Why we got started
Picture Reference: Mrs Adebukola A. Oludare
Mrs Adebukola A Oludare was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1973. As a young lady she moved to London to train as a Nurse.
It has always been in my Caracter to see children thrive and do well in life. Having been a Christian with close relationship with God. This vision was delivered to my heart as part of the agenda of God for this age. The book of Philippians 2:13 says for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. At the time, poverty and disease were so widespread in Africa that one in five children died before their fifth birthday. There has been cholera epidemic swept through various places, leaving so many people dead and many children orphaned, Royal children Foundation knew that the children left behind needed help.
Picture Reference: Royal Children Foundation 2023
In 2012, This Foundation was set up, and we have since been an advocate where children could get free basic material educational needs. While doing this our eyes were opened to the hardship being faced by children across Nigeria, we saw where children went to sleep on under the bridges and in uncompleted building. What I saw affected me so deeply, I began to make plans towards giving up on my Nursing job in the UK to focus all my energy on helping children living in poverty.
No child should be turned away
In 2014, Royal Children Foundation opened its first outreach for children where the boys and girls were able to be accessed, counseled and assisted choosing their carer pathway where some choose to learn carpentry, metalwork, and shoemaking, and get help getting into apprenticeships.
At the time, the Royal Children Foundation work was radical because the we saw poverty as shameful, and the result of laziness or bad choices. But Royal Children refused to discriminate between the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor. We are open to catering for and accepting all children, regardless of race, disability, or circumstance.
Royal Children Foundation believed that every child deserved the best possible start in life, whatever their background. This philosophy still guides our work with children, young people, and families today.
Royal Children Foundation is especially keen to support girls who had been driven to prostitution. Protecting children from sexual exploitation continues to be an important part of our work today.
The Royal Children foundation is presently setting up the ‘cottage homes’ model for adoption. We believed that children could be best supported if they were living in small, family-style groups looked after by a house ‘mother’.
Our garden village’ is planned to have about 20 or more cottages, a school, a hospital and a church, and also provide a home with training opportunities to about 1,500 children.
Supporting more children
The Royal Children Foundation has a plan in the nearest feature to open many more children’s homes after these, including homes for children with physical and learning difficulties.
The start of our fostering work
Although we are famous for our children’s homes, The Royal Children Foundation believed that children benefit the most from growing up in a supportive family setting.
Two children being read to by their foster mother
It is also in our plan to introduced the practice of ‘boarding out’ children to host families – an early form of fostering.
This wasn’t a popular idea in Nigeria, but Royal children Foundation is determined to give children the best possible futures. This will pave the way for our pioneering work in foster care and adoption in this century.
As a result, Royal Children Foundation began working more closely with families. For example, we offered financial aid to families when a parent couldn’t work because of illness or accident. our drive involved helping children stay with their own families.
We created family centers to support families in disadvantaged areas.
Who we are today
We’ve always been driven by supporting children, young people and families who need us because we know that when you change a childhood, you change a life. And that’s still true today.
When life gets tough or it feels like there’s nowhere to turn, we’re here. We make sure children and young people feel safer, happier, healthier and more hopeful, by directly supporting them and their families with specialist services, raising awareness and campaigning to change things for the better.
If you would like to know more about how we change lives today, check out our Annual Report
Who we are
If you’re a child, young person, parent or carer, we’ll work with you to be safer, happier, healthier and more hopeful. And we’ll do everything we can to make you feel like you belong.
Need a helping hand? We’ve got you
We know looking after your family isn’t always easy. Whether you’re looking for some helpful guidance or want to find out about support in your area, we’ve got your back.