"Golden Child" – Children
My name is Mmesoma Ogbuu and I was born on 15. April 2001. I have never gone to school since my adoptive parents did not have enough money to afford the school fees. Maybe you wonder why I am not living with my own parents. Let me explain:
My mother died when I was five years old. After her death, my father got married a second time. But my stepmother did not want my brother and me to live in her house. Therefore my father decided to live his life with his new wife and abandoned us.
Since we did not know where to go, our adoptive parents decided to take care of us. I like staying with them. The only thing that makes me sad is that we do not have enough money to go to school.
My name is Emmanuel Ogbuu and I was born on 1st December 2006. I am Mmesomas brother and just like her, I have never been to school before.
My mother died when I was six months old. After that, my father got married again. But our stepmother did not want us to stay with them. Therefore my father decided to live his life with his new wife and abandoned Mmesoma and me.
We did not know where to go. Luckily our adoptive parents decided to take care of us. But since they already have three children of their own, there is not enough money to send us to school.
My name is Chidundu Odoabuchi. I was born on September 5th 2002 and I have four siblings. Two of them have been adopted. Unfortunately we hardly have enough money for food since Mmesoma and Emmanuel are staying with us. My father's income as a cab driver and the small amount of money my mother earns through her shop is not enough to pay for our school fees.
Everybody calls me Goodness. My full name is Goodness Odoabuchi and I was born on 4th February 2004. My mother has been sick for a very long time. My father is just about always taking care of the whole family by himself.
Since 2008, I have two new siblings. My parents decided to adopt the children of a friend that died, and whose father had abandoned them.
Since then, we hardly have enough food for everyone. The small amount of money my father earns as a cab driver and what little money my mother earns through her shop is not enough to send us to school.
Hello, I am Jennifer Okafor and I was born on the 27th September 2005.Unfortunately, I have never met my father. He left my mother when he found out that she was pregnant with a girl. Here in Nigeria it is still very important, that the first born is a boy. And since my parents were not engaged, my father just ran away.
My mother was still very young. She explained me that her parents did not want to support her then, since she was pregnant, but not married. This is considered a big shame for the family. My mother had to quit school and try to survive on her own. It was only later on that my grandfather was there for us and allowed us to stay with him. In January 2010 he died. Now we are once again left to our own devices.
Without the support of the family and the income of a husband, my mother cannot afford to send me to school. We simply do not have enough money.
My name is Ifeoma Amaku and I was born on July 4th 2003. I do not remember my father, since he died when I was still a baby. Since then, my mother has taken care of us by herself. I am trying to help her by selling nuts on the street. That is the only way we can make enough money to survive. Without the income of my father, we cannot afford my school fees.
I am Olumachi Okoye and I was born on 1st August 2005. When I was four months old, my father died. My mother explained me that he had been sick for a long time. She had tried everything to help him. But the medical costs here in Nigeria are very high. The only things we were left with after my father's death were debts.
My mother, who is still unemployed, sells vegetables from our garden and is trying to pay back her debts little by little. But the school fees are too expensive for her to afford.
My name is Benjamin Chukwuebuka Okechukwu. I was born on 10th December 1996. My father used to work for the Nigerian Railway Company. He had a rather good salary back then and could even afford to send me to school until I was six years old.
But when the company went bankrupt, my father lost his job. Now he is trying to make a living by fixing broken tyres. But it is not enough to support the whole family. Therefore my brother and I had to drop out of school and support the family by selling dried fish on the street.
I was born on 10th May 2002. When my father was still working for the Nigerian Railway Company, my brother and I could go to school. Our family was living a good life.
But when the company went bankrupt and my father lost his job, my brother and I couldn't go to school anymore. To survive, Benjamin and I had to sell dried fish on the street. Sometimes, we also help our father, who is trying to make a living as a tyre repairer. But we do not have enough money to pay for school fees.
I am Ikechukwu Nwankwo and I was born on 24th August 2000. Everybody calls me Ike. When I was still a baby, my adoptive parents took me out of an orphanage.
I loved my new parents very much. I even called them Mummy and Daddy. We were living a good life and we always had enough money. Even after my father had a stroke, my mother was able to earn enough money to pay for my school fees.
But in 2009, my mother died. Now, my sick father and I live alone. Without the support of my mother, my father, who can hardly walk, is not able to take care of me. That is the reason why I had to drop out of school and start working. I am earning money for the both of us, but it is just about enough to survive.
