Safeguarding statement
Every child's safety comes first
This statement sets out how we protect the children in our care, and what anyone should do if they are worried about a child.
Our commitment
KEN DAVID ORPHANAGE HOME AND WIDOWS EMPOWERMENT CENTER exists to care for children and widows. Every child in our care has the right to be safe, to be treated with dignity, and to be heard. When the interests of the foundation and the safety of a child ever pull in different directions, the child comes first.
This statement applies to everyone who comes into contact with the children through us: trustees, staff, volunteers, visitors, partners and anyone who photographs or films on our behalf. We follow Nigeria's Child's Rights Act 2003 and the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Images and media
No child appears in any photograph, film, story or social media post of ours unless a consent level has been recorded for that child by their parent or guardian. The level is recorded against the child's permanent KDC number, together with who recorded it and on what date. There are four levels:
| Consent level | What it means |
|---|---|
| Face and first name may be shown | The child may be pictured, and named by first name only. |
| Face only, no name | The child may be pictured, but never named. |
| Back view or silhouette only | The child may appear only in a way that cannot identify them. |
| The child must not appear | The child does not appear in any of our media, in any form. |
If no level is recorded, or the level is “the child must not appear”, the image or story cannot be published. This rule is built into the system we use to run this website, so it cannot be skipped by mistake. We never print a child's full name beside their photograph, and we never describe a child by the circumstances that brought them to us.
Widows give consent for themselves, and the same rule applies to them.
Visitors may not photograph or film the children without the permission of a member of staff, and may not post images of the children online.
Consent can be withdrawn at any time
A parent or guardian may change or withdraw consent at any time, for any reason, and does not need to explain why. When they do, we update the record straight away and take down the images or stories concerned from this website and from our own social media channels. We cannot recall copies that others have already shared, but we will ask them to remove them.
As children grow older, we listen to their own wishes about how they appear, and we will not publish an image a child does not want published, whatever consent is recorded.
If you are worried about a child
If a child is in immediate danger, call the Nigeria emergency number 112 straight away. If you cannot get through, go to the nearest police station. Once the child is safe, tell us.
For any other concern, however small, tell our safeguarding lead as soon as you can, using the contact details on this page. You do not need to be certain, and you do not need proof. It is our job, not yours, to find out what has happened.
If your concern is about the safeguarding lead or about the founder, tell one of our trustees, or report it directly to the police or to the Enugu State social welfare authorities. You may always go directly to the authorities instead of, or as well as, coming to us.
When we receive a concern, we will:
- make sure the child is safe;
- write down what was reported, by whom, when, and what was done, the same day;
- refer it to the police or the relevant authority wherever the law requires or a child may be at risk;
- tell the person who raised it what will happen next, as far as we can.
Nobody who raises a concern in good faith will be blamed or penalised for it, even if it turns out to be unfounded.
Allegations involving a child
An allegation that anyone connected with the foundation has harmed a child, or may pose a risk to children, is acted on immediately. It is not handled as an internal disciplinary matter, and it is never settled privately with a family.
- The person concerned is removed from all contact with children at once, while the matter is dealt with.
- The allegation is reported to the police and the relevant authorities without delay.
- The child is kept safe and supported throughout.
- We cooperate fully with any investigation and do not carry out our own inquiry in its place.
Removing someone from contact with children while an allegation is investigated protects everyone. It is not a finding that they have done anything wrong.
Records and review
Every concern, allegation, referral and consent decision is recorded in writing, dated, and kept securely, with access limited to the people who need it. These records belong to the foundation, not to any individual, and are kept as set out in our privacy notice.
Our trustees review the safeguarding records and this statement regularly, and at least once a year. This version was last updated on 30 September 2026.