Anyone who meets two and a half-year-old, Humu Gariba for the first time is struck by her beauty. So it might be a little surprising to discover that she can not go out to any gathering because she lacks the appropriate attire. Indeed, it takes some time to find a decent dress for Humu in order to take some pictures of her.
Humu belongs to Tamale Children's Home in Nyohine, a suburb of Tamale. She was brought to the home when she was only three months old, after her mother died and her father could not be traced. Humu is currently attending nursery school within the premises of the home. The home has about 21 inmates - a number that varies since some of them are always adopted and their ages range from one month to 29 years old.
The sad story of Humu and the other deprived children of Tamale Children's Home is the fact that due to the poor location of the home, very little is known or heard about the plight of the inmates. Lack of donations from the public makes it difficult for the authorities of the home to clothe, feed and school the children.
Despite her inability to speak audibly, she manages to mumble a message. "Next time you come, bring me a nice dress so I can go out with you."
Her pleas and the plight of the children of the home almost drew tears from World Vision staff and members of Tamale Tisung Leo club who visited the home recently. It became abundantly clear to them that the children needed adequate clothes. The supervisor of the home, Janet Yahaya, also said the home urgently needed bedding, thick clothing and blankets to protect the children from extreme cold.
The Tamale Children’s Home was established in 1969, when it first took in a set of triplets destined to be killed because they were considered a bad omen. The home was created to take care of motherless, abandoned and orphaned children.
The home is beset with a myriad of problems. It not only lacks any transport to get the children to hospital in an emergency but also has no phone or radio to communicate with the outside world, and no potable drinking water.
The home has just two small rooms that act as a nursery into which the children arc all crammed. "The atmosphere around the nursery is not congenial for learning," says Janet Yahaya. "The block in which the nursery is housed is shared with other staff who use it as a place for lodging. Our children are therefore forced to risk their lives by playing around where staff do their cooking because there is no suitable play ground. "
She adds that the nursery has no store, no toilet for the kids, no kitchen, no teaching aids, and no furniture or play equipment for the proper upbringing of our deprived children".
Janet is appealing to NGO's, churches, and individuals to come to the home's aid by helping them to construct a three-classroom nursery block for the kids. The home has vast amounts of land on which to build the nursery.
For now though, the biggest priority of the home is to find appropriate clothing for the children to keep the cold away from them. Only when the children are protected from the cold can they go to school.
Humu belongs to Tamale Children's Home in Nyohine, a suburb of Tamale. She was brought to the home when she was only three months old, after her mother died and her father could not be traced. Humu is currently attending nursery school within the premises of the home. The home has about 21 inmates - a number that varies since some of them are always adopted and their ages range from one month to 29 years old.
The sad story of Humu and the other deprived children of Tamale Children's Home is the fact that due to the poor location of the home, very little is known or heard about the plight of the inmates. Lack of donations from the public makes it difficult for the authorities of the home to clothe, feed and school the children.
Despite her inability to speak audibly, she manages to mumble a message. "Next time you come, bring me a nice dress so I can go out with you."
Her pleas and the plight of the children of the home almost drew tears from World Vision staff and members of Tamale Tisung Leo club who visited the home recently. It became abundantly clear to them that the children needed adequate clothes. The supervisor of the home, Janet Yahaya, also said the home urgently needed bedding, thick clothing and blankets to protect the children from extreme cold.
The Tamale Children’s Home was established in 1969, when it first took in a set of triplets destined to be killed because they were considered a bad omen. The home was created to take care of motherless, abandoned and orphaned children.
The home is beset with a myriad of problems. It not only lacks any transport to get the children to hospital in an emergency but also has no phone or radio to communicate with the outside world, and no potable drinking water.
The home has just two small rooms that act as a nursery into which the children arc all crammed. "The atmosphere around the nursery is not congenial for learning," says Janet Yahaya. "The block in which the nursery is housed is shared with other staff who use it as a place for lodging. Our children are therefore forced to risk their lives by playing around where staff do their cooking because there is no suitable play ground. "
She adds that the nursery has no store, no toilet for the kids, no kitchen, no teaching aids, and no furniture or play equipment for the proper upbringing of our deprived children".
Janet is appealing to NGO's, churches, and individuals to come to the home's aid by helping them to construct a three-classroom nursery block for the kids. The home has vast amounts of land on which to build the nursery.
For now though, the biggest priority of the home is to find appropriate clothing for the children to keep the cold away from them. Only when the children are protected from the cold can they go to school.
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