The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos Province 77, Arepo, Ogun State has partnered with a Non-Governmental Organisation, Under the Bridge Initiative, to take the children displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency back to school in Arepo.
Pastor-in-Charge of the Province, Pastor Noruwa Edokpolo, said this at an impressive inauguration of the initiative Friday.
The inauguration was done at the Centre of Mercy, one of the parishes under the Province in Arepo.
Edokpolo said they were partnering with Under the Bridge Initiative in addition to the Christian Social Responsibility programmes of the province in bringing succour to the less privileged.
He said: “To us it is the true religion and Christianity as Jesus enjoined us to do that we should show kindness to our neighbour, irrespective of their race, religion or creed.
“These are children who became victims of the insurgency which displaced them from their abode and they found themselves becoming beggars through no fault of theirs.
“These should not stop them from fulfilling the purpose for which God created them.
“Who knows what they will become tomorrow?
“That is why we are here (pointing at the two Assistant Pastors-in-Charge of Administration and CSR: Pastors Constance Iweanya and Sola Sanni respectively) to inaugurate the partnership.”
Pastor Edokpolo said as part of their support, he would want the founder of the Under Bridge Initiative, Ibukun Adeoye, to come to the province Headquarters, Beautiful Gate Parish, Arepo, to make presentations as well as other parishes in the province where they would get people who will be willing to support them in cash and kind.
Speaking in the same vein, Pastor Sanni encouraged them to take advantage of similar organisations that may be willing to support their initiatives.
He said: “There are people in the church who may want to adopt a child and pay for their upkeep to see that they get the education and get by in life.”
Earlier in her presentation and welcome address, Adeoye went down memory lane and narrated how she came about the idea of taking them out of the street and back to school.
She said: “The whole idea started in September 2021, when I saw how the children were begging for alms on behalf of their parents.
“I was moved with compassion and we started going to their parents to ask them to release them to us to give them a formal education and provide a future for them.
“We had an interpreter who spoke with the parents and they allowed them to come.
“We had over 30 of them.
“They were attending classes in our first location near the bridge.
“With time, they went for celebrations and did not come back.
“Their parents gave them up for marriage.
“Now, we have 17 of them left and they have demonstrated that they are ready to learn as some of them said they want to become pilots, doctors and engineers in the future.
“Most of them are from Borno State, the epicentre of the insurgency.”
Adeoye also used the occasion to present a list of some of the things they needed.
They include uniforms, school bags, lunch parks, tables and chairs.
Adeoye said: “Currently, we use chairs as tables and they have to bend to write and most of the time, it is not convenient for them.
“We need our own space as moving from one location to another is impacting negatively on attendance.
“This is our third location.”
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Fati Ibrahim and Abu Mohammed, who responded on behalf of their mates, said they were grateful for the visit and the help extended to them.
“May the Lord bless and reward you with abundance,” they prayed.
In their presentation, they said they are unstoppable as their destinies lie in the hand of God.
Adeoye is being assisted by five other volunteers, who also share the vision.
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