An exclusive conversation with Joy Taiwo, CEO and Managing Director of Oyiza Orphanage Home.
Can you introduce yourself to Nigerians?
My name is Joy Taiwo. I am from Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State. I am a wife, mother, nurse, and the operator of Oyiza Orphanage Home.
I was born on December 1, 1985, into the family of Mr. and the late Mrs. Oyiza Janet Idris. Today, as I celebrate my 40th birthday, I am deeply grateful to God for His grace and mercy.
I grew up with a virtuous mother who served as my guardian angel. I had my primary education at Popson International School, Ibadan, and attended Saint Teresa’s College, Ibadan, before completing my SSCE at Wetlands Comprehensive College in Lagos.
I studied Science Laboratory Technology at Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, and later earned a Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNSc) degree from the University of Ibadan. I am currently a practising nurse with ten years of experience at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
How would you describe your life as a teenager?
Life was tough. I watched my mother struggle through many poorly paid jobs. She worked in rundown restaurants, on farms, sold firewood, fried chin-chin, puff-puff, fish, anything to keep us alive.
There were days we went hungry. At times, she would take garri on credit and buy ₦100 worth of groundnuts to make soup for us. My teenage years were filled with bitter experiences, but my mother never gave up. She stood by us.
Can you share a moment that revealed your mother’s strength to you?
I realized my mother’s extraordinary strength when she once took a job as a palm-wine loader deep inside a forest. She worked all night, and at dawn, after being paid, she spotted a crab dragging itself into a hole. She dropped the palm-wine container from her head, picked up a cutlass, dug into the hole, and caught the crab.
To me, as a young girl, it felt magical. That week, our food tasted different, better. It taught me how determined and resourceful she was.
Tell us more about her career journey.
My mother eventually became a nurse and ran a maternity centre for 19 successful years. Her services were almost free. People brought abandoned babies and neglected children to her.
Her compassion became widely known, and soon, police divisions, especially the Juvenile Welfare Centre, began entrusting orphans and abandoned or abused children to her care.
That was how she was inspired to establish an orphanage.
Sadly, she passed away suddenly in 2007 at the age of 45, after a brief illness. But her impact remains unforgettable.
How did you cope after her passing?
Her death placed a huge responsibility on my brother and me. At just 22, I found myself caring for 50 children at the orphanage she left behind.
It came with mixed feelings, but I summoned courage and relied on the resilience I learned from my mother.
One of my biggest priorities was ensuring quality education. Many of the children had never been to school. So, we withdrew them from public schools and enrolled them in private schools to help them catch up academically.
Today, by God’s grace, we have produced seven university graduates, two National Diploma holders, and one College of Education graduate.
Currently, 12 children are studying at different universities across Nigeria, and several others are serving in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). What a blessing!
Did your nursing background help you manage health-related challenges at the home?
Certainly. We prioritise quality healthcare for all the children. Those with sickle cell (SS and SC), seizure disorders, and other health conditions receive regular medical attention at UCH, while I attend to minor health issues myself.
Feeding 50 children is not easy, especially with the current economy. How do you manage?
Feeding the children remains one of our biggest responsibilities. To address this, we ventured into farming, led by my brother.
We leased farmland and began large-scale cultivation. Most of the produce feeds the children, while a small portion is sold to purchase additional items like protein and soup ingredients. This initiative has helped us tackle malnutrition, which some children struggled with when they were first brought to us.
How long has Oyiza Orphanage been in operation?
Oyiza Orphanage has been operating for 25 years.
However, we currently run the home from a rented facility, which comes with challenges such as frequent rent increases, inadequate bathrooms, and lack of direct water supply. Sometimes we have to buy water from far away just for daily use.
What steps have you taken to improve the situation?
In 2021, God touched the hearts of kind individuals who supported us in acquiring a more suitable and permanent building at the Felele area of Ibadan.
We hope to relocate there by 2026. Renovation is ongoing, but we still need support to complete the work.
It is a proper home, beautiful, spacious, and fit for children. I am excited that we are getting close to our dream.
As you celebrate your 40th birthday, what message do you have for the public?
I sincerely thank God for His grace and mercy throughout my 40 years. I also appeal to kindhearted individuals, organisations, and philanthropists to support Oyiza Orphanage, especially the children who deserve a comfortable place to call home.
Every child deserves to be loved, cared for, and protected, regardless of tribe, colour, ethnicity, or religion.
I will be the happiest person if more people can support our mission.
You may visit us at:
24, NTC Road, Oke Ado, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Follow us on:
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube: @OyizaOrphanageHome
Website: www.oyizaorphanage.org
