CITY OF REGUGE

ABOUT OUR FOUNDER

Dr. Nenpan Monday Amin began her humanitarian activities as a youth activist. She literally grew up in the domain of charity; following years of service, she founded City of Refuge. Dr. Nenpan Amin hails from a small community called Gwabi, in Pankshin LGA, Plateau State. She was born into the family of Nde Monday Zakka Gotom and Nana Elizabeth Monday Gotom, Nee Filshak. Nenpan was married to the erudite scholar, Prof. Amin Zaigi, of
blessed memory, who passed on 18th May, 2023.
As a little girl, Nenpan developed an acute sensitivity towards the disadvantaged of her community, orphans in particular. She organized children in her neighbourhood of New Layout Pankshin, to rehearse and present plays/dramas in her local church, COCIN Vel. The plays all had the theme of the plights of orphans. The making of a girl who was later to intervene and bring succour to many in her society began.
Born into an average African family, Nenpan spent a great part of her youth collecting books and preoccupied with the unfortunate estate of the poor in her society. As a young girl, she would reach out in whatever small and practical ways to aid the poor around her.
Discovering her ability with the pen, she brought to the fore in her writings the plights of orphans in her society – the neglect, lack of care and abuse orphans are often subjected to, and their destitution. Nenpan’s first novel titled TEARS IN SILENCE is the story of the challenges of orphans.
As a young girl living in obscurity, publishing the novel proved a challenge. Nenpan did not relent. She went ahead to write sequences to the first novel: THE MYSTERY OF SANDS, and LAUGHTER AT DAWN. Both sequences are stories about child destitution. Nenpan went about literally reading her stories to her friends, family members, neighbours, school mates, and whoever was patient enough to listen. The passionate responses of listeners to her informal readings spurred her writing career.
In 1999, Nenpan went and volunteered her service in the orphanage arm of Our Lady of Apostle Hospital and Orphanage Zawan, Plateau State.
Every evening from 4:00pm to 6:30pm, Mondays to Fridays, she availed herself in the orphanage. Later, while working from 7:00am to 2:00pm in the hospital arm of Our Lady’s, she continued to be a part of the lives of the orphans. She organized extra mural classes and outdoor activities for the school age orphans; she helped to bathe and feed the toddlers. Nenpan served for about five years at Our Lady’s. Find below pictures of Nenpan at various activities and programmes with the orphans.MRS. NENPAN MONDAY ZAKKA