By Grace Okpala | Home Administrator
INTRODUCTION
This report provides a yearly overview of the activities conducted at Tabitha Home in 2023, showcasing the achievements made possible through your contributions as a donor, advocate, and partner of Tabitha Home. The initiatives outlined in the report are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Presently, Tabitha Home supports 50 residential beneficiaries and 344 non-residential beneficiaries.
Tabitha Home works in three major strategic priorities of Child Development, Social Integration and sustainable entrepreneurship. Our approaches are group and individual therapies, Art and Craft Training, project and programmes, in-house projects and 6+ supports (Nutrition, Shelter, Education, medical, psychosocial and rehabilitation).
GENERAL UPDATE
Tabitha Home provides shelter for 50 children in its newly built care facility. The care home provides a clean, conducive and serene environment for the children. The management ensures strict compliance, periodic review and implementation of Child Rights Law, Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, Sexual Abuse, Harassment and Exploitation and Health and Safety Policy by the staff, children, visitors and other stakeholders. The home has security personnel who are responsible for protecting the facility 24/7 and partners with the community security personnel for the community.
Nutrition plays a key role in the growth of a child. Tabitha Home ensures that the children are properly fed throughout the year 2023. The children were given three square meals with mid-day snacks. The management ensured that each of the meals were well balanced with all needed nutrients for the children. The children receive vitamins to aid adequate their growth and development.
Tabitha Home Craftplus is an academy established to equip children with valuable craft skills. Several beneficiaries were sponsored to attend a craft making institute in 2019/2020, resulting in ten individuals proficient in crafting beautiful items with Ankara materials by 2023. The home has employed an in-house trainer who conducts regular training sessions for the children. Under the supervision of the trainer, the children create a variety of products including earrings, backpacks, wallets, notebook covers, waist pouches, purses, and bangles, among others.
Children who indicated interest in hair making and barbing were sponsored for training at the skills center. As at 2023, 7 girls can make beautiful hairstyles and they do this on a weekly basis for other girls in the Home. 2 boys can barb and 4 children are skilled in confectioneries.
Every Child living in a care home has a peculiar background story and needs consistent counseling and rehabilitation. Activities of the home such as pep talk, kids club, reading culture, key working, Tabitha home dance group are forms of art and group therapy that help transform and give the children the opportunity to explore their thoughts, feelings, patterns of behaviour and self-discovery journey. These sessions discuss topics or issues of concern that inspire the children to share their opinions, and also share and work on their strength and weakness. The team member in charge provides guiding rules and regulation and life coping mechanisms to life issues. External experts and professionals are brought in to further help the children when needed.Top of Form
Tabitha Home is committed to ensuring that all its beneficiaries have access to quality education through partnerships with reputable institutions such as Victory Nursery and Primary School, Victory High School, Oke Ado Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Oke Ado Baptist Comprehensive College, FADAFAP Nursery and Primary School, FADAFAP College, Dansol High School, and Rochas Foundation College. These partnerships provide tuition discounts, academic materials, and transportation for the children.
Additionally, private tutors are employed for extra lessons on weekends and holidays. Eleven children received best performance awards in their respective schools, with one child earning a prestigious state award for ranking in the Top Ten Overall in the state common entrance examination. Moreover, ten children are receiving educational support in university. In May 2023, eight Tabitha Home teenagers wrote the Joint Admission Matriculation Board Examination (JAMB), and they came out with aggregative of 301, 255, 242, 242, 238, 210 and 197 respectively
The children are actively engaged in their education, participating in school and extracurricular activities, as well as in-house prep and tutorials. Currently, Tabitha Home has children at various educational levels, including university, senior secondary, junior secondary, primary, and nursery school.
April 2023 marked the first year the home moved to her permanent building. It was a Day of celebration as the residents and staff members were grateful for the contribution of all partners, donors and advocates who made it possible. We appreciate you all!
In commemoration of the Nigerian Children’s Day celebration, the home had an in house party to celebrate the children’s day. It was also an opportunity to further foster a sense of excitement and friendly competition as the children engaged actively in several games and competitions. They were also treated to party packs which were in courtesy of a partner.
Also, JD Frank Studio’s team organised an individual and family photo shoot session for the children. The goal of the photo shoot session was to help the children keep beautiful memories of the moment.
Furthermore, the children got free tickets to the Vintage FM children’s day party and were treated to a day of fun with exciting activities, party packs and games.
In commemoration of the day of the African Child held in June, 2023, Tabitha Home children were shared in groups of Spoken Word poetry, Drama Skit with the theme of Cultural Presentation. Also, for African Art Presentation, they were in the 3 groups representing Right to Education, Right to Digital Access and Right to Online Safety respectively.
The Girls Tech 1.3 Project, part of the Girls Tech: 5-Year ICT Road Map initiated by Tabitha Home, aims to empower girls and young women in Ibadan with essential ICT skills over a 5-year period. The third edition of the project ran for six days over two weeks, involving participants from three care homes in Ibadan. It focused on multimedia editing and data analysis, with participants grouped for practical lessons on shared computer systems. The program concluded with group presentations showcasing the participants' newfound knowledge and skills. Certificates were awarded to recognize achievements, and memorable photos were taken to commemorate the event.
Tabitha Home children were invited by Outpour of Fragrance Initiative to attend her yearly event tagged “Children Praise and Pray”. Tabitha Home Dance crew gave a dance presentation.
The children had the enriching experience of visiting the National Museum of Unity in Ibadan through a partnership with the Tunde Odunlade Art Gallery. During their visit, the children had the unique opportunity to showcase their talents by giving a mesmerizing cultural dance presentation at the museum. They also engaged in sightseeing at the gallery, immersing themselves in indigenous history and exploring various artifacts.
In December 2023, the Home hosted a festive Christmas celebration where the children showcased their talents through dance, drama, and song performances. Each child received an end-of-year gift as a token of appreciation. The event was attended by volunteers, friends, and well-wishers, making it a memorable and heartwarming occasion.
IN-HOUSE PROJECTS
The in-house projects aim to develop essential skills such as social interaction, critical thinking, communication, creativity, and leadership among our residents. Through activities like Pep Talk, Kids Club, Reading Culture, and Pass It On, the children come up with presentations on how best they understand the assigned topics.
This project is a platform where the children are opportune to sharpen their vocabularies, learn new words and create indulgence towards reading, the projects holds every Monday. The project is coordinated by the children and supervised by the home administrator.
For the year 2023, the children read the two books titled: Power of Positive thinking by Vincent Norman Peale and Leadership Gold by Norman Peale. The children gather every Monday to discuss lessons from the books and learn new words.
Pep Talk serves as a dedicated platform for children to freely express themselves, share experiences, discuss challenges, and set future goals while learning from one another. It operates as a therapeutic outlet, providing valuable support and encouragement. Throughout the year 2023, each monthly session of Pep Talk aligned with a specific theme, ensuring relevance and focus. These sessions, held on Fridays and facilitated by the Home Administrator, feature a variety of engaging activities designed to promote expression and foster learning among the children.
Kids Club provides weekly therapeutic sessions using music and art therapy to help beneficiaries learn, express themselves, and develop social skills. In 2023, the project focused on monthly themes introduced by the children, with activities tailored to each theme, fostering engagement and enjoyment in learning and self-expression.
This leadership and peer learning programme takes place as a daily living activity in the home. This has enabled the children to mentor themselves and teach each other in sustaining art and culture and educational support as well.
During the midterm holidays, we were fortunate to have a volunteer who conducted piano and singing classes for the children. The enthusiasm displayed by the children during these sessions was remarkable, and as a result, many of them have now achieved proficiency at the beginner's level of piano playing.
The Monthly Birthday Celebration at Tabitha Home is a cherished tradition held on the last Sunday of each month throughout 2023. It's a special occasion eagerly anticipated by every child, as they take center stage during their birthday month. On this day, they receive special recognition and heartfelt wishes from both staff and fellow children, making it a memorable and meaningful experience for all involved.
The children have their movie nights every Friday evening from 7:00 PM. This helps them to ease themselves of the academic activities engaged in during the week and set the weekend mode in action. This was done on Fridays in the year 2023 except when they are writing their examinations.
COMMUNITY BASED PROJECTS
In commemoration of International day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation held in February 2023, Tabitha Home team visited IMG Grammar School, Oke Ado, Ibadan to educate the students on the dangers of FGM and how to advocate against it. The theme for this year FGM is Partnering with Men and Boys to stop Female genital mutilation. The project reached out to 125 male students.
In June 2023, Tabitha Home partnered with Help Initiative and International Girls Right and Health Development (IGRHD) in a school advocacy for A Pad A Girl Project which was inspired by the FGM advocacy to support healthy menstruation cycle, personal hygiene and sexual reproductive health of girls in school. The project focused on junior secondary school girls of St Anne’s School and Queens School Ibadan. The project which reached out to 1189 female students was designed with the intent of participatory approach; engaging the girls on role play, discussion group session and Q&A session. The schools were presented with sanitary towels.
Community Kids’ Club, an annual project by Tabitha Home for non-residential beneficiaries, aims to provide psycho-education and empowerment to school children in different communities. In 2023, the project was hosted at Bishop Akinyele Independence Nursery and Basic School in Ibadan, focusing on the theme ‘Sustaining Indigenous Culture and Heritage in Younger Generations’. Activities included educational sessions on art and culture, history of indigenous artifacts, a quiz competition, and group presentations. The project spanned three Fridays in May, with engaging topics and activities aimed at enlightening children on the importance of preserving art and culture. The final day featured a special appearance by Mr. Dairo, the Director of Schools in Oyo State, for the children’s presentations and prize distribution.
In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) no 6 (Clean water and Sanitation), Tabitha homemade provision to supply clean water to its immediate community where its physical premises is located in Ibadan. This is done weekly and the impact is well appreciated by the community.
FUNDRAISING PROJECTS
The home is currently fundraising for the purchase of a Bus. This bus will help facilitate easy and convenient transportation to school, medical care and social integration activities. The fundraising target is N10,000,000.00(ten million naira) and the total sum of N1,800,000.00 (one million, eight hundred thousand naira) has been raised so far.
Back 2 School Project is a fundraising campaign that caters for the payment of tuition fees and purchase of school materials such as uniforms, stationeries, lunch box, shoes, sandals and transportation to and fro school. There has been online activities and appeal for donation from members of the community. Flyers are also being given to individuals and organisations. While the sponsor a child project seeks for potential sponsors who assist in catering for the needs of assigned children with a monthly or quarterly donations.
Sponsor a Child Project is a project seeks for potential sponsors who assist in catering for the needs of assigned children with a monthly or quarterly donations. It is an informal adoption wherein a sponsor decides to cater to the needs of a child as well as the child’s educational fees. A progress report of the child will be sent at the end of every academic term. The child will write letters which would be sent to the sponsors and the sponsor can speak with the child on phone or visit the home. However, pictures and video of the child cannot be taken, this is a child protection policy and a directive for every care home from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Child welfare to prevent the misuse of the child images and information. As at 2023, 7 children have sponsors through this project.
The university campaign project kick started to raise funds for the 8 post secondary school children who were seeking to gain admission into higher institution. At the end of the year, 5 (five) children gained admission into different higher institution. The total estimated cost of the admission fees with other administrative charges totaled #2,5000,000 (two million, five hundred thousand naira only). Hence the need to seek for external supports to facilitate ease payment of their bills. The campaign kickstarted in November, 2023.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS
CONCLUSION
Tabitha Home continues to stay committed to providing underprivileged children with tools and opportunities for a desirable life and a sustainable future. In this regard, we appreciate our donors, advocates and partnership who are always ready to ensure that the vision comes alive.
LINKS
EXCURSION TO NATIONAL MUSEUM OF UNITY
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF AN AFRICAN CHILD
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