US- based NGO donates food, other items to motherless babies’ home in Abia

THE Methodist Motherless Babies Home Uzuakoli, in Bende Local Council of Abia State, last week received a surprise visit from Dr Chudy Nduaka, a USA-based Nigerian and Founder of the African Education Initiative (AEI) who paid a brief visit to the home and presented the babies various items ranging from foods, clothes, toys, shoes to books and more.

The home is one of the oldest of such homes in the South East.

The Matron of the home Mrs Van Den Corpet Mary J. Mangset, who works under the Very Rev. Innocent Okeke, the Director, said: “Babies are admitted in the home before they are one-year- old. Because they are motherless, the babies are brought to the home after their mothers’ deaths. They are usually too tender for the father to give them the needed care. The father or relation is the one that brings the baby for admission. This is to say that every baby is brought to the home by somebody. That person is responsible for the baby. There is no other qualification before a baby is admitted; the death of the mother is the only requirement.”

The matron who also said that the babies are catered for through the kind gestures of individuals, organizations, clubs, groups, etc added that though government’s support to the home comes only through the office of the state governor’s wife from time to time, the home does not get the monthly subvention reportedly approved for registered homes like theirs.

“It is a no-go area for us because we don’t know what happens to the grant. In coping with the work of caring for the babies, the Lord Jesus has always been our provider and He sustains the babies and everything in the home.”
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According to her, there are presently 25 babies in the home comprising 10 boys, 15 girls and 15 workers assisting her.

“What we at the Methodist Motherless Babies Home would need or want from the government is to release the grant ‎allocated to the home every month. If this money is given to us, it will go a long way to help us take better care of the babies. If this money is not released to us, relief materials such as infant milk, diapers, beverage and others can be given to us often.”

Thanking God for motivating Dr Nduaka to visit the home, Mrs Mangset said: “We are happy and grateful to him. We always pray for such visits from people so that we can have enough for the children. We thank God people have been faithful in donating to the home. It is always welcome.’’

Speaking to The Guardian after his visit, Dr Nduaka, a Veterinary Doctor, stated that the AEI, an NGO with the mission to provide education and health to Africa’s children, was founded in 2001 and has since provided educational and health resources to children and students in Africa, mainly Nigeria.

He also disclosed the organisation’s present mission in the country: “We are here to commemorate the 10th anniversary of our Toxicology Internship program, a program that provides student interns from all over Africa with opportunity to learn how to plan, direct and run toxicology studies. We partnered with the National Veterinary Research Institute in Vom, Jos to run this program and graduates of the program have pursued careers in academia, research, pharmaceutical drug companies and government.”

Nduaka who said his organization has visited similar homes in Abuja, Zaria, Owerri and Cameroon, spoke on conditions at Uzuakoli.