As part of implementing the AVP Training and skills learnt during the Peer Educators training, the Psychology group of the IMAP- Lagos, visited Home of God’s Grace Orphanage situated in Imota, Ikorodu part of Lagos State. The aim of the outreach visit which took place on the 20^th of October 2012, was to sensitize the youths at the orphanage on life planning skills, the alternative ways of approaching situations instead of using violence and the effects of illegal migration.

The Psychology members made of Chaste Chinomso, Charismatic Cherechi, Eclectic Erica and Fast Favour were led by the group’s Leader, Magnificent Mirabelle on the outreach visit.  Mrs. Adamoh Mustapha and Sopuruchi Anosike (Asst. Programme Officer, Security and Justice) of PRAWA Lagos Office were also among the team.

Receiving the team with the 23 youths of the Orphanage, Mrs. Kemi thanked I-MAP team for finding time to come to share such crucial knowledge as life planning skills with the youth in the orphanage. The youths who were aged between 12 and 17 years were very excited about the I-Map team and the knowledge they brought to their doorstep.

She said the Home was established in 1997 by Mrs. Grace Oluwajoko with the aim of taking care of orphans and less privileged children and emphasized that the Home does not engage in children adoption services. Mrs. Kemi added that the Home receive donations largely from churches and schools and that the home presently harbors  64 children, 5 of which are in the University, 7 others in boarding schools in the neighboring communities and the rest of the kids attend day primary and secondary schools around the community.

Earlier Ms. Anosike introduced I-MAP team talked about PRAWA and the Illegal Migration Awareness Project (IMAP), saying it is being supported by the British high Commission in Nigeria.

Alternative to Violence Project Resource Person, Eclectic-Erica took a ‘light and lively’ exercise after and she gave a talk on community and the need to be together. She defined a Community as a group of people living together with a common goal, heritage, culture or even name. She enumerated the purpose of creating a community amongst which are: Togetherness, Communalism, Protection of each other and Preservation of name and culture.

Erika concluded that living together in the Orphanage has made them a community and added that close affinity of the youth to each other in the orphanage has made them brothers and sisters to each other. She stressed anger and violence as some of the things that can break a community and urged the youths to be each other’s keeper. She encouraged the youths to develop a sense of togetherness and care towards one another, that way the community is preserved and everyone is happy.

Magnificent-Mirabelle spoke on ‘Turning Point’ and defined it as that point in life when one realizes that things are no longer working or yielding results in a particular way and those things need to change.  She mentioned the ills that tear a community apart to include: anger, malice, fighting and unforgiveness.  

Chaste-Chinomso spoke on ‘Personality’, he engaged the youths in an interactive session, as each youth in the group was required to say something he or she knows to be a positive trait of his neighbor. After that, personality was defined as that which makes you unique and outstanding. He stated that everyone was special because there was something in each person, which no other person can do as well as the other. The youths were admonished to never allow others dictate the pace of their lives by adhering or listening to their spoken negative words.

Charismatic-Cherechi spoke on Goals under life planning skills. She touched on the meaning and need for goal setting and admonished the youths not to look at the fact that they live in an orphanage as the end of the world but ask themselves pertinent questions like, where will I be in 5 or 6 years time? What will I be doing?  How can I survive? What’s my purpose in life? He urged the youths to read or study hard, praying and believing in God and engage in extra-curricular activities that help sharpen the brain and body.

Fast-Favour spoke on illegal migration and gave a definition of illegal migration as leaving a particular place for another through unsupported or unlawful means. He enumerated various instances where Nigerian youths have travelled abroad with irregular papers or falsified papers, and end-up in prisons abroad. Some are forced to push drugs and do other illegal things. These youths he stated bring a bad image to the Nigeria nation.  He also spoke on the negative effects which illegal migration has on the society to include: brain drain and under development.

The Impact of the outreach was fit-to-purpose as the selected orphanage was rarely visited.