GSK CELEBRATES THE GRADUATION OF HER BENEFICIARIES IN GRAND STYLE

Global Support for kids’ Initiative {GSK INITIATIVE} celebrates the apprenticeship graduation of four of their beneficiaries today, December 16^th, 2022 at Providence Event Center, Abeokuta, Ogun state.

Miss Adebisi Olamiposi Grace the Country Director of GSK Nigeria in her opening speech highlights the need to give more importance to street children and show them love. She explains further that GSK Initiative has been giving supports to these kids on the street for many years now in all ramifications. So, she urges the society to emulate the good work of GSK and show some love to the street connected children, Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC).

However, she instructed the graduating beneficiaries to be of good behavior and never go back to their old lifestyles. She advised them to be a good ambassador of GSK and face their work squarely so as to become a successful person in the future.

Representative of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs Ibrahim K.O also highlights the effort of GSK Initiative in helping the street children become a better person in the society. She further explains that although, there are difficulties in dealing with the street children because of their exposure to the ills of the society, GSK Initiative still manages to capture their minds enough to encourage them to either learn a skill or acquire formal education in a school.

Child Protection Network (CPN) president, Ogun State Chapter, Mrs Peju Osoba in her admonishing speech hails the President/Executive Director of GSK Initiative for his magnanimity, persistence and resilience towards ensuring that the street connected children, OVC are well cared for and also empowered through skills acquisition. She further blames the high rate of street children on the lackadaisical attitude of parents, psychological and physical molestation of children by parents and lack of parental care and love which these children seek from outside home.

In the same vein, representative of the Nigeria Police Force, Lafenwa, Abeokuta, Mr Suraj Bello explains reasons some street children end up in correctional centers. In his speech, he explains that some of the street children involve in some vices like stealing, raping, fighting, smoking etc. he further advise the society at large to show love and care to their children at home so they won’t end up in prison like the aforementioned street children.

Also, NSCDC Ogun State represented by officer Osho give detailed analysis on the need to take care of the female children. He bemoans that many of the female street children are being sexually molested by street urchins. According to him, many of these female street children end up being psychologically affected and might end up being a sexual worker.

GSK president and Executive Director, Mr Olowookere Opeyemi appreciates all that attend and admonishes parents to take care of their children.

Some of the supporting organizational bodies present are; Ministry of Women Afairs (Ogun state), Nigeria Police Force, (Lafenwa, Abeokuta, Ogun state), NSCDC (Ogun state), Child Protection Network (CPN, Ogun state), Astra Polaris bank (Ogun state), Grace water academy, Ranti Adeshola Foundation, Barbers Association, Vulcanizers Association.

The graduating students Olawale Pelumi, Oluwaferanmi Wasiu, Akinwunmi Ayomide Emmanuel, Adeyemi Lekan were all prayed for by their boss and their family members while their certificates and their tools was given to them by GSK Initiative.

New sets of streets connected children were introduced to be enrolled in their various skill acquisition of their choice.