For the Elderly, Mentally-impaired, It’s a New Dawn of Care at Seraphic Homes Foundation

For some of society’s most forgotten—the elderly and the mentally impaired, a new chapter of dignity, safety and compassionate care is emerging at the Seraphic Homes Foundation. Through the Zion Prayer Movement Outreach, the foundation has unveiled yet another landmark facility in Aguleri in Anambra State, offering fully free support to those who have long been neglected. Uzoma Mba writes that the initiative marks a decisive shift in how vulnerable lives are treated, signalling a true new dawn for those left behind

In a remarkable show of compassion and commitment to community welfare, the Zion Prayer Movement Outreach has once again demonstrated what it means to uplift society’s most vulnerable.

The unveiling of the Seraphic Orphanage and Home in Aguleri, Anambra State, its second dual-purpose facility for orphans, the elderly and the mentally impaired, marked the beginning of a transformative chapter for those who are too often forgotten.

More than a physical shelter, the Seraphic Home represents restored dignity and a sanctuary for the abandoned. Built by Evangelist Chukwuebuka Anozie Obi through the Seraphic Home Foundation, the facility provides free accommodation, food, medical care and education to its residents, while driving social and economic development across surrounding communities.

The Elderly, Orphans and Mentally-Impaired: The Neglected Pillars of Society

Across Nigeria, the elderly, orphans and the mentally impaired, three of society’s most vulnerable groups, remain among the most neglected.

The elderly who once contributed to families and communities are often abandoned by relatives, friends and even the state. Orphans grow up without stable support, while mentally impaired individuals are left to roam the streets without treatment or protection.

As a result, many suffer emotional, psychological and physical hardship. Elderly citizens face loneliness and declining health, orphans battle insecurity and lack of opportunity, and the mentally impaired endure stigma and exposure to danger.

Despite their different struggles, all three groups share one painful reality: they have been pushed to the margins of society.

Today, a new ray of hope is emerging. Through the Seraphic Orphanage and Home for the Elderly, the longstanding cycle of neglect is beginning to shift. The initiative represents a deliberate effort to restore dignity, provide shelter and deliver compassionate care to those who need it most.

The Seraphic Home is the realisation of a long-held vision by the founder and Spiritual Director of the Zion Prayer Movement Outreach, Evangelist Chukwuebuka Anozie Obi. Through the Seraphic Home Foundation (SHF), a non-profit organisation dedicated to charity, education, health support and human welfare, the home was created as a safe space for vulnerable populations to receive care and compassion.

According to Evangelist Obi, the facility will also provide opportunities for community engagement, volunteerism, and a platform for skills development and capacity building for caregivers and staff. It is designed not just for shelter but for meaningful human interaction, bridging the emotional gap that abandonment creates.

The Seraphic Homes Foundation has long established itself as a lifeline for disadvantaged individuals. Its programmes include an extensive scholarship scheme reaching over 60 children yearly up to university level, and consistent funding for impoverished patients who cannot afford life-saving treatment or hospital bills.

This renewed mission found even greater expression in Aguleri in Anambra State, with the unveiling of the state-of-the-art N1.6 billion free Psychiatric Hospital and Home for the Elderly. The project, inaugurated on Friday, September 19, 2025 by Anambra State Governor Professor Chukwuma Soludo, marks one of the most ambitious mental-health and elderly-care initiatives undertaken by a private foundation in the country.

The facility provides free psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, medication, rehabilitation, accommodation and general welfare.

Merely days after its inauguration, the hospital began its lifesaving work, admitting two mentally challenged individuals, one rescued from Nteje and another from the streets around Onitsha Main Market.

“The two were immediately assessed by psychiatric doctors and other health professionals who started treatment thereafter,” Evangelist Obi confirmed.

To expand its reach, the hospital will deploy four dedicated vehicles across Anambra to rescue mentally challenged persons roaming the streets. “This is my childhood vision,” he said, emphasising that in other parts of the world, no one allows mentally challenged individuals to wander helplessly on the streets.

“The vision behind the project is to create a society where the mentally challenged are no longer abandoned on the streets, but embraced, treated, rehabilitated and empowered to live meaningful lives after being integrated back to society,” he added.

Governor Soludo, describing the initiative as monumental, pledged government support, including road construction and connection to the national grid, acknowledging the completely free nature of its services.

The Aguleri model follows the success of the first Seraphic Orphanage and Elderly Home inaugurated on April 21, 2025, in Mgbirichi, Imo State, by Governor Hope Uzodimma. The governor described the initiative as a watershed moment for social welfare in Imo, praising Evangelist Obi for “thinking home” and bringing meaningful development to the state.

The Imo home offers free shelter, food, clothing, education and healthcare to abandoned children and elderly individuals without caregivers, a lifeline for those who would otherwise have nowhere to turn.

Having successfully established major projects in Imo and Anambra, Evangelist Obi says the next destinations include Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Rivers and other states across the federation. His long-term ambition is clear:

“The vision behind the project is to create a society where the vulnerable are embraced, treated, rehabilitated and empowered to live meaningful lives,” he said. “To serve humanity with all I have is my calling, and this is what I am going to do for the rest of my life.”

Through these homes and hospitals, Zion Prayer Movement Outreach is not just building structures, it is rebuilding humanity, restoring dignity and rewriting the narrative for the elderly, the orphaned and the abandoned across Nigeria.