By Foday Moriba Conteh
In commemorating World OrphansDay 2022 in the country, the Orphan Empowerment Society (TOES), which is a registered community-led initiative seeking to improve the operations of care institutions in Sierra Leone, is poised to host its fourth edition of the Humanitarian Goodwill Award 2022.
The Award is part of their efforts to recognize individuals and institutions that have been providing excellent and humanitarian services towards orphans and the less privileged in the country.
Speaking to this medium, the National Coordinator of The Orphan Empowerment Society (TOES), Amb Alie Conteh, said the organization with other humanitarian organizations will join the world to commemorate the world orphan day this year on the 17th of November 2022 with the theme: “Caring for Orphan Children in Awful Conditions is a Duty, Particularly in the Fight Against Corruption,” adding that the organization will also use the opportunity to recognize individuals and institutions that have been providing excellent and humanitarian services towards orphans and the less privileged in the country with a Humanitarian Goodwill Award 2022.
He said that The Orphan Empowerment Society underscores the significant role care institutions and individuals can play in responding to the needs of risks children, adding that over the years TOES has equipped orphans and caregivers with entrepreneurial-based vocational training, tools & support so that they can become self-sufficient and through their network of volunteers, they are ending orphan poverty by helping orphans move from aid-dependent to creating economic prosperity for themselves and their immediate communities.
The National Coordinator pointed out that tragically, millions of children all over the globe have become orphaned for many reasons: war, famine, displacement, disease, or poverty and to make sure that they are not forgotten, once a year there is a special day dedicated just to them which is World Orphans Day, which falls on the second Monday of each November, furthering that this special day has been put in place to draw attention to the plight of the world’s orphans, and so on this day, people are encouraged to actively participate in helping raise awareness, support, and funding for motherless and fatherless children worldwide.
He revealed that their goal as an organization for the year 2022/2033 is to empower 5,000 orphans across Sierra Leone with vocational skills and free medical care which, he said, they have been doing but said they cannot do this alone by leveraging on their massive volunteer network and the support of kindhearted partners that have been supporting the organization.
Amb. Alie Conteh disclosed that according to UNICEF, there are 153 million orphans worldwide with over 310,000 in Sierra Leone alone and that many orphans do not have access to clean water, sufficient food, or basic sanitation of which he used the opportunity to call on individuals and institutions to come on board in order to support orphans in the country.
He said the event is open to sponsorship and partnership form individuals and institutions and members of the public who wish to sponsor or partner with the organization should contact them at 24 Sackville Street in Freetown or call +23299 258-986/ +23275 139-257.
