"3,000 orphans in Kwali need help,” foundation coordinator appeals

By Victor Idajili

More than 3,000 orphans in Kwali Area Council, FCT, need urgent support, according to Aisha Yamta Bukar, coordinator of the Islamic Virtues for Orphans and Widows Foundation (IVOWF).

Bukar, who also heads the Albishra Women Association in the area, made the appeal in an interview in Kwali. She said the children, drawn from all 10 wards in the council, are currently in primary and secondary school through the foundation’s intervention.

Many lost their parents to accidents, illness, and insurgency, especially from northern communities hit by insecurity.

For the past 15 years, IVOWF has been enrolling vulnerable children in school with help from individuals, companies, and the Kwali Area Council. Right now, five of the orphans are writing WAEC, while others are in JSS3.

“We have donors backing these children because nobody knows what they’ll become tomorrow,” Bukar said. “My goal is to bring them together and give them education so they can grow up responsible and useful to society.”

She warned that without care and schooling, orphaned children are more likely to fall into insecurity and social vices.

Bukar is now calling on federal and state governments, corporate organizations, and well-meaning Nigerians to keep supporting the foundation’s work.

The foundation says every extra hand counts to keep the children in class and off the streets.