In recent times, the problem of family division has been on a steady increase, our society is gradually drifting away from its high moral standards, alienating the core values of African society and embracing customs that are not peculiar to us. The divorce rate experienced in society is surging with great speed and the country’s divorce rate currently stands at 44.2% as of 2022. As much as we debate this issue a lot of the time, the major recipient of the adverse effect, which is the children, is often neglected. The causes of marriage dissolution are neither far-fetched nor unknown to us all. In marriage, when both parties decide to avoid communication, continuously include a third party in the private affairs of the home, refrain from commitment to each other, practice unforgiveness or lack the mental abilities to cope and tolerate each other; a crack in the wall surfaces. This destructive worry takes a negative turn in the children involved in such situations and also does not spare society.
The children are faced with unhealthy challenges at an early stage of development and in turn, affect their relationship with people around them, impair development, and create a feeling of loss, and distrust towards their eventual partner as they grow into adults, they lack the natural love and affection that comes with being in a family unit, and disrupts their mental wellbeing, especially in cases where parents resolve to the use of violence and coercion. The society also experiences the burden that comes with marital annulment by having to cater to persons who have become extremely affected by the experience and seeks solace in drug and alcohol abuse, it increases the mental disorder rate in the country, diminishes the abilities of the persons involved both socially and in the work lives, and further reduces the belief of family as a basic functional unit to every individual. Both parties involved also experience the depressing situation of having to struggle for property ownership, child custody, and other unhealthy traumas.
Even though divorce is sometimes necessary to prevent much more devastating circumstances, it can also be avoided. Many of our celebrities both locally and internationally are tied in this web of marriage annulment and the effects are glaring. A relatable instance can be drawn from Nigerian dancer, Korra Obidi.
Marriage is a beautiful union and a unifying agent that when utilized for its true purpose, the results are eternally overwhelming. When people begin to set aside selfish reasons and engage in the union with pure intentions and selflessness, taking into consideration the effects of their actions on their partners, engaging in counseling when necessary, and having the determination to make things right, the cases of divorce will certainly contract. A recommended solution to reduce divorce is by practicing love, kindness, forbearance, and empathy as individuals, when this becomes the case, we can be able to extend these acts conveniently to our spouse even in difficult circumstances.
One of the major concerns of unsuccessful divorce is children ending up in orphanages or foster homes as a result of abandonenment by both parents. Kiitan Foundation is working with such homes to provide adequate educational resources for the orphans in their care. As such, any support comes in the handle and relieves the burden of these orphanages. This project seeks to adopt 20 orphans (5 orphans per orphanage), adoption in terms of providing their school uniforms, school bags, shoes, and educational resources (books, textbooks, pens and pencils, erasers, and math sets). The motive is to sponsor these orphans from primary to completion of secondary school. With help, we are determined not to leave any child behind regardless of how unfair their backgrounds may be.
Join us in making a difference where it counts by volunteering or donating to the cause of education and supporting orphans at our outreach, please visit kiitanfoundation.org/get-involved to get started.
