The Plateau State Government has received 40 Starlink internet kits donated by Both Ends Believing (BEB), with support from SpaceX, to improve digital record-keeping and strengthen child protection services in orphanages and other childcare institutions across the state.
The kits, each accompanied by a 13-month sponsored internet subscription, are expected to address connectivity challenges affecting the use of Children First Software (CFS), a digital database designed to help care institutions maintain accurate records and monitor the welfare of vulnerable children.
The official handover was made to the Plateau State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Caroline Panglang Dafur, in Jos today 21st October 2026
Speaking during the presentation, BEB Country Manager, Silas Gyang Nyam, said the intervention would strengthen documentation, improve case management and support better-informed decisions concerning children in institutional and family-based care.
He disclosed that BEB’s Children First Software database currently contains records of 408 childcare institutions and 7,115 children in institutional care nationwide, alongside approximately 380 children in family-based alternative care.
In Plateau State, the database has documented 34 childcare institutions, 1,183 children in institutional care and 93 children in family-based care.
Nyam, however, revealed that the parental status of 693 children documented in the state’s database remains unknown, highlighting the need for improved documentation, family tracing and case management.
He explained that unreliable internet connectivity had made it difficult for some children’s homes to consistently upload and update records, delaying case reviews and coordination among child protection stakeholders.
According to him, the Starlink kits would enable selected homes to access the software more reliably, allowing authorised users to update children’s records in real time and support decisions on their care and welfare.
“Our vision is simple: One Child, One Record, Everyone Accountable,” Nyam said, stressing that accurate data was essential to understanding why children enter institutional care, identifying their needs and determining whether safe family-based alternatives were available.
He added that while institutional care remained necessary in some circumstances, children generally benefited from growing up in safe, stable and nurturing family environments.
Responding, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Caroline Panglang Dafur, said the intervention would address internet connectivity challenges and strengthen the implementation of Children First Software across approved childcare institutions.
She pledged that the kits would be deployed strictly to approved homes for documentation purposes, with no diversion, while the ministry would monitor their installation and use in collaboration with BEB and relevant child protection organisations.
Dafur also assured that the government would enforce confidentiality and child safeguarding protocols to protect children’s personal information.
She further pledged to work towards sustaining internet connectivity after the 13-month subscription provided under the initiative expires.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to BEB and SpaceX for supporting the state’s child protection efforts, assuring that the government would work with stakeholders to ensure that vulnerable children were properly documented and their welfare prioritised.
Speaking on behalf of the national president of the Association of Orphanages and Homes Operators in Nigeria, Reverend Gabriel Oyedeji, the Coordinator of the Child Protection Network, Sandra Chikan, described the donation as an important step towards improving family tracing and reunification.
Chikan said poor internet connectivity had previously delayed data uploads, case reviews and processes aimed at reuniting children with their families.
She noted that the new infrastructure would help reduce these challenges and improve coordination among children’s homes and child protection agencies.
According to her, orphanages should serve as temporary care arrangements where necessary, rather than permanent destinations for children who could safely return to family-based care.
She commended the Plateau State Government for its support for child welfare reforms and called on the homes receiving the equipment to use it responsibly in the best interests of the children.
Jacob Ogaba Onmonya, Director of Nashiah Care Initiative and Secretary of the Plateau State chapter of ASOHON, also appreciated BEB, SpaceX and the state government for the intervention.
He said improved internet access would support documentation, protection and effective case management, adding that registered homes were expected to put the equipment to productive use.
The initiative is expected to strengthen collaboration among children’s homes, government agencies and child protection partners while improving the identification, tracking and monitoring of vulnerable children.
Stakeholders maintained that the success of the intervention would depend not only on the distribution of internet equipment but also on responsible data management, sustained connectivity and the use of accurate records to improve children’s safety and access to appropriate family care.
