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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A non-governmental organisation, Global Association of Female Attorneys (GAFA), has called for improved awareness and collaboration to help alleviate the economic and social hardships of the less privileged.
GAFA President, Chinelo Iriele, made the call during a visit to St. Mary’s Orphanage Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Meanwhile, essential items such as bags of rice, noodles, pastries, snacks, drinks, detergent, exercise books and toiletries were donated to the home, including N1 million cash donation.
Iriele said such gestures would help alleviate their plight in the face of the economic hardships in the country.
She explained that GAFA is committed to inspiring kindness and putting smiles on the faces of people, trying to show support and help to the less privileged.
The GAFA president said the donation was also to create awareness on the need to put smiles on the faces of vulnerable persons and orphanage homes.
GAFA is a global movement of female lawyers with passion towards helping people, especially indigent persons in our society.
The organisation which has its presence across some states of the federation and Los Angeles, in the United States of America, is chiefly aimed at promoting a non-violent society, respect and adherence to the fundamental principles of human rights, social justice, education for all, facilitating the formulation of policies affecting genders at all sectors, while discouraging and campaigning against gender discrimination, stigmatisation against widows, child marriage and genital mutilation.
She said members of the association devout time in delivering free legal services for the indigents like, legal advisory services and pro bono (free) court appearances for awaiting trial inmates as a means of decongesting overpopulated correctional facilities.
Speaking on behalf of the home, Julie Elobuike, thanked the association for identifying with the children as she called on other groups and individuals to emulate GAFA.
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Elobuike said managing an orphanage required collaborative efforts to achieve aims, objectives, mission and vision, and that without the help of people like GAFA, the journey would have been rougher.
“GAFA has done something wonderful today because all the items donated would go a long way in alleviating the burden of the orphanage. If other members of the society can actually do something like this, then it will not be difficult taking care of children, especially in the area of school fees.”
She said there were 35 children in the home, ranging from babies to adults in different levels of education, from nursery to university.
She said many babies had grown into adulthood in the home because of the-no-adoption-policy in the orphanage, which is structured like a family.
According to her, it is where everybody gets to stay together, get educated, acquire skills and eventually get married.
“These children are from different backgrounds and cultures. Some of them are complete orphans while others are motherless,” she said.
She added that not every one could continue with academics, the home ensures all of them get the basic education to secondary level, and those who cannot get into the university, go for vocational training.
Elobuike lamented that the major challenge of the home is the epileptic power supply as the only generator has gone bad and the fact that some parents have completely abandoned their children at the home.
“Once there is a power outage the place is thrown into darkness until power is restored.
“Some parents have abandoned their children at this place and when you call, they don’t pick their calls. They have used hot iron to kill their conscience because if you have conscience, you would not do this to your child.” she said.
