Group feeds 100 street kids daily as palliative measure

To lift spirits of children living on the streets of Calabar as the coronavirus pandemic continues unabated in the country, a youth non-governmental organisation (NGO), Street Priests has commenced feeding of a hundred children on daily basis.

The group on daily basis renders humanitarian services to streets children who cannot fend for themselves due to the lockdown directive of the Cross River State government.

Eight-year-old Donald Bassey, who survives by selling scraps, expressed joy after receiving his food, hailing Street Priests as the only people that takes good care of homeless children even before the outbreak of COVID-19.

Community Director of Street Priest, Godwin Ohara, said the vision of the founder of the NGO, Mr. James Okina was to turn the children potentials into assets for the society they live in.

Ohara attributed reasons for the homeless children to poor parenting, poverty and self-freedom.He said: “Before now, we have what we called Street Corner, a particular programme we have monthly where we meet kids on the streets and engage them in some learning process, games and we chat with them to know their stories, and how we can track their families and take them home.      

“The directive from the state government came on March 23 and we started the feeding on March 25. Up till date, we have been having the food driven to where we can find them in Marian, Bogobiri and Lemna. We have capacity to feed hundred street kids daily.”