How to Start an Orphanage in Nigeria

How to Start an Orphanage in Nigeria. Are you a lover of children? Do you have the passion for taking care of the needy in the society? Are you interested in starting an orphanage? If your answer to these questions is yes, then take the next few minutes to read how to start an orphanage in Nigeria.

An orphanage is an institution where orphans who have no guardians are kept. The orphanage helps to provide succor and a family like environment to these vulnerable children.

The insurgency in the North East created so many orphans. The increased rate of cases of abandoned children in Nigeria has also resulted in an increased need for orphanages to take care of these children.

Orphanages also play a major role in nurturing these children and also putting them up for adoption in the proper way.

Please Read: How to Adopt a Child in Nigeria

It is quite unfortunate that some of these vulnerable children can become victims of poorly set up and poorly managed orphanages. In this article, I intend to show you how to start an orphanage in Nigeria.

Before you decide to start an orphanage, please ensure that you are sure that you have the passion for taking care of the less privileged in the society. I must emphasize here that an orphanage is a non-profit organization. This means that it should not be set up with the intention of making money. It should be set up with the sole aim of catering for needy and vulnerable children.

Prior to proceeding with starting up, I would advise that you prepare yourself by doing the following;

• Embark on Training

It is not enough to have the passion to serve. Acquiring and developing the skill is also important if you intend to achieve success. Participating in a training course will help to obtain the skill that you need to effectively run the orphanage.

• Volunteer in an Orphanage

Volunteering will help you to have a first-hand feel of how an orphanage is run on a day to day basis. Ensure that you volunteer in a reputable place so that you can learn from the best.

• Carry out Adequate Research

It is very important for you to also develop yourself and prepare for this task by researching as much as you can about how to start an orphanage. Carry out your research in areas like child care, child psychology, non-profit fund raising etc.

After doing the required work on yourself, it is now time to begin to put the infrastructure on ground. There are somethings that need to be considered before proceeding. They are;

1. Raise Capital

Before you start an orphanage, be very clear as to how you intend to raise the capital for starting it and also running it. If you have the funds available to start and run the orphanage on your own then that is fantastic. But if you do not then you have to map out a plan on how you intend to raise the funds.

Thankfully, the average Nigerian has a large heart and will gladly give to cater for the needs of others. However, do not expect your orphanage to begin to generate funds to run itself from the onset.

2. Select a Good Location

When selecting a location for your orphanage, it is preferable to go for a clean, quiet and serene environment. Do not forget that you would be raising children there so it is important that the environment is conducive. It is also important that the orphanage is located in a place where it will be visible and accessible to donors. The orphanage should also be located in a place that is spacious.

The sort of building that you will need for your orphanage will largely on the number of children that you intend to accommodate at any given time. Even a flat will be okay. Just ensure that it does not get overcrowded. At the minimum, the kids should have a sleeping area, eating area, play area and study area for the more matured ones among them. Have it in mind that before you will be allowed to register your orphanage, there some stringent requirements that have to be met with respect to the location.

3. Get Registered

The setting up and running of orphanages is strictly regulate by the government. It is illegal, even criminal to start an orphanage in Nigeria without first going through necessary registration process. These registration processes and the penalty for defaulters are captured in the Child Rights Act. It is absolutely important that you register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as a non-profit organization.

Please Read: How to Register a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Nigeria

4. Draw Your Operations Plan And Strategy

It is important that you have a laid out plan on how you intend to run your orphanage. This plan will include things like the number of staff you need to engage, your criteria for accepting children, your strategies on fund raising, and other important aspects of the project. You might want to draw out something similar to a business plan.

Haven dwelt on some useful points that will show you how to start an orphanage in Nigeria, let me share some useful tips with you.

5. Publicize Your Orphanage

Ensure that you make effort to publicize your orphanage. This will enable you attract donors and patrons to your orphanage. There are a lot of people out there who intend to give to orphanages but do not know how to. It is your responsibility to reach out to these ones through various methods such as handbills, flyers, posters and adverts.

6. Create a Website or Blog

Creating a webpage for your orphanage will help to give you even more exposure. There are various international bodies, agencies and individuals who adopt orphanages. This will help to strengthen the financial base of your orphanage.

7. Develop Trust

In Nigeria today, it is very clear that there are lots of orphanages scattered all over major cities. Some of them have been found out to be dubious. Endeavour to stand out from the crowd by being honest and open in all your dealings.

Read Also: How to Start an NGO in Nigeria

DO you have any question? Let’s hear from you in the comments section below.

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