NGO To Empower 20 Survival Migrants In Edo, Laments Huge Number Of Street Kids In Nigeria

Iduozee Efe Paul, Benin

As part to measures to help curb homeless children on the streets, and reduce the incessant manner of human trafficking and irregular migration, Emmanuel  World Children Foundation said they are ready to empower 20 girls in various skills, after rescuing them from Senegal and  other countries from prostitution.

Addressing journalists after the meeting held with different NGOs in  Edo state, Mr. Emmanuel Adaramola the Executive Director, Emmanuel World Children Foundation lamented the high rate of irregular migration and increase of street kids in Nigeria as a result of insecurity, poverty, unemployment and many other factors. He said their focus is to make sure the number of irregular migration and street kids are reduce to the bearest minimum.

He said," Emmanuel World Children Foundation, a Non Government Organization NGO started twenty-six years ago. Our focus is to work with children, orphans  and vulnerable  people in the society, our head office in Akure, Ondo State.

" We worked in six different tematic areas, we have a shelter where we give items to people that are in need. We have a community rural areas for development. We support community for self advancement.

" We also have capacity building development for people that work with the children. Lastly, we worked in the area of human trafficking, which actually is  the area that brought us to Edo state.

" We have 61 survival that we are working with from Senegal and 20 out of the 61 survivals are from Edo state. What we do with their data is family tracing, family integration, assessment and trying to help the survivors to start a vocation.

" Also to empower them, to be fit into the society, and get their lives back on track. These are some of the things we are doing. We are in the State to start a support group " Mr Emmanuel buttressed 

Stressing on how their International partners had helped in the aspect of rescuing the girls in an hotel in Senegal, Mr. Emmanuel said:" Free The Slave (FTS) have the Regional office in Africa, Ghana. They are in USA and Senegal and other countries in the World.

" They are our partners that actually rescued the girls that were trafficked to Senegal and other countries. 

Put those girls in  shelters and do a lot of phycosocial supports for them, and then make arrangement for the victims to come back to Nigeria .

" We on our own received them at the Airport. From the Airport we take over and work together through correspondence and to ensure the victims or girls settle in Nigeria and reintegrated back to the society.

"Free the Slave initiative are our major partner in curbing irregular migration.

Speaking on Emmanuel World Children Foundation plans for the street Kids, Mr. Emmanuel Adaramola posited," is an arm of our works in working with street kids. We have been working with street kids for years, and we have a lot of them today that are successful, married and doing well today.

" Now they are responsible adults after spending more years on the streets. Presently, we are working to enlarge that aspect of our work. We are presently building a fifty beds capacity majorly for street Kids.

" During their period they will be there for six months. Within that six months, they will be undergoing their vocational training and also be sheltering them in the same compound. So that they will be able to learn and graduate and become independent.

" And after they finish like what we are doing for the girl now. We will look for a way of empowering them. We are working with the street kids to ensure they are empowered and have a means of livelihood. 

According to our statistics, the number of street kids are increasing everyday due to several factors like broken homes, insecurity, poverty, unemployment.

"Our aim in the next two  years, is to set up an innovation hub within the environment to work together where we will get resources for them to expand," he emphasized.

Adaramola also stated that EWCF implement advocacy, prevention activities, rescue and rehabilitation of victim of human trafficking through provision of shelter, family tracing, vocation training and empowerment.

He therefore stressed that EWCF works with rural and poor communities for self help and development through capacity building and linkages to opportunities.

In their confession some of the victims to be empower who spoke about their experience said trafficking them to Senegal to do prostitute  is a was miserable experience for them and waste of time in our life.

Is not what the traffickers told us when we were living Nigeria is what we were doing when we get to Senegal.

" Even the journey by road from Nigeria to Senegal is not a safe routes. We take a lot of risks. When I was in Senegal, my madam trick me if I get to Senegal that , I am going to continue my education there, which we agreed not knowing that l am going there to do prostitute job," she added.

Another survivor that spoke said, it is not easy for them in Senegal doing prostitute job. " I am advising any lady that want to travel to ask question that if the trafficker is not specific of the job she wants to do she should not travel out at all. For we, we suffered some many untold human hardship in Senegal," she groaned.