Poorest of the Poor Center

Sr. Oresoa’s Story

Sr. Oresoa Selo-Ojeme left her teaching order in southern Nigeria in 1995 to live with and serve the destitute. The Mother Theresa of Nigeria, she lived for ten years on the streets of Abuja bringing home to her center in Gwagwalada the street boys, abandoned babies, unwanted pregnant young girls, prostitutes, mentally ill, dying, and broken hearted. They are provided shelter, food, clothing, medical care and love. Her faith was blessed with workers as the numbers of residents grew and the task of providing basic needs became daunting. Young women embraced the discipline of religious life and Sr. Oresoa founded the Order of the Poorest of the Poor with a mission to serve and rehabilitate the anawims, the Hebrew word for poorest of the poor. In addition to the Anawim Home, the sisters teach in a school they built for the orphans and children from surrounding villages. A skills acquisition program with training in computers, hair dressing, sewing, weaving, carpentry and farming prepares the residents to enter the productive workforce in the society. Their community outreach program involves testing and counseling for HIV, a home based care program for the sick, and distribution of food and clothing to the village of lepers.