The nostalgic feeling of the suffering of children during the three year Nigerian civil war was recently relived at a function organised by the trustees of Ngwa Road Motherless Babies Home in Abuja.
Although the event was made to drum up support for abandoned and disadvantaged children in the society, the founders, however, used the opportunity to recount civil war, which has been described as the toughest season of children’s lives.
Speaking at a recent event where trustees gathered to celebrate the selfless life of the founder of the home, Madam Joyritta Nwobbi, the secretary of the organisation, Mr. Reginald Nwobbi, said the greatest desire of the founder was that no abandoned child is turned away from the safety of the home.
She said the home, whose foundation stone was laid on May 7, 1965 by the wife of the then premier of the Eastern Region, Chief Mrs. Adanma Okpara, qualifying it as the first orphanage in the entire south eastern Nigeria, was a demonstration of the founder’s commitment to the well-being of the abandoned children.
Nwobbi said despite several challenges the home had faced, especially during the civil war, it had remained focused, noting that organisations like theirs were playing a very significant role in curbing crime in society.
Calling on Nigerians to keep the dream of Madam Joyritta alive, he said: “The vision has evolved beyond what can be managed in-house. So, we need support because every child deserves a fair chance in life.”
He also explained that the choice of the name of the orphanage evokes a lot of ‘nostalgic feeling.’
Recounting the events that happened during the Nigerian civil war, he said: “It was the toughest season of our lives, but we survived.”
He added that there were 15 babies in the home when the war broke out, but that the founder was determined not to let any of them go by reaching out for help.
“Mama reached out to friends of the home for help. While bombs rained on Aba, the United Nations sent a 911 truck which ferried the children, including mama’s family, away from its initial location, until the situation became calmer, and the home found a new beginning at Ngwa Road,” he narrated.
The home was initially registered under the old Companies Act of 1968 and is now duly registered as an Incorporated Trustee under Part C of the Companies and Allied Act of 1990.
The trustees have also kicked off a digital campaign to make the home more visible, a move necessitated by the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced several organisations to think dynamically to stay afloat.