When Favour Ben walked to the microphone at the 20th anniversary celebration of FACADO Children’s Home in Abuja, she was not simply another speaker at an anniversary event.
She was a testimony to what two decades of care, education and opportunity can produce.
Years earlier, Favour had arrived at FACADO after writing her examination and waiting for admission into a higher institution. At the time, her future was uncertain. Today, she is a university graduate.
Her story was one of several that gave emotional meaning to FACADO’s 20th anniversary, as orphans who have grown up under the care of the home spoke about education, skills, faith and the people who helped them navigate childhood into adulthood.
“I didn’t lack anything throughout my four years in school. Whenever I needed anything, immediately I asked Mummy, she never said no,” Favour recalled.
For her, the journey was not simply about gaining admission. It was about having someone to turn to when the demands of university became overwhelming.
She expressed gratitude to the founder, Ambassador Mrs Ngozi-Anih George, and prayed for God to continue to strengthen her.
From N400 School Charges to a Children’s Home
FACADO’s story began in 2006 with a concern that may appear small today but had devastating consequences for some families.
George began by visiting public schools and identifying children who had stopped attending classes because their families could not afford basic school charges.
Some, she recalled, were out of school because their parents or guardians could not pay amounts as little as N400 or N700.
But as she reached more children, she encountered a deeper problem.
Some had lost their fathers. Others had lost both parents. Some had nowhere to live.
Children began arriving through relatives and other people who sought help for those they could no longer care for.
What started as an effort to keep children in school gradually became a home.
Twenty years later, George can point to university students, graduates and young people acquiring vocational skills as evidence of how far that original vision has travelled.
The Founder Who Became Everything
Keeping such a home running for two decades has required more than administration.
George said she has served at different times as director, teacher, nurse, nanny, cook and driver.
She did whatever the circumstances demanded.
Her story also includes difficult moments, including caring for children with serious health challenges and meeting the rising cost of education.
Today, four of the orphans are in university. One is graduating while three are in 300 level. Four others who sat for JAMB in 2026 are awaiting admission.
Some of the children also attend special schools because of their individual needs, further increasing the financial demands on the home.
For George, however, education remains non-negotiable.
She is appealing for individuals and organisations to sponsor school fees, provide learning materials and support the children’s skills development.
The needs extend beyond classrooms. Food, household items, digital equipment and other forms of assistance are also required.
A Six-Year-Old Who Found a Future
Among the most striking testimonies at the anniversary was that of Joyce.
She was only six years old when she came to FACADO.
Now 18, she is studying tourism.
Looking back, Joyce described her experience as a life-changing journey.
“FACADO has really blessed me a lot, both physically and spiritually,” she said.
More importantly, she said the home taught her to believe that she has a future.
That belief is central to FACADO’s philosophy.
For children who may have begun life with loss, poverty or uncertainty, the opportunity to imagine a different future can be as important as food, clothing or shelter.
Joyce has also acquired practical skills and displayed some of the things she has made.
Skills Beyond the Classroom
Miracle, who has spent more than 15 years at FACADO, spoke about another dimension of the home’s work: preparing the orphans for independence.
During holidays, she said, the children are encouraged to learn skills such as baking and sewing.
The objective is not merely to keep them occupied.
It is to ensure that they leave the home with something they can build on.
Mary, 18, who has spent about 13 years at FACADO, has learnt cooking and shoemaking.
She proudly displayed a pair of shoes she made herself during the anniversary celebration.
For Mary and the others, these skills represent possibilities — the possibility of earning a living, becoming independent and contributing to society.
Vitalux Makes Education Pledge
The stories of the orphans also prompted a fresh commitment from Vitalux Exclusive Ltd.
The Chairman of the company, Ambassador Ifeanyi Obaemeka, described George’s work as an investment in the future of the children.
Speaking on behalf of the organisation, Mr Victor Okoro said the Vitalux Foundation would support the payment of university tuition for some of the orphans.
He said the foundation would also consider medical support for those who require it.
The commitment came at a critical time for the home, where education remains one of the biggest recurring expenses.
For children aspiring to become doctors, pilots, lawyers, teachers and members of the armed forces, such support could determine whether a dream remains an ambition or becomes a career.
More Than an Orphanage
Dr Teddy Awetan, a philanthropist whose foundation supports orphanages, said FACADO had left a particular impression on him.
He noted the peaceful atmosphere, discipline and spiritual foundation of the home.
But what stood out most was the relationship between the children and the home.
Some of the orphans who have grown up and moved into different stages of life still return.
That, Awetan said, demonstrates that FACADO has succeeded in creating a family environment rather than simply providing institutional care.
The founder herself said the home now prefers the name “Children’s Home” because of the stigma sometimes attached to the word “orphanage.”
Celebrating What Comes Next
The 20th anniversary celebration combined reflection with festivity.
Prayers led by Pastor David Kareem of Living Faith Church, Apo Resettlement, Abuja, opened the way for a day of thanksgiving.
There were cultural dance performances, music, the cutting of the anniversary cake and other activities involving the orphans, guests and well-wishers.
September-born celebrants from across the FCT also joined the children in marking the milestone.
The home unveiled its 2027 calendar, signalling that its work continues beyond the anniversary.
For Mr Francis Moses, Manager of FACADO Children’s Home, the journey has been one of perseverance.
Having joined the organisation in 2016, Moses said he had witnessed challenges as well as moments of profound joy.
He attributed the survival of the home to God’s provision and the support of individuals and organisations.
The Next 20 Years
George is already looking beyond the celebration.
She wants to see more university graduates, professionals and self-reliant young adults emerge from FACADO.
She wants the children to build families of their own.
And perhaps most significantly, she wants those who once received help to one day return and extend that help to another child.
That would complete the circle.
Twenty years ago, FACADO set out to give vulnerable children a chance at education and a better life.
Today, its orphans are telling the story themselves — through university degrees, vocational skills, faith, confidence and dreams for the future.
The cake may have been cut and the anniversary celebrated, but the real celebration lies in what happens next: children who once needed someone to believe in them are gradually becoming adults capable of believing in themselves — and, perhaps one day, in others.
