Nigeria: Citizens Tasked On Child Adoption
Nigeria: Citizens Tasked On Child Adoption
Posted by NGO News Africa on: Sunday, January 24, 2010
Lagos — A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Education House Foundation (EHF), has appealed to privileged Nigerians to embrace its programme, tagged, "Adopt a Child" to address the menace of street urchins.
The Founder of EHF, Mr Dick Tamunoemi-Amos, made the call in an address he presented at the launch/scholarship award and academic support programme on 'adopt a child programme' on Monday in Port Harcourt.
He said under the programme, interested persons were expected to adopt a child and undertake full responsibility of giving them qualitative education.
Tamunoemi-Amos said: 'If numerous privileged Nigerians adopt at least a child and give him or her qualitative education, the problem of high crime wave like kidnapping, armed robbery and prostitution would be reduced.
"Another gain is that one might be lucky training a notable figure, because most streets children are abandoned geniuses," he said.
The EHF founder named personalities like Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Kofi Anan, Kanu Nwankwo and Austin Okocha as those who rose to the peak of the society from nowhere.
He added that investment in such area gladdened God's heart.
"In Rivers, more than 45 schools have so far embraced this scheme and have adopted more than two children each.
"We appreciate this step and enjoin other Nigerians to emulate the steps of our Rivers people," he said.
NAN reports that the NGO awarded scholarships to 16 persons, two to study computer science and mass communications in Ghana, 11 to secondary schools and three to primary schools in Rivers.
Dr Mercy Adesanya, a Lecturer at the Department of English, Rivers State University of Education, who also spoke, commended the 'adopt a child programme'.
She recommended it as a solution to education problem of the under-privileged.
Adesanya, who chaired the event, said the vision of Tamunoemi-Amos was an elaborate programme.
She said the NGO's vision could give real life opportunity to beneficiaries and urged both the government and corporate bodies to support it.