Who we are

Promoting public and governmental awareness as to the rights of the children and the need to care and improve their status through teaching appropriate skills.

Introduction

Beth Torrey was established by Ms. Elizabeth Torrey in 1961 and is currently sustained by the friends of Beth Torrey, a group of individuals of various backgrounds, who believe in her ideas. The home is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, dedicated to improving the health, well being and skills of mentally challenged children in a residential setting.

Beth Torrey Home is not for profit, non-governmental organization mission dedicated to improving the health, well-being and skills of mentally challenged children in a residential setting.

Why Residential?

Parents and guardians of mentally or otherwise challenge children often abandoned them in the streets for lack of resource to care for them.

The land marks of her work include the following;

In 1961, she helped the Women Voluntary Society to establish Child treatment and placement Home/School formally in Surulere but now in Akoka.
In 1965, she founded the Beth Torrey Home which was initially called Child Treatment and Placement Home/school at Babatunde Street, Surulere, Lagos for mentally challenged children. The Home moved to Kirikiri road and presently, it is located at Imam College Road, Alakoso, Amuwo Odofin (opposite Imam College). She founded the Gida Yara Home for retarded children in Kaduna in 1968. The home was first established in a temporary quarters and subsequently moved to a permanent site with the help of the Emir of Zaria and his Council, and the Kaduna state Ministry of education, charitable institutions and other donors.
In February 1976, she established the Kano home for handicapped children with the aid of the Kano state government and other donors.
In Enugu through her spirited efforts two hectares of land was donated by Anambra State government for the mentally challenged children. Albeit, the Home is yet to be built.
On the 26^th of November 1977, Miss Torrey died at the age of 74years after 16years of selfless service to the Community of the challenged in Nigeria.

Those who knew her or who were familiar with her figure moving purposefully through the congested streets of Lagos knew she was giving herself to the service of the handicapped children. Those who knew her background were impressed that she gave up so much to serve under poor conditions in which she lived with the handicapped children.

Beth, by her demise, left a gigantic programme to be executed. Our tribute to Beth Torrey can only be lasting if we keep her legacy alive.

This is the only tribute we can pay to Beth for her work in bringing succor to mentally challenged children.

MAY HER SOUL REST IN PERFECT PEACE.

History

Ms. Elizabeth Torrey

Ms. Elizabeth Torrey, the founder of Beth Torrey Home, is citizen of United States of America. She had her two Master Degrees in Education and Sociology from the Universities of Colombia and Yale in United State of America respectively. She was a Psychiatric and Social worker who devoted the major part of her life to the care, rehabilitation and education of mentally challenged and disabled children first in Angola and later in Nigeria.

She came to Nigeria in 1961 and devoted the last sixteen years of her life to labouring to establish homes for mentally handicapped children before her demise in 1977.

Our Values

EMPATHY

TRANSPARENCY

INTEGRITY

ACCOUNTABILITY

Programmes &

WHAT WE DO

Promoting public and governmental awareness as to the rights of the children and the need to care and improve their status through teaching appropriate skills.

socialization skills.

Teaching appropriate daily living, communicative and socialization skills.

medical and physical needs

Attending to the medical and physical needs of members of the Home.

Community awareness

Community awareness and involvement reaching out to neighbours, civil society, churches, mosques, local government to visit and participate in activities.