In the spirit of the festive season, Tony Elumelu Foundation had a special humanitarian outreach to orphanages in Lagos. This is in keeping with the Tony Elumelu family's long-standing commitment to compassion and community service.
The initiative featured the presentation of food materials to six selected orphanages across Lagos State.
For ease of coordination and effective media engagement, representatives of the participating orphanages were hosted at a single central location at Hearts of Gold Children's Hospice, Surulere, Lagos. The six orphanages included, Hearts of Gold Children Hospice, Surulere, Little Saints Orphanage, Surulere, SOS Children's Village, Isolo, Lagos, Living Fountain Orphanage, Adiel Children's Home, Ilupeju, and Compassionate Orphanage in Egbeda, Lagos.
The foundation provided 1,730 bags of rice and 290 bags of beans to be shared equally among the six selected orphanages in Lagos. "We know it's never enough. But at least let us do what we can. Let us begin. And as they say, the more you do, God will help you to do more. So we ask you to please accept our little token. Let's see how far it can go. We add to what you're all doing", said Dr Mrs Awele Elumelu.
Mrs Elumelu stated that the outreach reflects the values of love, generosity, and shared responsibility that define the season. She appreciated the representatives of the homes for their efforts in taking care of the children and the various homes. "Things have been tough in 2025, but you've all been able to manage and cope somehow, through your own efforts, through the efforts of people who support you. So we thank God. And as we come to this point, we also want to do our own little bit".
She prayed for hope in the coming year for God to help each and every one, thanking God for the caregivers. "We continue to thank God for you people, because without you, there's nothing we can do. There are a lot of us who want to do things, but we're not able to. But through people like you, we're able to do one or two things. And so we thank you people. As we go into the new year, we pray for more strength for you people to continue to do what you're doing. For more people to help -- we do our little bit, but we need more people to help. So we continue to pray for more helpers".
Dr Mrs Elumelu noted that the foundation has continued to go even beyond Lagos by doing a bit more outside of Lagos. "We are touching Delta State, which is where both my husband and myself are from. We want to touch a few homes there in Delta. Lagos still remains the most -- you know -- the biggest. But we want to make sure that we're touching the FMC School of Nursing there in Onicha-Uku, the NYSC Orientation Camp in Onicha-Uku as well, and other communities in Onicha-Uku. We're planning to touch also in Edo State, the orphanages as well".
She prayed for good health and strength for each and every one of the caregivers and for the children that they're looking after.
On what motivated the initiative, Elumelu said: "When we look around, every day we see the need. We see hunger. We see sicknesses. From the healthcare angle -- I'm a doctor -- we see children, we see families who can't afford healthcare. We see families who suffer because of lack of money to buy food, clean water, and medicine. From so many angles, you see this. And you just need to do your own bit".
The representative of SOS Children's Village, Isolo, Lagos, Tope Olamide who also works with SOS Children's Services in Nigeria, gave a brief background of the home. She said: "Over the last 50 years, SOS has been reaching children across Nigeria. Our focus is to care for children without parental care or children at the risk of losing parental care. So, we have two ends of the children. And over the last few years, we've strengthened a lot of our projects as regards strengthening families at the risk of breaking up. So we've been able to strengthen families so they can take care of their children better. And over the years, we've been able to help families".
Olamide disclosed that in June 2025, they started in five new locations in Nigeria bringing the total number of states they are currently in Nigeria to be 14. "Yes, so that's a lot of numbers. And to your help and your support also, Ma'am, we hope that next year we reach more states and we can cross the whole 36 states", Olamide stated.
Adiel Children's Home representative while speaking, expressed faithfulness to God who has helped them as they mark six years. "Currently, we have two of our children in secondary school on sponsorship by good people of Nigeria. They are doing very well. And this gives us joy.
She expressed appreciation to everyone that has been there for the home, both in educational sponsorship, food items, and more. "We wouldn't have been able to do it without people like you. We appreciate you".
Mrs Laja Adedoyin, Founder, Heart of Gold Children's Hospice, Lagos equally went down memory lane on the activities of the home established on the 2nd of October 2003. "This year, we turned 22 years. We are not an orphanage; we are a hospice -- a home where children with special medical needs are taken care of. Some of our children have Down syndrome, majority with cerebral palsy. And quite a number of them have disabilities that are multiple. A child would have cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus or micro-cephalous, and congenital abnormalities as well. My children are the ones that society will take a look at and want to look away. But they are human beings. And they exist. I remember quite a few times when I go out with the bus, people would say things like, "It's a computer. This kind of children, they don't exist." But they do exist.
She expressed gratitude to Tony Elumelu Foundation for sowing generously to the home, even last year. She explained how the home has been able to use part of the money they received from the foundation last year for medical care. "On a daily basis, we have issues that require hospital care, care within the home. We have in-house doctors and nurses. So it's a medical center. But also, we are very social, because what they have is what they call end-of-term. They are not likely -- majority of them -- to live into adulthood. But God is alive. And God is taking care of them. But God cannot take care of them without the support that we've got. You came December last year. And you can imagine that we still spread into where we are today. There's hardly a day that we don't have something to buy in terms of medicine. But we are happy. And we are lucky. And we appreciate you. And so all of you, this is Heart of Hope, please come back. Not only when you want to give, but when you want to see. And see with your children the other side of life".
The President of Association of Orphanages And Homes, Nigeria (AOHON), Dr Gabriel Oyediji, who is also the Founder of Compassionate Orphanage, Egbeda, said presently they have 10 of the children who have gotten married, over 15 have joined universities, while they have given out over 200 of them on legal adoption to childless families. "We work in a charity-fatigued environment, where there is more demand and less supply. It is very strenuous. We have a serious socio-economic problem. Even the state government is struggling to solve these problems, so it's wrong for us to say that they are not doing their best. Amidst all the problems, God has helped us, provided for us. He has always been there"
He expressed appreciation to Tony Elumelu Foundation even though this is the first contact they are making. He commended the foundation on their impact all over the world, touching and transforming lives.