Anambra Bans Motherless Babies Homes , Introduces Community Children's Homes

 

The Anambra state Government yesterday inaugurated the Association of Anambra state Registered Community Children’s Homes to forestall the crime of baby selling and child trafficking as well as wrong adoptions. That ended the era of Motherless Babies Homes for Community Children's homes.

 Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development , Lady Nkiru Okeke witnessed the inauguration where they were provided with succour for children and care-givers in the 19 Community Children’s Homes across the state.

The name of the Motherless Babies Homes were yesterday changed to Community Children’s homes in accordance with best practices globally and to reduce stigmatization of children at the homes. Each community home got various items of food and beverages and cash donations worth hundreds of thousands of naira.

The state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Henrietta Agbata, while inaugurating the distribution in Awka, said that “it was an empowerment for nutritional values.”

“It is to encourage and support children who find themselves in children’s homes.

“Some of these homes have children between three years and 16 years which is unfortunate, but then they need to be taken care of,” Agbata said.

She charged the care-givers to always investigate the identity of children brought to their homes for proper records.

In his remarks, the permanent secretary in the ministry, Mrs Nkiru Okeke called on mothers to give their children proper home training.

The Director of Child Care Development in the ministry, Dr Emeka Ejide, disclosed that the ministry had inaugurated an eight-member committee to oversee the activities of all community children’s homes in the state.

Ejide said that the committee would work in collaboration with the state government in the battle against child trafficking and violence against children.

Some of the items distributed include tubers of yam, bags of rice, biscuits, beverages, bags of beans, toiletries and cash donation.