By Petrus Obi
It was the first of its kind and one which created excitement and pleasure for the less privileged at the Children of Tomorrow Orphanage Home at Trans Ekulu, Enugu State.
Proprietor of the orphanage, Chief Boniface Ikechukwu Ogbus, who is based overseas in his zeal to further encourage capacity building for less privileged children at the orphanage which he established in 2008, recently organized a bicycle race to enable the kids reach their full potential.
The bicycle race kicked off from the orphange in Enugu to Amuzam Village in Ndaigu Obuno Akpugo, the proprietor’s home town, a distance of about 46 kilometers.
Chief Ogbu said he was inspired by the desire to expose the children to another form of fitness exercise and to task their endurance as they were made to ride through the rough road along Ugwuaji town in Enugu South LGA and crossing “Ine Barabara” stream at Ugwu Afor and “Nyaba River” respectively all without any bridge, an exercise the children found rather adventurous.
While explaining further on the exercise, Chief Ogbus noted that children are supposed to be thought that anything can happen as life never promises anybody a bed of roses.
“They have been used to travelling in air-conditioned buses and I just felt they need to appreciate that one day you might find yourself in a situation where you don’t have a car or cannot enjoy those care and comfort you are used to.
“For instance, there are so many displaced families across the globe due to conflicts and some children have lost their parents, some have had their education truncated and many can’t even feed, so they need to be prepared to survive under any situation, that’s our goal.
“In fact, next time we will have to trek the same distance all in an effort to wax their endurance,” he said.
Ogbus noted that his vision was primarily to be a blessing to his world, adding that he was doing that by training the innocent, helpless and defenseless children in the hope that upon graduation and establishment some if not all of them might be willing to help others too as a way of giving back to the society.
“Presently, the children are in Glory and Shekina International Schools, Abakpa Nike Enugu except for one who just got admission into the university,” he said.
He explained that the Children of Tomorrow Orphanage Home is not in any way into child adoption services, but established to help orphaned children and the poorest of the poor by training them to become useful human beings and for them to reach their full potentials
Apart from setting up the orphanage, Chief Ogbus, an encouraging example in humanitarian and philanthropist services to the society, has continued to prove that people at all times should strive to extend kindness and assistance to the less privileged.
With only about five children when the orphanage took off seven years ago the centre presently has about 20 children.
Prevailing economic hardship in the country has not in any way deterred the Akpugo, Nkanu West LGA-born philanthropist from ensuring that his vision of seeing these children become success story in the society is materialized.
Without government intervention he has borne the financial burden alone with occasional intervention of some individuals and organizations who visit the home with food items like rice, yam, noodles, among others. (Daily Sun)
