HADIZAHadiza Gana Mohammed is the founder of Hina Gana Foundation, a humanitarian organisation that focuses on street children, orphans, widow and pregnant women in Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Her first degree is from the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, and a post graduate diploma in education from the University of Maiduguri. Her passion for the vulnerable in society has earned her awards such as, Most Deserving Humanitarian in Nigeria 2023, Most Outstanding Women in Leadership 2022 and Humanitarian Personality of the Year 2023 from Miles Magazine, Canada. Through her recent ‘Birth-a-Child’ programme, the foundation, which has been in existence for over a decade, is catering for birthing needs of underserved women. In this interview with IJEOMA THOMAS-ODIA, she speaks on her passion for helping the vulnerable in FCT communities.
Share with us how your organisation started?
I started my organisation at the age of 19 during my university days. Hina Gana Foundation focuses on street children, orphans, widows, pregnant women and prisoners. My passion is to continue saving the street children as my heart yearns to see them live a more decent life. What gives me joy is seeing the less privileged feel loved and hopeful for a better future. It’s a privilege that God is using me to give them hope, show them love and kindness. It is a foundation with passionate individuals who are willing to sacrifice their all to ensure they give undiluted love to everyone around them. As the founder, I also ensure I build this passion of giving and kindness in my team members because the more passionate people we have around, the saner our society will become. My dream was to become a lawyer, because I’m always standing for anyone who is cheated in one way or the other, but the course was not available then in the university I attended, and as God has destined, I’m still impacting lives and this is what I have always wanted. During fasting periods, I will always cook and share to children, women and other needy people in the society. And God has always directed my path on how to run my foundation, as I only allow the spirit to lead me.
How have you evolved over the years?
I was running a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) without knowing I was doing that. I was sharing food among neighbours during my school days, and after my graduation, I started cooking every Friday to share. Each time I don’t have money, I will make Kunu Ayya about 50 pieces and share. One day, I posted this on my WhatsApp status and people started asking me if I was selling it. I told them no, it’s for sharing, as time went on, people started reposting and I started posting on Facebook, I got offered to volunteer for an NGO, before long, I was already volunteering in four NGOs, and I put in all my efforts each time they had an outreach, and most times, I don’t go empty handed; I always make contributions. I was doing all these and still doing my usual Friday food sharing, I never thought of owning an NGO, I just feel good each time I see someone smile because of me I feel a kind of inner satisfaction. If I have N1000 as my only available amount, when one comes with his/her problems, before I think of myself, I will solve the person’s problem first. Sometimes, I cry seeing how people take advantage of my not being able to say no but again God is always with me, I have never been stranded financially, God always sees to it before I plead. Humanitarian life is what I was born for, and I will continue to live for street children till I take my last breath Insha Allah.
Tell us more about your ‘Birth a Child’ programme. What inspired this?
The ‘birth a child’ programme is the newest initiative of the Hina Gana Foundation where we took it upon ourselves to support indigent pregnant women with birth kits. I extended support to over 100 indigent pregnant women and widows from six Area Councils in the FCT, with delivery kits recently. This is part of efforts to help reduce maternal and child mortality in the country and it is the second edition of the programme in Gwagwalada. The programme was conceived to prevent deaths of innocent babies during delivery, because some women cannot afford basic kits, and sometimes, endanger the babies and themselves. Women work very hard to make the children grow with good upbringing; some women cannot spend for themselves but can go extra miles to give their children. We noticed that most women in the grassroots do not have the basic necessities to give birth to a child so this is a show of love to the innocent child. We take care of street children and try to ensure they are enrolled into school to get some education but during one of my outreaches, I witnessed a pregnant woman who died in my presence while trying to birth a child. During the delivery there was nothing like hand gloves or pads not a single delivery kit and it was from that day I decided that I was going to involve pregnant women because no woman deserves to die while giving birth.
Many parents who are struggling to survive, tend to give birth to more children hence the lack to raise them, do you speak to them on the need to birth only kids they can care for?
It is unfortunate that this happens but not all pregnant women give birth and can’t take care of them, like in my just concluded programme, where I was able to give delivery kits to 100 pregnant women, I find out a lot of them lost their husbands, for some, things got difficult for them, because their husbands have one issue or the other. In the society we are today, everyone is feeling the heat; we are just surviving by the Grace of God. So, some pregnant women just find themselves in a position that they can’t abort. Imagine someone who is struggling to make ends meet get married, you don’t expect the man to be looking at the woman, he will want a child of his own because that child might live a different life from his. The best we can do is to assist, but we can’t stop pregnancies from happening.
What is your take on family planning, which government has been creating awareness on?
Family planning is a good idea if the government can make provisions for free tests, that is, a woman can go to the hospital and get tested for the best family planning for her body system and still get the family planning done free of charge without spending a penny. It will go a long way to help our women. To be sincere, women are trying; a lot of women are going through a lot and still striving to ensure their children get the basics of life, which includes education. When you go to foreign countries, a lot of policies are in favour of women, but here in Nigeria, we are on our own. No one cares about what you are facing and even family members don’t. You will see a woman dying in silence and that is why depression is on the rise. Women are forced to take any situation they find themselves in to satisfy society norms, but I am glad women are beginning to get exposed. When a man gets a woman pregnant and she gives birth to the child and still struggles to feed and take care of the child, a time will come she will fight back. A woman prefers to struggle to any length so her children will not become an element of pity. God bless all the responsible women in the world. In the time we are today, any woman that folds her legs and watches without getting a skill is on a mission to self-destruction.
Violence against women and children have persisted what is your take on this crime?
Women are always seen as the fragile ones and what we shoulder emotionally, physically, psychologically are beyond human expectations. So, if a woman can stay strong despite all odds, then there is no reason to be discriminated against in the society. There is a video of a learned man brutalising his wife recently and it is beyond imagination that an educated man will behave this way in this 21st century worse off is the fact that the global 16 days of activism against gender-based violence ended last month. There should be no excuses in using violence for any woman. Gone are days when women were mute, not anymore and I think if the government implement laws against this menace, it will be drastically reduced, if not totally eradicated.
What would you advise government on humanitarian response considering the harsh economic situation?
A lot is happening in this world; people are seriously in need of support and help; government should try as much as they can to reach out to the people whose situation is crucial, by using some NGOs willing to lend support. Government should be able to distinguish between NGOs who are passionate to help people without looking at the benefit. When you are giving out to help individuals, the only benefit is God’s blessings and unending protection.
