Sustainable Mechanisms for Improving Livelihoods and Household Empowerment (SMILE) has said there are 327,096 orphans in Kogi State.
At a-one-day orientation meeting on developing stories of change/success held recently for journalists in Kogi, Edo, Nassarawa and Benue states as well as the FCT by SMILE project in Abuja, it was revealed that out of 1,557,600 children in Kogi State, 16.7% are orphans.
The figure was disclosed by Anselm Nwoke, a programme officer with SMILE, while giving an overview of the organization.
Citing the 2006 population census, he said out of over three million people in the state, over one million are children.
According to him, the objective of the meeting was to expose participants to ActionAid’s methodologies in developing stories of change and part of the process of developing stories of change from SMILE’s community level intervention with children and their care-givers.
SMILE, he said, focuses on food security and nutrition and Household Economic Strengthening of Vulnerable Children in the five states based on the findings from appraisals conducted which he mentioned informed the project.
He noted that more than 70% of children who are registered at first year in school do not have birth certificates.
SMILE, a five-year USAID-funded project implemented by Catholic Relief Services in partnership with Action Aid Nigeria and West at, is working with local Civil-Based Organizations to improve the lives of 500,000 children and 125,000 caregivers in the project communities.
Working in Ankpa, Olamaboro, Dekina, Igalamela, Lokoja, Okene, Kabba Bunu, Yagba/East and Bassa Local Government Areas of Kogi State, SMILE project aims to improve the quality of life for vulnerable children and their caregivers.
It also seeks to change and link changes in behaviour for improved organisational and technical support which would increase caregivers’ access to household economic strengthening resources.
Culled from The Graphic
