AS part of efforts to ensure that the vulnerable children in Lagos State are well taken of, the SOS Children’s Villages, Nigeria, has partnered with the State Government on the provision of transit care.
Speaking at the agreement signing ceremony held recently at Alausa, the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Olusegun Dawodu, said that the initiative by the organisation will go a long way in reducing the number of children on the streets of Lagos and the cost being borne by the State Government.
Earlier in his remarks, the National Director of SOS Children’s Villages, Nigeria, Mr Eghosa Erhumwunse, said: “This collaboration with the Lagos State Government was started in 2018 when we began a journey to redefine the practice of alternative care in Lagos State in line with UN Guideline.”
Mr Erhumwunse further disclosed that the organisation decided to partner with all stakeholders in a bid to stop the institutionalisation of care of vulnerable children and provide safe and supportive alternative care options for children who cannot live with their families.
According to him, the transit home provided by the organisation is a fully furnished five-bedroom apartment with a capacity for 12 children and two caregivers with one large living room and dining section together with a well-equipped kitchenette to provide children with a short placement of up to six months before they are placed in a permanent family or other options of care as determined by the Family Court.
Permanent Secretary, Pharm (Mrs) Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, also remarked that the Ministry would go to any length to ensure that the interest of the vulnerable children in the state is given priority.
