About Us

Who we are

GARRAM CHILDREN’S SCHOOL AND ORPHANAGE was established in 1995 in GARRAM District in Plateau State of Nigeria; Garram District is located in a remote rural area of Kangke LGA. A large proportion of the population of the area lives in poverty, unable to adequately feed, cloth, or educate their children. There is a severe lack of clean water and basic hygiene and good educational institutions.

The motto of the school is: "Education is life" – This is where “the past meets the future” for the disadvantaged child.

The primary focus of the School is to bring hope to the poor, most neglected, helpless and disadvantaged children in its catchment area regardless of sex, race, religion or political views. The School works strictly in accordance with its pledge of equal opportunity/affirmative action in all its policies. Furthermore we aim to bring general improvements for the benefit of the people of Garram District

About 360 children attend the School of whom 80% are disadvantaged (orphans, handicapped and girls). Although some parents can afford modest fees the majority cannot . The School is run by a board of 9 unpaid trustees made up of parents and relations of children with disabilities and orphans. The School employs 26 staff and beside the trustees receives voluntary help from the School’s Parent-Teachers Association.

The School is a Nongovernmental Organization with no funds of its own, which does not enjoy grants from any arm of the government of Nigeria [local, state or federal]. The School, therefore, has to solicit for funds and materials from charitable organizations and humanitarians for the benefit of the disadvantaged children of the Garram Community and its environs. We are tax-exempt in accordance with Decree 104 of 1993 of The Income Management Act of Nigeria by Plateau State Government.
The School has a medical clinic which was established in 1999/2000.

Brief History and Background

Life in rural Africa is an uphill struggle for nearly everyone, particularly for a child; it is hardest for those children who are orphans or disadvantaged. Though, some are talented, their talents are often not developed. Many parents in Garram wish to educate their children but are unable to afford the fees. While these costs may seem low, by developed country standards, they are often enough to keep girls out of school, or from any training opportunity. As a result, when a family is forced to choose between educating a girl or a boy, it is always the girl that will be left at home. Many disadvantaged children have no one to pay for him or her to be educated.

The educational facilities in Garram Community declined in the mid 1970’s as a result of the Government take-over of all Christian and community schools, especially in the Northern part of Nigeria; it was hoped that this would give rise to improved facilities. This, however, did not materialize. The Nigerian Government declared “Free Education for all children” Theoretically this is still the position but practically it is not so in terms of the out- put and product of the schools. Furthermore only few institutions offer free tuition to the physically handicapped and disabled.

A few concerned people met in November 1994 to discuss the possibility of establishing a school for the benefit of GARRAM COMMUNITY and environs with the following primary concerns:

Since then the scope of the School has increased: To bring hope to the poor, most neglected, helpless and disadvantaged children and to improve on the conditions of the 12,000 people of Garram Community, through programs in four areas: -

The School played a compassionate role and centre for refugees (Internally Displaced Persons) returning to the Garram Community village from the bloody Ethno-Religious conflicts that occurred in Plateau State between 2001-2004, which seems to be continuing.

The School received its initial grants from The Ella Lyman Cabot Trust, Inc. and the School‘s medical clinic was established using funds donated by U-Assist SAS Sweden, Harold and Winifred Swanton Foundation (USA) and the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria. Since then a number of other organizations have assisted us.

Registered charity number It has Tax- Exempt status from:

It has three arms : Nursery, Primary and Secondary

Who are we Serving

The people of Garram District and its environs are mostly poor subsistence peasant farmers with little or no government assistance. Though, the community is made up of different religions, mostly Christians of different Church denominations, the people are cooperative and live peacefully with one another. They are loyal to constituted authorities: religious or political. Less than 20%of the children in the village attend school and the adult literacy rate is less than 20%. The standard of primary health care has improved due the services of the School’s clinic, for example most mothers are aware of the need for vaccination of their children. However the economic conditions of the people is not encouraging, for only few of them have food security, there are no savings /loan groups, and very few families have any income generating source. The sanitary condition of the people is very poor, as few have latrines and there are no public utilities.

The majority of the households in the community take their water from the three rivers which run through the district, resulting in unsanitary conditions. The most common and deadly diseases in Garram are diarrhea, typhoid, eye infection, skin and/scalp Infection, schistose-miasis and malaria.

The village has a well-developed local leadership. There are youth groups, which form strong football teams /clubs. Most families participate in community activities. Although it is hard for them to contribute financially to a project, they are willing to offer both moral and labor support to projects.

Garram lies 28 km off the federal highways of Jos – Pankshin - Shendam ,and Jos – Panyam-Shendam Roads. The roads are rough requiring high body built vehicles, preferably four-wheel drive vehicles. However, a trip to Garram in the dry season (December to July through Jos – Panyam-Shendam - Chip road), does not require the use of any special vehicle.

Garram is located in a geographically disadvantaged area. The location of Garram Community has made it almost impossible for the people to get good educational facilities and immediate assistance from other health centers. It is always very difficult to find help to attend to medical cases, and the people are often left with three very difficult options:

At Garram Children’s School, small fees are paid according to the following need formula, per term :