Abuja – Damian Aleburu, the eight-year-old Face of Hope Foundation 2015 “king of Hope”, on Friday, donated educational items to children in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the FCT.
The young “king of Hope, who was accompanied by the Founder of the foundation, Miss Grace Ojo, said that the visit was part of his pet project.
Aleburu was crowned “king of Hope” at the 2015 Face of Hope Childrens’ Pageant in August 2015, a project of the Face of Hope Foundation.
Face of Hope Foundation is an NGO that empowers and reaches out to less privileged children through the provision of educational materials, clothes, food items and medical care.
According to the reigning eight-year-old king, visiting the children in the camp is his own way of identifying with them in their plight.
He said “these children need to be properly cared for, and that is why we have come to visit them and give them some items.
“There is no school in this camp, and the IDP children need to learn, so we have come to give them the necessary materials they can study with.”
Aleburu, who also had a session of reading and writing with the displaced children, called on well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of the IDPs.
He added that “no matter how little, let them come and give to them as a way of showing them love and care.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the educational materials given to the IDPs include textbooks, notebooks, pencils, teaching boards and other learning materials.
Mr Buduwara Markus, one of the leaders of the camp, who said he was from Goza in Borno, received the items on behalf of the children and commended the NGO and the young Aleburu.
He urged Nigerians to emulate the kind gesture, saying “government alone cannot take care of the displaced persons.
“Other Nigerians should remember the IDPs and extend their hands of care to them because they deserve good life as well.”
Earlier, Ojo, the founder of Face of Hope Foundation, who led the team to the camp, had urged Nigerians to identify with the foundation in its quest for better life for the less privileged.
She said “the task of caring for the less privileged, especially children, lies on every one of us.
“We were also here last year to donate food items and clothings to the IDPs.
“But we have to really place emphasis on children’s academic needs as well, and that is what we have come to do today.”
The IDPs camp is located at Kuchingoro community along airport road in the Federal Capital Territory. (NAN)