Madam Sekinatu is an aged woman in her late 70s. In an ideal situation, someone in her age bracket ought to be with her children and grandchildren and enjoying the comfort of a home with so much to eat and drink during the festive season.
Ironically, Madam Sekinatu was indoors on Christmas day, hungry and in despair, unable to get enough alms unlike a normal day because her favourite spot for begging was deserted due to the festive celebrations.
When Sunday Tribune eventually met Madam Sekinatu and some other beggars for a chat, her famished and peckish look advertised her protracted starvation. The despair on her face disappeared momentarily when Sunday Tribune pointed two N500 notes in her direction. As she reached out to collect the money, other beggars around besieged the scene. But for spirited efforts by our correspondent, the notes could have been destroyed.
“Is this how you jostle for items from people every day,” Sunday Tribune asked the elderly Sekinatu.
“Yes, in fact, it is usually worse when the donors did not alight from either their motorcycle or car. Some of them will throw the items to us and you just have to rush at them so that you can lay your hands on at least one of the items brought. Even with my infirm state and frail legs, I do join the rush,” she responded.
“But it wasn’t like this on Christmas Day as I was indoors. Though I was hungry, as the hardship in the country prevented my children from sending money to me for the season unlike in the past, I couldn’t come out to beg for alms as we were told the whole place would be deserted. But after the Christmas Day, I had to come back again as this is the only thing I survive on aside the petty assistance that come from my children,” she added.
The aged woman, who lives in Ayeye area in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, said unlike in the past, she did not receive any financial or material help from people who used to assist her during the festive season aside her children.
Sitting close to Madam Sekinatu was Iyabo Adebayo, a young mother of four children. The pale-looking dark-skinned woman described herself as a widow, though her husband was still alive.
She later confessed that her husband ran away from home many years back, leaving her and the four children to roam the Mokola under-bridge daily in a battle for survival.
She said unlike Madam Sekinatu, she and her children spent their Christmas Day under the bridge rushing after anyone with goods to share.
“We spent our own Christmas here and all through the festive period too, we have been coming here, because I have no other way to feed and take care of the four children that my husband threw at me. But my children and I received some cooked foods from people on the Christmas Day. Though not as we had expected, some people still gave us some amount of money tied to sachet salt. In all, we thank God,” she explained to Sunday Tribune.
Meanwhile, as beggars on the streets across the country had their share of the gloom and boom that greeted the festive seasons, even children in the orphanage homes and their caregivers also had theirs.
Joy Taiwo is the director of Oyiza Orphanage in Ibadan. She noted that during the festive seasons, people came around to celebrate with the children, who she said, have been receiving supports from people ever since the inception of her orphanage home.
“As a charitable home that has been in existence for over 20 years, we have friends, family, individuals, organisations and good Samaritans who have been supportive over the years. The orphanage was able to celebrate the festive season for all her children within the shelter facility as we organised Christmas parties and other festive activities to bring out the joy of the season,” she said.
“The children of Oyiza Orphanage are happy even without festive season as our Orphanage is popularly referred to as ‘Home of Love’ that is, the children always feel celebrated and happy through planned or scheduled activities throughout the year such as training of different kinds, career talk, health care with the doctor, a moment with the counsellors apart from other activities they attend outside the shelter facility, so it has been happy moments throughout last year,” she explained.
According to her, people often visit the home for birthday parties and wedding anniversaries, while churches, Non-governmental Organisations (NGOS), clubs, companies and others also pay occasional visits to celebrate with the children, especially during Easter celebration, children’s day, Independence Day celebration, and Christmas.
For Febisola Okonwo, the CEO of Tabitha Homes, in-house programmes were organised for the children during the festive season, as the home runs a holistic structure, making them feel loved and not feeling any less of themselves.
“First Tabitha Home runs a structure that gives holistic support to the children just like it’s done in regular homes that’s why we discourage at all times the use of the word orphans, motherless and vulnerable rather we identify them as children because children are the same everywhere no matter the situation and circumstances. Their peculiar needs of not living with their biological parents do not make them different from other children; rather, it has encouraged us to organise functional activities that will enhance their capacities at all times.
“For this season we have in-house programmes for the children ranging from our end-of-year parties, carol service, music, art and dance events, and even church activities they attend during the festive seasons. They always have a lot to eat and make merry with at this time too, just like it’s been done in regular homes,” she explained.
Speaking further, she said: “As long as children’s needs are met and they are well taken care of, children don’t feel isolated, this is what I can say about Tabitha Home children. However, every child I know prefers to be with their biological parents; so no matter how much they are provided for, the emptiness could be there sometimes and that’s why we make up for this need by filling in the gap with structured support.
“Christmas and end-of-year periods are the most visited times at the Home when people come with food items and other gifts and this is always encouraging for the children and their caregivers, the excitement was written all over their faces.”
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