Association of Orphanages and Homes Operators of Nigeria (ASOHON), Southern Nigeria Chapter, rose from a meeting in Umuahia, Abia State, with resolve to deepen collaboration and ensure that no child, home or region is left behind in the effort to build a safe, inclusive, and family-oriented care system in Nigeria.
In partnership with the United states of America-based non-profit organisation, Both Ends Believing (BEB), ASOHON pulled key stakeholders in child welfare as well as representatives from government ministries, non-governmental organisations and child care institutions from across the South-East and South-South regions to the meeting and provided them the platform to assess progress in community-based child care, data management and collaboration with development partners.
They meeting renewed the call for recognition, inclusion and sustained collaboration for practitioners of alternative care across the two regions.
In her address, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr Maureen Aghukwa, described BEB as a global and compassionate non-profit, whose ‘Children First Technology’ initiative identifies, protects and settles vulnerable children into loving and secure homes.
She said the BEB innovation, commitment and empathy brought new hope to many children who once lived on the margins of care, adding that by leveraging technology for social good, BEB made it possible for governments and partners to ensure that no child was left behind in finding a home, a place of warmth, safety and belonging.
The Vice President of ASOHON for Southern Nigeria, Godson Akpulonu, highlighted the challenges faced by practitioners in the south over the years, “despite having diligently provided care with minimal recognition or support”.
He lamented that despite numerous appeals and proposals to relevant authorities, local practitioners were often overlooked in favour of external agents, even when qualified professionals were available within the region.
Akpulonu expressed optimism that through the implementation of the Children First Software (CFS), which has brought a renewed sense of inclusion and hope to the sector, would strengthen data collection, improve transparency and promote evidence-based reporting on child welfare activities across the South-East and South-South.
Maintaining that accurate data would help dispel misconceptions about alternative care practices in the two regions and showcase the commitment of local operators to child protection and family reunification, Akpulonu urged representatives from the state’s Ministries of Women Affairs and Social Welfare to begin discussions towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BEB to formalise collaboration and strengthen systems that safeguard children.
In his address, BEB Global President, Bruce Graham, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to transforming child welfare through technology.
Noting that BEB’s mission “is to support” governments, caregivers and child welfare organisations with innovative digital tools, he added that its CFS digitises data in child care institutions to ensure secure, accurate and accessible records for every child.
Graham urged participants to embrace technology as a means of improving efficiency, transparency and accountability, as “CFS was designed to help care homes operate smoothly while providing ministries with vital data to plan, intervene and better support children.”
BEB’s Country Manager in Nigeria, Silas Gyang Nyam, while highlighting the organisation’s progress since its partnership with ASOHON in 2022, reported that the partnership expanded from a six-month pilot to about 90 homes across the six geopolitical zones by 2024.
