A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Madako Foundation for Conflict Resolution and Empowerment, has donated food items and clothing to orphans and persons with special needs in Niger.
The founder of the organisation Hajiya Hauwa Madako, said the items included livelihood support to widows, to enable them to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.
Madako said that the four-year-old foundation has provided social care and medical support to children with special needs.
She said that it also distributed educational support to out-of-school orphans.
Accordimg to her, with support from families, friends and the community, the foundation has provided a home for a family of six ejected from a rented apartment.
“We also ensure that children who dropped out of school are enrolled back into school,” she said.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Nomadic and Pastoral Affairs in the state, Alhaji Umar Rebe, called on wealthy individuals to extend a helping hand to the needy.
He thanked the Governor’s wife, Hajiya Fatima Bago, for her leadership role in galvanising women for community participation.
One of the beneficiaries, Mubarak Ya’u, who is suffering from autism, said the foundation discovered him while he was begging for alms.
He said that the foundation enrolled him in school and supported him with a wheelchair.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the mission of the foundation is to champion social change and inclusion through peaceful resolution of disputes and access to education.
The foundation is currently providing support to 79 children with special needs and paying school fees for 378 orphans and less-privileged children in the state.
NAN
