Focus of the week – Living Fountain Orphanage

To make a donation, click here; http://www.234give.com/charity/Living-Fountain-Orphanage

Website: http://www.livingfountainorphanage.org/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LivingFountainOrphanage

Twitter: @LivingFountOrph

About

Living Fountain Orphanage (LFO) is a non-profit organization, established on the first day of November 2007, to provide shelter, clothing, emotional care and hope for a better future, for the motherless, abandoned and less privileged children in the society.

Vision

To provide and cater for abandoned and orphaned children brought to the home, until they are either given up in adoption or are able to lead independent lives.

Mission

To rehabilitate, defend, rescue and nurture, abandoned and orphaned children of ages 0-5years, under the love of God, in a Christian family set-up. To provide them with physical, emotional and spiritual care, so that they may grow into whole and mature adults.

Their Programs

LFO has several programmes to effectively touch the lives of abandoned children within the community.

Little ones to love – where their smallest family members live, play and grow, under watchful eyes and with love and attention.

Toddlers at LFO – whenever possible, these little ones are admitted into the home, and from that point, the caregivers are devoted to the very best outcome for each child, whether that means that they are returned to a member of their biological family, or are eventually united with an adoptive family.

Home School – the children of LFO are home-schooled, thus giving them an opportunity to be provided quality education at the pace the home can afford.

Community Work

LFO do their best to try to address the problems that cause so many young children to be abandoned, by sharing what they can with the local community. They invite less privileged women to their programme LFO Women of Hope day, held bi-monthly, to share used clothing, food item e.t.c. that have been donated by donors.

How you can help

Make a one off or monthly donation to Living Fountain Orphanage on the 234Give platform: http://www.234give.com/charity/Living-Fountain-Orphanage

You can also set up a fundraising page on http://www.234give.com and raise money for this charity, by sharing your page, with your friends, family and co-workers.

Focus of the Week – Freedom Foundation

To make a donation, click here; http://www.234give.com/charity/Freedom-Foundation

Website: http://www.freedomfoundationng.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freedomfoundationnigeria

Twitter: @freedom_fdn

About

Freedom Foundation carries out the mandate of pioneering social reformation within our communities. They are a non-governmental organization established as a faith-based, non-profit organization in 2001. Freedom Foundation is committed to addressing the staggering challenges within our society by empowering individuals, men, women and children, who are at a social and economic disadvantage. The Foundation believes that all individuals have the right to participate fully in the process of governance, the right to equal development and the right to the basic necessities of life.

Vision

To see to the needs of socially and economically disadvantaged and vulnerable men, women and children within our society, all of whom have the right to be protected against poverty and the right to access basic social services, such as education and health.

Mission

To reach out, give hope, rehabilitate, educate, and empower impoverished persons in Nigeria through community-based programs and initiatives in order to achieve individual and community transformation.

Their Programs

Freedom Foundation has several programs to effectively and efficiently tackle social ills within our communities.

The House of Refuge programme aims to reform individuals who are victims of crime, drug and alcohol abuse.

Genesis House Women’s Shelter aims to rehabilitate and empower displaced abused girls and young women through counselling, vocational training and moral development.

Bethesda Child Support Agency focuses on securing and maximising educational opportunities for impoverished children.

Freedom Funds Empowerment Unit provides sustainable economic empowerment programs for various members of society.

King Solomon’s Microfinance Bank provides financial solutions that transforms and develops communities and individuals with demonstrable entrepreneurial abilities. 

How you can help

Make a one off or monthly donation to Freedom Foundation on the 234Give platform: http://www.234give.com/charity/Freedom-Foundation

You can also set up a fundraising page on http://www.234Give.com and raise money for this charity, by sharing your page, with your friends, family and co-workers.

Things We Lost in the Flood

This article is a piece by Ayobami Tzu from Orbit Imagery, a growing photography agency in Nigeria that with the click of a button transforms the scene into visual poetry. It is a piece of writing that describes the tragic event last year’s flooding of Kogi State in Nigeria, by one young man as well as expressing his emotions and feelings then and now.

Things We Lost in The Flood

The displacement camps were ripe with frustrated and hopeless people, and as I continued documenting the effects of the flood it was all that anyone could talk about, painful as it was. The flood was on the news a lot and it was the worst flood ever to hit the state since 1969. Even then it only affected the residents of the riverine areas but this time it was different, a lot more people were hit by this untimely disaster, losing their homes, livelihood and more importantly loved ones. It was a source of great pain to me personally to know that even newborns were not spared. A month earlier I was in Kogi working on a book about the rich culture and lifestyle of the Kogi people, I was fortunate enough to make good friends with some of them.

Displaced Children Bathing in Unclean Water

Naturally, the first thing to come to mind when a friend is a possible victim of a massive disaster is to call and hope for bearable news. Entire villages were submerged for days on end, according to his report. It was hard for him to speak, having been through the discomfort of losing possessions of his own. He explained that villages I had been to on previous my trip, with lively farmers, crops and fishermen, women and children, were deserted. It was at this point that I made the decision to carry on with this documentary.

Cross Section of Flooded Town

Ibaji Local Government Area was my first stop. It was a ghost town, I was later informed that the local primary and secondary schools in the vicinity had been converted into displacement camps, as well as other schools in other local government areas, to help people cope with the aftermath of the disaster, pending the time aid arrives from the authorities and other concerned bodies. Visiting the camps in Idah, Ibaji, Lokoja became increasingly and emotionally tasking. The word  “disaster” for me was redefined, or shall I say clarified at the camps, with food and water shortages, coupled with serious accommodation problems, things seemed to be getting worse.  Occupants were waiting for rescue packages, hope leaving their hearts day after day, 6 families were forced to live in a single classroom, and, one mother was given a “tin tomato” to feed her family of 16.  The situation was and still is getting very bleak, very fast.

Local Standing Where Her House Used To Be

I found the courage to ask for permission to create a few portraits. Given my understanding of portraiture, it was important for me to capture the part of their story hidden behind their calm and collected demeanor. Merely looking at them, one would believe that they were fine, but as I explained earlier, clicking on the shutter revealed a totally different story.

120yr Old Man off To Search For Food

I have always been fascinated by the human face and its ability to express and communicate without speaking. The face or a portrait of someone can reveal intimate details. From these details, I was able to understand the extent to which they have lost hope. It led me to wonder how and where they will start to build at this point in time. It is said hope lies within the smallest of things, and as I spoke to a young mother who had just been through labor the night before, I believe I found a nugget of hope that I don’t fully understand how to explain, and as I looked upon the faces of those tiny children, I realised that whoever created these little ones would not send them down here, to this place, if He wasn’t sending along, through His people, some much needed help, in these hard times.

Damaged Food Silos and Houses

One of the locals cooking for the community after the flood disaster

Please visit Orbit Imagery to see more of their captivating work: http://ow.ly/mggbB

If you would like to support Kogi State Flood Victims please click here: http://ow.ly/mggwX

Article by Ayobami Tzu

HAPPY DEMOCRACY DAY NIGERIA!!!

World AIDS Day: Okocha’s Hat-trick Highlights 10-Goal Thriller

Jay Jay Okocha

Former Nigerian playmaker, Austin Jay Jay Okocha was in his element at the weekend, scoring a hat-trick in ex Super Eagles 7-3 drubbing of Nollywood and entertainment stars’ novelty match to mark the World AIDS Day in the country.

With such ex internationals like Nwankwo Kanu, Daniel Amokachi, Jonathan Akpoborie, Celestine and Emmanuel Babayaro, Emeka Ezeugo, Taiwo Enegwa, Mobi Oparaku, Benedict Akwuegbu,  Teslim Fatusi,  Ogbonna Kanu and of course, Okocha, there was no dull moment all through the one hour duration of the match chaired by former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon (rtd).

Akpoborie got the curtain raiser early in the game when he did a solo drive off a long pass from the goalkeeper.

Enegwa made it two with a long range volley while Fatusi increased the tally to three nil to keep the Campos Square arena buzzing with memories of the stars.

It is not that the entertainers led by the likes of Fred Amata, MI, Nonso Diobi, Sound Sultan, Segun Arinze, ID Cabasa, Dr Sid and the hilarious Saka of the Etisalat fame (real name Afeez Oyetoro), did not try to reduce the tally, they were simply overwhelmed.

On resumption for the second half, Okocha who was apparently enjoying himself, rekindled those leg-over and flicks that endeared him to Nigerian football fans. A one-on-one with Kanu, and a dash through the Nollywood defence got the ex internationals the fourth goal and the first of Okocha’s goals.

Diobi pulled back one for the Nollywood team before Okocha danced around with the ball, literarily dribbling the entire Nollywood defence to slot in the fifth for the former Eagles. Amata got Nollywood’s second goal.

Okocha left the entire arena reeling with laughter when he turned, twisted and leg over Arinze several times before completing his hat-trick of goals.

The highpoint of the match was when Saka grabbed the ball and dashed towards Eagles post to attempt throwing the ball into the net like is done in a handball contest but was stopped before reaching the 22m box.

Speaking shortly after the match, Saka told THISDAY that he was very excited playing the former Super Eagles stars.

“Sincerely, I feel very happy playing the former Super Eagles players, most of whom I have never had the opportunity of meeting in person. It is an honour for me,” observed Saka who exchanged jersey with Kanu.

He said that to so recognised to be a part of the awareness campaign for AIDS was something that gladdens his heart.

Also speaking on the AIDS Day, Amokachi insisted that identifying with those living with HIV is to tell them that it is not over yet, that they are part of the larger society.

“We want them to know that the stigma of carrying the virus no longer exists. We love them and want them to live normal life again. I am happy seeing happiness on the faces of those present,” stressed the former Everton of England forward.

One of the persons living with HIV, Mrs Georgina Ahamefula thanked Friends of Africa, initiators of the World AIDS Day celebration and the novelty match.

“As you can see we are normal people. We just want the stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS to stop. You cannot contact HIV by merely shaking somebody of seating or talking with such persons. You can only get it if you indulge in unprotected sex with someone that has the virus. We are happy seen all these footballers we used to see on television here at the Campos Square,” said the middle aged lady.

By Duro Ikhazuagbe