‘I almost gave up’ – Rosemary, founder, Children of Mary Orphanage Home Otukpo

Like that one leper that returned to thank Jesus after being healed alongside nine others, Madam Rosemary, the proprietress of Children of Mary Orphanage Home, located in Otukpo, Benue State, has expressed profound gratitude to Okpotuche Club Lagos, for building and donating a brand new home to the orphanage.

In a chat with IDOMA VOICE during the unveiling of the new building, she thanked the elite Idoma club for their kind gesture.

She also recalls her journey through hell that made her to almost give up.

Below are extracts from the exclusive interview:

How do you feel having a new home for the kids?
Great! Great! I wish I can be on the sky dancing around the whole world not only Nigeria, the whole world.

I thank God for bringing Okpotuche to come to our rescue.
At a point, I would be crying because of the poor state of our accommodation but God will tell me not to give up until he brought this good-loving people to help put a befitting roof over our head.

What inspired you to start this orphanage home?
I am from Oglewu. My father was a king. Growing up, I went to St. Mark Primary School.

After that, I went to Aba where I had my vocational training. My aim was to learn all that so I could come back home to train our people on skills such as catering, tailoring and so on.
From there, the late Michael Okpara and Nnamdi Azkiwe sent me to London.

I could recall that we went through ship but while coming it was through aeroplane.

I’ve been looking for the opportunity to do something in Idoma land.
I got married to an Igbo man to whom I bore two sons and lost them all. I lost the first child when he was about a year and six months while the second one died about a year and four months.
It was a horrible moment for me. I was crying all day until I had an encounter with Mother Mary.

She told me not to cry that I will be a mother to many children.
When I woke up, the encounter melted my heart and I picked up myself again.

I brought an orphanage to Makurdi through Air Force wives.
When I eventually moved in here (Otukpo), the late Andrew Agom and Captain John Idoko provided us with shelter.

Things became difficult for us, so I went to the then Methodist Bishop to seek for help.

The Bishop then said he had been transferred to south-western part of the country and promised to introduce me to his successor, that was Bishop Okwoche.
Then, Bishop Okwoche went to Bethlehem, so the then Bishop gave me his card that if he (Okwoche) comes back, I should meet him, that he will make a place for us.

Then, I wanted to relocate from the village (Okete) where I was.

I spent six years there and I must confess, I almost eat my own life raw.
Anyway, from there I went several times to my Anglican Communion in Makurdi but the bishop then was promising me until I got tired.

I was still in the village and the children were coming and the money I kept got finished before the year ran out, buying bed and other things and to make the place fine.
When I started, people were making a lot of negative comments. Some even said I was going into child-trafficking business because I had not child. I cried for days and I told myself I was not going to give up.

I told myself that I will never eat 10 kobo from these children because my mother made me know that take care of these children and let children take care of you too.

How did you meet Okpotuche Club Lagos?
One of the members of the club saw pictures of the old building with the children overseas and contacted us, that was about 2011.

Before then, we were in a dilapidated house, I could recall that whenever it rained, I and the children would be drenched.

When they told me abut the project, I never knew it would be as big as this. I thought it was something very small that will just shelter us.
But I thank God for what he used Okpotuche Club Lagos to do for us.

How do you cope in terms of feeding and taking care of the kids?
Well, I own a farm. I had 15 children in the house initially and as time goes on, I started having more children.
I remember one particular month that I had 10 children. What happened was, five women put to bed same day, they were delivered of twins and all the women died after childbirth. It was hectic and a sad moment for me. Then, I had sleepless nights and even felt ill with the children.

Sadly, some of the kids started dying because we couldn’t afford money to go to private a hospital.

When we eventually went to a private hospital, they started treating the kids with or without money.

I could recall that Salem Hospital and Royal Specialist Hospital were even performing operations almost free of charge on the kids.

Other people were supporting us with food items such as yam, garri, rice and so on.

What advice do you have for other mothers out there?
Those who have children, they should teach their children right from childhood how to farm.

As for me, I work hard and I did not grow with my parents, although I’m supposed to be a Princess but I chose this path.

I have faced a lot of battles in my life, even from my mother’s womb.
My mother told me that during my pregnancy, she had snake bite twice.

I decided to choose this path because bible says children are the heritage of God.

Some even said I was going into child-trafficking business because I had not child. I cried for days and I told myself I was not going to give up.

I told myself that I will never eat 10 kobo from these children because my mother made me know that take care of these children and let children take care of you too.