Members of Keren's Safe Haven Foundation
Keren’s Safe Haven Foundation brought warmth and renewed hope to the Christmas season with a compassionate outreach to Jesus Kids Home (JKS) in Abuja, extending gifts, food items, and heartfelt support to children living with special needs.
Jesus Kids Home provides refuge for children with a wide range of disabilities, many of whom were abandoned due to the challenges associated with their conditions. Others are orphans, while some were brought to the home by relatives who could no longer cope, including a widowed father seeking help after the loss of his wife.
The visit was organised by Keren’s Safe Haven Foundation, a child protection and advocacy organisation established in memory of Keren Happuch Aondoddoo Akpagher, a 14-year-old girl who died on June 22, 2021, following an alleged rape while she was a boarding student at Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja.
Speaking during the outreach, the founder of the foundation and Keren’s mother, Mrs Vivien Vihimga Akpagher, said the initiative was rooted in compassion and a firm commitment to standing with vulnerable children.
“Christmas is a season of love and giving. We came to share that love with these children and to honour the caregivers whose sacrifices often go unnoticed,” she said.
Mrs Akpagher explained that the foundation’s work goes beyond charity, focusing on prevention, empowerment, and advocacy to protect children from abuse.
“Our mission is to equip children with the knowledge and courage to speak up when they are threatened or harmed, while also engaging government to ensure safe spaces for children and other vulnerable members of society,” she stated.
She added that her daughter’s life continues to guide the foundation’s vision. “Keren was kind and compassionate. She would never want another child to experience what she went through. This foundation is our way of turning her pain into purpose,” she said.
Also speaking, media personality and human rights advocate, Mr Lemmy Ughegbe, commended the caregivers and management of Jesus Kids Home for their dedication, describing their work as inspiring and deserving of broader support.
He called on individuals, corporate organisations, and institutions to partner with the home to sustain its services and improve the quality of care for the children.
Ughegbe further assured that Keren’s Safe Haven Foundation would continue to mobilise support for Jesus Kids Home to enhance protection, care, and opportunities for the children.
On the Justice4Keren campaign, he reaffirmed his resolve to pursue accountability, despite delays and what he described as institutional silence.
“Justice for Keren is not just about one child; it is about protecting countless others and sending a clear message that crimes against children will not be tolerated,” he said.
The outreach concluded with the presentation of gifts and words of encouragement to the children and staff, reinforcing the foundation’s enduring commitment to dignity, protection, and hope—values that resonate strongly with the spirit of the Christmas season.