A coalition of 28 NGOs and public spirited organisations have visited 30 orphanages across 26 states of the country and the FCT as part of events marking Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary.
The visits which were carried out under the Orphanage Visits Initiative (OVI) of IBI Foundation, reached out to 600 vulnerable children in the orphanages across the six geo-political zones.
The CEO of IBI Foundation, Mr. Ibrahim Baba-Inna, in a statement, said the objective of the visits was to instil hope and a sense of belonging in the hearts of the young Nigerians in the homes.
Mr. Baba-Inna said, “The OVI project in itself is about creating awareness about the plight of orphans. As we celebrate this all-important milestone, it is very easy to forget that these children in these homes are also Nigerians and deserve to be remembered in the course of the celebrations marking our 60th year of nationhood.
“We want to ensure that the vulnerable in our society do not feel neglected. This is why we decided to undertake this project.”
He explained that food and household items were donated to the children and that they were reminded that they were Nigerians and had a stake in the Nigerian project.
“We cannot expect them to think this way if we do not invest love and care in them in these challenging years of their lives.”