About Anawim Homes

In the early years of Abuja City’s formation and development, I was always seen associating with the street boys and girls, those known for their hard life, involved in hard drugs and other vices inimical to society. They were societal rejects who had tried to make it but were unsuccessful. Some came from good family backgrounds with high hopes in search of riches in Abuja, the newly developing Federal Capital of Nigeria. Some were like the biblical prodigal son who unlike the one in the Bible did not have remorse and could not go back home to their roots due to pride, fear or lack of means. They initially went for casual labour hands in the numerous construction sites. But with the depressing economy witnessed by the country, construction work dived to a low ebb and many sites got closed up. They were thus sacked by the companies. To survive, these groups joined and made up the numerous street boys living under the bridges, disused construction sites, and uncompleted and abandoned structures and buildings.

The other group was that of the opposite sex who were faced with the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Some were women of easy virtue who tried to utilize the conditions created by the construction works, where men, without families, were concentrated, hoping to hook on to the men for their daily living. Some came hoping to get employed in the companies but had neither address nor someone to sponsor them. When all hope was lost, they went to the streets, living in uncompleted buildings and make-shift brothels, hoping to get engaged in the night. It was these groups of people that I associated with as friends, ministering to them, providing and eating with them and giving hope to them from 1995. I had decided to pick up the rejects, the good for nothing, the hard drug addicts, the prostitutes, the discarded and the feared, the burglars in the society, marauding the streets of the developing Federal Capital Territory and chose to become their friends as seen in my motto summed up in my epigram:

LET ME GIVE

This mission of mine cannot be easily understood by the public. Some believed I had some psychological challenges or spiritual problems that made me jettison life in the Convent of my congregation and live with and relate with the street boys and girls, the prostitutes, and the rejects in the society. Yet some admired my good works. They encouraged me by assisting and contributing to my needs.

The Anawim project through the effort and assistance of the Associate Members, had an uncompleted building at No 8, E Street, Phase 1, Federal Low Cost Housing, behind the University of Abuja Hostels, Gwagwalada made habitable. The building was given to me by my cousin, Mr Anthony Efediye, to relieve the family from the problems of the street youths who visit me in the house. By this time, the number of destitute visiting me at my cousin’s house had increased and it was very inconvenient for my cousin and family. This was the reason that drove him to acquire an uncompleted house at Gwagwalada to enable me to have more freedom and space with my street boys and girls. I finally moved to this structure after initial face-lifting and renovation of the building made by the Associate Members.

The first group of permanent family members were two kids, a boy – Francis and a girl- Elizabeth who I separated from their mothers undergoing treatment at a native doctor’s Home for destitute at Benin City. They were malnourished and almost lifeless. Initial medication and healthcare were administered to them at St. Philomena Hospital, Benin City before taking them to Gwagwalada Abuja. They were placed on hospital admission at the then Specialist Hospital, now the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada for six (6) months. The street boys and girls offered assistance while the kids were in the hospital. The first Anawim family thus became: Francis, Elizabeth, four (4) street boys, three (3) young mothers and four (4) abandoned children picked at the streets of Wuse Abuja and myself. The family lived totally on divine providence. Most times, I had to go begging from house to house in search of food or even akamu (pap) for the hungry children. The family had an addition of a mentally ill woman, known to always strip naked in Gwagwalada markets. Through smiles and gifts, the mad woman was lured to the Home and became a member. She was put into medication and in a short period was transformed and became helpful in the family chores. This was unbelievable to the Gwagwalada community and it helped to give Anawim project initial publicity.

The Anawim family continued to grow. Apart from Francis and Elizabeth, I continued to rehabilitate the inmates, resettled them back to their family as well as provided for their means of livelihood. On one occasion, as I went to Jos to resettle a girl from Jos, I came in contact with the late Bishop Ganaka of Jos Diocese. This paid off well as I received advice and prayers from the Bishop. The advice added to my ‘path of holiness’
Bishop Ganaka at that meeting appreciated my apostolate, noting the difficulties and challenges embedded in the apostolate. He advised that the only way I can succeed was having daily, an hour with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and Rosary of Our Lady which gives the mysteries of Jesus life on earth. The Rosary, the Bishop advised must be said daily with those being ministered to. The Bishop offered me a bag full of Rosary.

The Association for the Poorest of the Poor continued to grow and minister to the destitute in Abuja, sometimes going as far as my hometown and family residence at Ewu and Irrua in Edo state, searching for people to rescue. I became known to the street boys and girls as “Mama Gwagwalada’. The house at Gwagwalada was a collection of destitute, rejects from society and physically and mentally derailed people who have no hope in society. This collection of the indigent, helpless people made the then-local Parish Priest of St. Paul Catholic Church, Gwagwalada, Rev. Fr. Adem name the home “ANAWIM HOME”. The name became the name with which the Poorest of the Poor Rehabilitation Centre is known to this day.
“Anawim” is a Hebrew term for poor which also originally dented the physically poor. But over time, it came to be applied to people in different situations because of their poverty. The word Anawim refers to the oppressed, downtrodden, the voiceless people who have no influence or power, but only depend on God alone.

The Anawim Home in Phase 1 Low-Cost Housing later moved to Dagiri, opposite Government Secondary School, Gwagwalada, along Abuja – Lokoja Expressway. The new location became the permanent site acquired from Government Layout by the Association for the Poorest of the Poor Associate Members. The plot of land is about 7 (seven) plots merged covering approximately 7200m2. Initial structures were developed; in some cases mud or wooden structures. These include hostels for various groups, a Skill Centre and Reception Arena. The structures became inhabited in 1997. The Skill Centre – Mary Magdalene Skill Centre provided an avenue through which training was offered to rehabilitate mentally ill, young mothers and street boys and girls.

The main structure in the Anawim Home known as The Cloister had its foundation laying ceremony performed in 1998 by His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. J.O Onaiyekan, the then Archbishop of Abuja Archdiocese. The building was completed and officially opened on November, 11th, 2000 by the same Archbishop of Abuja who laid the foundation two years ago.
More structures and facilities followed the official opening of Anawim Home. Mini buildings were constructed for different groups like; the St Dymphina hostel for the mentally ill, the Infant Jesus hostel for orphaned children, and the St. Gerard hostel for young mothers. Facilities like boreholes, fish ponds, Grotto etc were provided by benefactors, donors and charity groups.
Anawim Home, Dagiri, has grown to three (3) other Communities at Bako, Dabi and Dukpa. Each Community hosts a peculiar group of people.

The visit of His Excellency, Most Rev (Dr) Carlo Maria Vigano, the Papal Nuncio, to the Home in 2002 opened the way for me to have an audience with then Pope John Paul II (now St. John Paul II) in Rome in 2004. I was privileged to be blessed by Pope John Paul II. Through the same Most Rev. Carlo M. Vigano, I had an introductory note to the Archbishop of Kaduna Archdiocese, to adopt Anawim Home into the diocese. The Archbishop, His Grace Most Rev. Dr Peter Y. Jatau, fatherly accepted the Anawim project in 2005. This led to the construction of a Community Home at Kasuwan Magani Kaduna. The Home was opened on 26th April 2006. The Home in Kasuwan Magani is the Association’s Novitiate.

On 30th November 2006, the Missionary Sisters for the Poorest of the Poor was recognised by the Archbishop of Kaduna as a” Pious Association” in the Archdiocese. It was joyous as this was a step towards recognition as a religious body or congregation. Anawim Home in Kaduna was extended further by establishing a Home for orphans and a Skill Centre in Angwan Romi, Kaduna.
Further expansion was done when incidences of the mentally ill became rampant in the vicinity of Irrua, Edo State; a Home was established to take care of them. I am from that locality and my mother has been caring for the destitute in the family House through the use of her son, a Psychiatrist Doctor. Anawim extended their hands to assist in taking care of these increasingly mentally ill patients. Initially, the concern was on the mentally challenged, WOMEN OF EASY VIRTUE but later the Apostolate blossomed into orphans and abandoned elderly women left at home by relatives living in the cities.

Usugbenu Irrua Community came to be in 2018 when extensive land was acquired from the locality for the Anawim Glory project run by the Missionary Servants for the Poorest of the Poor (MSPP) the male counterpart of the Anawim Sisters, founded by Mother Oresoa Agatha Selo-Ojeme (MSPP). Presently the land is being used for farming while developing the land for the Community and Skill Centre.

Another newly established Community of the Missionary Servants for the Poorest of the Poor (MSPP) is at Dukpa, Gwagwalada Abuja. Dukpa Community took off in September 2019. The land of about 3 hectares was acquired from the Government to establish St. John II, a Vocational Centre for boys. The land has been fenced and the foundation of the main office constructed. Presently, the land is being occupied by the Anawim Servants, some inmates and used for farming by the Anawim Glory Home.