Beth Torrey Institute

I'd been asked by the American Women's club (one of the largest fund gathering no-for-profit groups in Lagos who fund a whole bunch of different charities - including ishahayi - as well as college scholarships etc) to have a look at one of their projects last year.

The project was a new building for the Beth Torrey home in the Amuwo Odofin estate. The existing home in Apapa is over crowded and getting very old, so the AWC had teamed up with a local Senator's wife to get some funding together and build a new complex. This was five or so years ago.

Since then, three large buildings had been built and basically left half finished as the AWC and all the stakeholders involved tried to sort out what to do to finish the job. I'd take a look at the place a few times and met with the sister's running the current home to try and work out what needed to be done. Unfortunately the place had become a mess, some of the roof caving in , the bore-water treatment plat laying idle for years and rusting away and lakes of water surround the place in the wet season as no drainage had ever been built.

The question I was asked to answer what "what can we do to finish this place?" Unfortunately, it broke my heart to have to suggest to the AWC that the only way to move forward was walk away from the project and put their money in other projects that were currently running and would use the money to better effect. I wasn't alone in that opinion, however there was little else to be done as the buildings no require more work just to bring them back to a standard where works could progress.

After an AWC member took my report to the other stakeholders, they were told in no uncertain terms that we didn't know anything and didn't understand how things were done around here. Our only thought was to try and get something finished so that the sisters and everyone could move out of the old home - which is in darkness most of the time as they can't afford to run the generator.

Anyway, there was some money left in the joint account that could be used to good effect, so we went out to see what could be done. On arrival, we were told by the security guard that we hadn't made an appointment and weren't allowed in. After a few phone calls we were told by the Senator's wife's people that we were no longer part of the project and could take our money and go. So that was it - all over.... I just hope the money goes somewhere where it can be used for good. i really hope the kids in Apapa don't have to spend one more day than necessary in the old old home, but I fear that any move is still a long way off...

The buildings in August last year - the roof on the closest one had failed and there's a lake under that grass

I managed to get a photo over the fence even though we weren't allowed in. At least the kick in the arse we'd given them prompted a spurt of building works to fix the roof and clear up the surrounding land (which the locals have turned into a quite good market garden)