CHAPTER ONE

1.0   Introduction

Motherless babies home refers to a place or a home where infant babies that are not privileged to have their female parent are kept and cared for. Also motherless Babies home could be seen as an Institution where infant babies are kept due to death of parents ( especially mother) , abandoned or missing babies are received and looked afterby a charitable organization or individuals. Incident of war or conflict that took place  in a specific period of time, accidents, neglects from parents, etc. are major factors that render infants and children motherless.

 An orphan is a child whose parents are dead or have abandoned  them permanently. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents  is called an orphan.

Adults can also be referred to as orphans, or adult orphans. However, survivors who reached adulthood before their parents died are not normally called orphans. It is a term generally reserved for children whose parents have died while they are too young to support themselves.

1.1      BACKGROUNG OF STUDY

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Joint United Nations Program On HIV And AIDS(UNAIDS) has labeled  any child that has lost one or both parent as an orphan. In this approach, a maternal orphan is a child whose mother has died, and a paternal orphan is a child whose father has died, and a double orphan has lost both parents.

Orphans are relatively rare in developed countries of the world, because most children can expect both of their parents to survive their childhood. Much higher number of orphans exist in war-torn nations such as Afghanistan, Somalia, Ukraine and in other cases part of  some nations like Maiduguri state in Nigeria.

The city of  Abuja holds a population estimated to be about 11 million people and about 9% of its overall population are considered to be orphans most of which resides in satellite towns around the  main central business district (i.e central area). Among such satellite towns is Gwagwalada which accounts for about 12,000 orphans roaming its streets and highways (Lolo African Children’s Foundation, 2013).Densely populated in areas like Dagiri, Kutunku, Angwadodo, and Park road.

With only 3 orphanages to boast of in the town , the question that comes to mind next are, were do these orphans stay?, how do they even survive?,what is the society or orphanages doing to arrest the situation? And  lastly, what are the causes of these child neglect or abandonment.

1.2   QUICK RUNDOWN OF THE ORPHANAGES IN GWAGWALADA

Anawin orphanage home (poorest of the poor in hebrew) was established in the year 1995 by a clergy called  Rev, sister Oresua. St. Mary orphanage as well was establish in the late 90’s. They  catholic based orphanages whose mission were to take the poorest of the poor from the streets, show them love , teach them work related skills and reconnect them back to their families.

Because of lack of facilities at the orphanage the children at a certain age are taken to the Kaduna branch of the orphanage. However it will be interesting to know that the orphanage admit kids and teenagers as well as homeless and mentally ill people. But this research will be focused more on infants and teenagers.

 How are these orphans found?

The orphanage houses children of any class and strata, they do a routine morning patrol on the streets of Gwagwalada and beside refuse dumps to check for abandoned children. Some of the kids are found in bushes around the orphanage very early in the morning. Some are kept at the entrance of  the orphanage with notes attaché to them. Some with blood all over their body.

Children are also collected from mentally ill parents that are incapable to take care of  these children.

Finally, some of the kids are collect from teenage parents that were persuaded not to commit abortion, instead the orphanage encourages them to keep the pregnancy, take care of them and after delivery if these parents don’t want to keep the children the orphanage assumes the responsibility of taking care of the child until they can be reconnected back to the parent or the society.

1.3 SOCIETAL PROBLEMS OF ORPHANS

In the world today children considered tobe orphans go through a lot in their immediate  society. Most of the time  they go through negative experiences that in turn have psychological effect on them.

In  Gwagwalada area council today, orphans are largely seen around motor parks, under bridges and even seen hawking for a living on the streets and highways.  It is no secret that orphans are exposed to a lot of dangers in Gwagwalada, some of their plights and challenges are highlighted bellow.

·        Exposure to illness- most orphans in Gwagwalada with no reasonable place to call a home are exposed to a great deal of illness , such a malaria. Pneumonia and HIV/AIDS just to mention but a few of them.

·        They lack medical care-Lack of medical care or nobody to give medical assistance to them; These children when ill tend to go for self medication which itself is a danger that can lead to their premature death.

·        They are used for child trafficking- with no sense of direction and nobody to caution them, these orphans are taking advantage of byevil minded people  in the town, who use them as source of money making. Mostly used as prostitutes, drug dealings, modern day slavery etc.

·        Political thug This children tools for politicians who use them to fight their political and personal battles. Thereby exposing them to dangers of being killed in the process. A good example can be seen today in the issue of Boko-Haram which has become a torn in the flesh of the country’s government.

1.4 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH

With careful observation and examination  of the state of affairs of the orphans  around Gwagwalada area council, a certain phenomenon has been revealed and this basis of this research.

Although orphans in the Gwagwalada area have been identified in different ways by members of the community. This has had a great impact on the state of affairs in the area council security wise and economically.

Over the years orphans as well as other street children have suffered neglect from the government. This can be due to the fact that the they are seen as been useless.

However, this has not help the cause of helping out orphans in the area council. This has led to the increase of orphans on the streets of the area. And with low level of facilities  and accommodation in orphanages around the area council, less number of orphans are admitted into orphanages.

1.5     SCOPE AND COVERAGE

This project covers the admission of inmates motherless babies home in Gwagwalada area council  for a period of  13 years (2001 – 2013). Data were collected from anawinorphanage  and St. Mary orphanage located at dagiri and Passu area in Gwagwalada

1.6     AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

§  To be able to predict the trend the admission of orphans in these orphanages will follow in the coming years.

§  To be able to determine the relationship between the male and female orphans in these orphanages.

§  To be able to check if the number of children admitted annually influences the cost of running the orphanages annually

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