ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
No fewer than 15 orphaned children in Bauchi state have been trained and empowered by a United Kingdom based Non-Governmental Organization, Khairos Initiative, in various skills of their choice.
The children, selected from the Cornerstone Orphanage, Yelwa, Bauchi, were trained in hairdressing, tailoring, carpentry and make-up.
The NGO’s Founder, Ije McDougall, speaking in an interview with journalists said that her desire to affect lives positively especially the orphaned children and make them self-reliant was what motivated her to train and empower the children.
“This is an orphanage and they are used to people coming to give them fish but what I noticed is that they are not used to people coming to teach them how to fish. The idea is that we are empowering them so that they can pay it forward, so that they can also train the other children.
“We empowered 15 of the orphans, we asked them to choose what they are passionate about so that they can take it seriously.
“We don’t know where that big break is going to come from and it is obvious that they all want to go to school and become great in life but we don’t know where it will start. This could be what will give them the big break in life,” McDougall said.
She charged the beneficiaries not to waste the knowledge they have acquired and the items they were given.
In his response, the founder of the Orphanage, Joel Jijingi, commended Khairos Initiative for the kind gesture saying that the NGO has always supported them.
“Khairos Initiative an NGO founded in the United Kingdom by Ije McDougall, has been very supportive to us. Last year, they gave us food for six months and they gave us a wonderful Christmas.
“This year, they stepped it up, they gave us Christmas dresses and eventually, the came and celebrated the Christmas with us. They’ve actually been taking care of this home and we are grateful to God for them because we know what it takes to see clothes for over 50 orphans, that is not easy.
“They also trained the children in tailoring, carpentry and other skills and empowered them, it is a very wonderful thing and we feel very honoured. There is nothing as good as putting smiles on the faces of orphans and you can see that the whole place is charged with smiles and happiness and this goes to show that the children are very happy.”
He called on wealthy individuals in the country to rise up to the challenge of helping those in need particularly orphaned and vulnerable children stressing that “it is not that we don’t have the resources, we have them. If only they can just put a smile on a poor neighbour’s who is in need with the resources they have, it will be wonderful.
“If you put smiles on an orphan on the street, it will be very wonderful. All our wealthy people in the society should copy what this UK NGO is doing. They should make someone smile because they have the resources to do so.”
Hanna Amos, one of the beneficiaries, said the gesture has changed her life and “I feel excited and happy and I am speechless. Through this make-up, many people have become great, famous and rich and I am hoping that one day, I will also be like them.”
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