A non-governmental organization based in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, Home Street Kids Welfare Initiative has organized a programme tagged, "Street Love Activities in Ilorin" to mark the 2016 Children's Day celebration.

The event held at Captain Cook basement in Ilorin was kick started with a press briefing and had in attendance journalists and members of the Ilorin chapters of Rotaract Club and the Junior Chamber International (JCI).

The Executive Director of the NGO, Miss Omisope Funmi whose passion was to help educate street kids and reduce the rate of beggars on the streets of Nigeria, said that she began her initiative, which she initially named, "The Kings and Queens Circle" in her 100level days at the University of Ibadan.

She revealed that sustaining the initiative at the initial stage was tough as she lacked funds and sponsors, but her passion to help street kids got her funds from her own pocket and from friends and relatives.

Funmi noted that the vision of her initiative is to develop strategic partnership locally, regionally, and internationally in order to return the rights of quality education and a better life to the street kids through the provision of sound education, quality healthcare and life skill training both for the kids and their parents.

She also disclosed that she had established a Primary school, The Oasis Academy (TOSA) in Ilorin, and currently have about 24 children from different countries like Niger, Mali and Nigeria registered free of charge in the school. She added that two of the 24 children will sit for the forthcoming common entrance examination into secondary school.

The HSKI executive director stressed that her dream is to have the school established in Rivers, Kano and Oyo states in order to get more vulnerable children off the streets and get them educated.

She, however, noted that her major challenge was convincing the parents of the kids to release them for her. According to her, the fear of the parents is that the kids will not be able to beg for money and food to sustain them.

There were picture session with the kids and guest in attendance, just as the kids also had the opportunity to interact with the guests and journalists.

After the press conference, the organizers and other invited guests marched to Zango area of Ilorin to distribute gift items to street kids in the area. Funmi's passion and undying love could be felt as she sang and danced with the childeren while handing them the gift items.