A non-profit organisation, Dolly Children Foundation, in collaboration with Flourish Root Foundation, recently hosted underprivileged children to elaborate Christmas party.

Venue was at PTEM Private School compound, Oke-Afa, Magboro, Ogun State.
Tagged 2020 BOLD Christmas Party Project (i.e. Brave Orphans Leading Destinies maiden edition), it was organised at targeting orphans living with caregivers or extended families.

Speaking at the event, Adedolapo Osutunyi, Founder of Dolly Children Foundation said it became priority after they received letters from the children they cater for in the communities, informing them how bleak this Yuletide would be for them because of the downward eçonomic situation of their parents or guardian.

“COVID-19 struck and affected many families. Children we work with wrote more than 100 letters to us telling us how boring this Christmas would be for them because people they live with or depending on do not have enough to cater for them. In our foundation, we focus on orphans that are living with relatives, caregivers or guardians.

“We work with children that are at risk of dropping out of school or have already dropped out of school. We try to put them back in schools by organising educational programs centered around helping them stay in school. We have reading clubs, summer coaching and other exciting things that private schools do that cannot be found in the public schools or the community. We focus on communities that have high risk of children dropping out of school. And this Ibadan express way is a high risk area. There are still people living in mud houses here.

She added that orphans are always at the mercy of their caregivers and guardians. Most of their caregivers maltreat them and use them as slaves.

“We have cases of children that have sickle sell anaemia and they are sent to do hard labour at vulcanizer’s shop, fetch two drums of water morning and night. Most of them are not cared for at home. We have cases of children that eat once or twice in a week. We try to change such  narratives for them by taking up all their educational costs. Some of these children, their caregivers tell them that their destinies does not warrant them going to school,”she said.

Dolly Children Foundation was founded with a vision to create equal opportunities for all under-served African children through education, with a mission of inspiring the African child adopt 21^st century skills through education, capacity building, and advocacy programmes.