages to cater for the poor. The NGOs could be assisted from such packages,” Dr. Oyebanji further urged.
The ceremony, which was attended by Professor Wande Abimbola, Professor Bade Ajuwon and Senator Adebiyi Adekeye among other dignitaries, also witnessed the dedication of vocational training tools, commissioning of a computer set and exhibition of various works of art done by children of the home.
The children also entertained the audience with beautiful cultural performances and choveography which earned them encomiums from the audience.
However, the PCF executive director pointed out hat inadequate fund has been the major constraint to the effort of the foundation.
She called on various governments, corporate bodies and endowed well-meaning individuals to assist the foundation, saying such was necessary for PCF to realise its objective.
