Save A Child Program
Overview
Save a child program was borne out of the need to support infants and children in the Vine heritage home and also support the mission is to put an end to killings of children of multiple births and other physical impairments.
Vine heritage is a foundation with a rescues home situated at Kuje in Nigeria’s capital city – Abuja. The home is run by Mr. Stephen Olusola Ajayi who hails from Osogbo, Oyo state in Nigeria. He has been a missionary for twenty-nine (29) years.
mission home
Vine Heritage Kuje
Vine heritage is a foundation with a rescues home situated at Kuje in Nigeria’s capital city – Abuja. The home is run by Mr. Stephen Olusola Ajayi who hails from Osogbo, Oyo state in Nigeria. He has been a missionary for twenty-nine (29) years.
Target
The home’s target is to round up the mission by vine health in the first quarter of 2022.
Mission
Vine Heritage’s mission is to save twins, triplets, albinos, as well as infants who have lost their mothers and children born with physical impairments from being killed by their home community.
Vision
Engage the remaining sixty-eight (68) communities through sensitization of the provisions of the Child rights protection Act.
Snippet of the Story
The home saved its first child in the year 1996 and since then they have saved more than 40 children. The home currently has a total of thirty-four (34) caregivers to cater to the children which comprise thirty-two (32) paid staff and two (2) volunteers (unpaid). Despite the barbarity of this act, sixty-eight (68) communities are still practicing this devastating ritual in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. This practice is also rampant in Abia State Nigeria -particularly the Ohafia area allegedly. So far, only ten (10) communities have banned this practice.
The Vine Heritage Home Kuje liaisons with kind informants from these communities who dutifully reports periodically to the home, asking the home to save the children before they are killed. In some cases, these children are not released to the care of the home instead they are killed mercilessly.
Media Coverage
Queentrepreneur Women Foundation (QWF) is neither the first nor only organization to shed light on this grievous issue. A documentary was covered by Channels TV and a publication was published by Sun News in 2013. Sadly many Nigerian citizens choose to live in denial and refuse to acknowledge that these horrific practices are still ongoing in Nigeria.
A committee (not existent currently) was formed by Ex. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s government to investigate the existence of these practices. On discovering the extent of this dinosaur practices, the government launched a campaign raising awareness as well as denouncing these acts performed in these rural communities.
Integration Back Into Their Communities
After a period of nursing the children that were rescued from these communities, the home reaches out to the communities; encouraging them to visit the children at the home in order to help correct their narrowed perspectives on the notion that twins, triplets, motherless babies, or children who are impaired pose any threat to the community.
The home has a vetting process that involves the parents or legal guardians documenting the following details: biodata, blood group, other family-related information, etc. They also have exit forms that guardians have to fill as part of the claims process of their wards.
In fortunate incidents when parents/guardians do come to claim the children; the home carries out this vigorous vetting process that verifies the authenticity of the parents whilst ensuring the protection of the children from possible exposure to death or any kind of harm from the community.
Unfortunately, there have been cases where children have been returned to their parents/homes but notwithstanding the communities are firm on their beliefs that the children pose a danger to the community hence the children are unable to be reintegrated into the community.
Challenges
poisoned children
The initial challenge the home faces when these kids are rescued from their communities is the fact that these kids have been poisoned before they are released to the home. The home battles wholeheartedly to keep them alive via any possible medical means.
Lack of Good Healthcare Provision
The home faces a serious challenge in providing good healthcare for the children as they do not have sufficient support from healthcare providers in the State. Divine Heritage Home is doing its best to get the children to NHIS as hospitals (Save Gwagwalada) do not cater to them
Lack of sufficient resources
The children and staff in the home survive due to the homeowner’s ability to source resources mostly on credit to maintain the children and the home, especially feeding.
accommodation
Lack of space to accommodate the live-in staff and children pose a serious challenge for the home as the home population is growing evidently.
Staff Remuneration
Due to a lack of sufficient resources and financial support; staff remuneration has also become a challenge for the home.
Lack of Awareness
The Human Rights – Child Protection Act exists with its prohibitions but there are hindrances that affect the implementation of some of these policies at the community level. Awareness!