In commemoration of the 2024 African Child Day, a women’s advocacy group called for inclusive education for children, irrespective of their sociocultural background.
This comes at a time when the number of out-of-school children has exceeded the UNESCO report of 20.2 million due to rising inflation.
This call was made during a children’s outreach event organized by Women of Glory. The event took place at LEA Primary School in Galadimawa, Abuja.
In her opening address, the host and president of Women of Glory, Lady Lucy Nwajideobi, stated that inclusive education is sacrosanct in ousting destitution in Africa.
According to her, the challenges that African children face are numerous and complex owing to the lack of deliberate political will.
Lucy revealed that her group has been in the business of awarding scholarships to children who are disadvantaged in Nigeria.
“The urgency and the importance of inclusive education for African children, regardless of their socioeconomic status, their gender, or their location, can never be overemphasized. The challenges that African children face are numerous and complex. These issues include poverty, lack of access to quality education, health disparities, and social injustice owing to the lack of political will.
“Our organization is dedicated to empowering women and children across the country. Our mission is rooted in the belief that where we invest in our children, we invest in the future of not just Africa, but Nigeria at large. We constantly empower children within Nigeria with scholarships and many more.”
Speaking on behalf of the chief of the Galadimawa community, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed expressed excitement about the outreach program and called on the government and corporate organizations to emulate such a laudable initiative.
He stated, “This is a very laudable initiative, given the fact that our community has been neglected by the government. We call on the government to become more responsible, and other corporate bodies should emulate this initiative.”
Also, Mariam Aliyu, one of the widows who benefited from the outreach, showed encomium on the organizers and expressed hope for the future.
“Initiatives like this give us hope in the future. The rice shared in this outreach has solved a part of the food problem in my family for this week. There is truly hope for Nigerian children,” she said.
