By Christiana Ukung Alawa
Members of Prevent Abuse of Children Today, PACT Cross River State chapter recently held a one day humanitarian program targeted at rehabilitating street children, providing care for them and removing them from the streets of Calabar.
The meeting which held at Satellite Town Hotel, Calabar was attended by different individuals from both governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations such as Cross River State Child Protection Network, CRS-CPN, Basic Right Council Initiative, BRCI, Society for Youth Development and Rescue Initiative, SYNDRI, Edem Children Foundation among others.
The meeting also had people of various professions in attendance such as environmental researchers, medical doctors, members of NYSC, Information and Communication Technology experts and a fashion designer.
The event which was anchored by James Ibor, Esq. Principal, Basic Right Council Initiative, BRCI an advocacy group for children, had on display some photographs of several street kids branded witches in both Cross River and Akwa Ibom states respectively. The slide documentary also gave statistics of those kids that have been rescued and those who still needed to be rescued.
“Support the kids in any way possible” Ibor pleaded. Adding that “Most of the street kids are sent out of home because they are beleived to witches after being screened by pastors, prophets and native doctors with no pedigree. If we don’t bring them out of the street, our beautiful kids would have no place to stay tomorrow because armed robbers and in recent, Scolombo gang, are recuited from the street kids who have no emotions because of bitter life experiences, imagine that! Let us preach love instead of the normal anthem of let the witch die, hatred for no just course, let’s do more research on issues before blindly following destructive paths”.
The interactive session for possible solutions to getting the Calabar street kids off the road came up with the PACT Sponsorship Network, PSN to include Short Term Sponsors, STS, Long Term Sponsors, LTS and Caregivers Family, CF.
The short and long term sponsors are those that will foot self selected bills of the street kid(s) while the caregivers family are those who choose to house/shelter the child and also provide feeding while other academic, medical and other utilities will be shouldered by either a long or short term sponsor’s.
Members of the public interested in supporting any of the children are encouraged to contact Basic Rights Council Initiative on 08037367684 or at No. 53 IBB Way by Akim.
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