With this year’s theme “supporting young lives,” the Managing Director Aina Moore said “with the worrisome figures of over 140 million orphans globally; 52 million in Africa – these children have lived in difficult conditions.” She added that this unfortunate group of children fends for themselves. She went on to say that most child rights and well-being efforts are jeopardized and as a result, most of them develop negative survival strategies such as stealing, fighting and such unsavory activities.
“It was due to these challenges that we have boosted the Heaven’s Home Orphanage with a facelift of four blocks of dormitories, tiling the floors in all of them, and provided quality sitting room chairs, rebranding the library and computer lab, and designed a children’s playground and also provided food items for the children,” Aina Moore informed her audience at the well-attended ceremony.
Making a statement on behalf of Heaven’s Home Orphanage, the founder Kiptieu Sessay appreciated the contributions of Ecobank to the home. “For the past seven years, we have provided shelter for orphans who lost their families during the Ebola epidemic, the mudslide, and through AIDS and other contagious diseases. We see it everywhere that children are suffering from lack of education, neglect, discrimination and abuse.” Kiptieu said. She further said Heaven’s Homes is taking care of more than forty children and provides free education to the deprived children in the Joe Town community. “With support from the management and staff of Ecobank, we believe they has planted a footprint for other partners, philanthropists, and the government to follow and support the dreams of the children in the Home,” she said.
Addressing the gathering on behalf of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs Thomas Leigh thanked the management and staff of Ecobank for fulfilling one of the dreams of the ministry. He added that Heaven’s Home Orphanage has been outstanding in the Western Area Rural District over the past seven years protecting the lives of children.
“One of the orphans Philip was brought from Port Loko in a wrapper four years ago. Now he is all grown up,” Leigh said, adding that the ministry is committed to ensuring that all children are protected from all forms of discrimination and abuse.
The Ecobank day celebration at Heaven’s Home Orphanage climaxed with an official symbolic handing over of four blocks houses, computer labs and library, and food items worth millions of Leones. Later, a conducted tour was done and trees planted in the compound by the visitors from Ecobank and others.
