Every year, we begin with dreams, resolutions and plans for all that we will accomplish in the new year. 2024 is no different for most people; and so this is a shameless call, that as you begin to dream, resolve, plan, and put things in place for the successes that you will achieve in 2024, that you take a minute to remember the over 10 million out of school children in Nigeria: millions wandering our streets as Almajiris in the north, thousands roaming the marketplaces in the south. Many unable to count, read, totally shut out of the potential for success. Not a fighting chance in this global world. School aged children already set for poverty and crime at best.
Their country, the once known giant of Africa, the land that births some of the most educated, most talented, and wealthiest people alive; what irony!
How do we feel okay knowing that it’ll cost merely 20,000 naira, just about $20 to educate a child for a term but millions roam the street with no fighting chance at this opportunity? Yet we buy ice cream worth so much more, shoes, bags, cars, at prices that will lift thousands out of this plight. I am not here to stop a purchase or to make anyone feel bad, but rather to ask each to consider adding educating one or more out of school children to their 2024 plans.
Why you might ask? I will give two simple reasons why.
- Because it is the kind thing to do; they are children, none chose which families to be born into. It could have been you or I; we were merely lucky. If we were them, we would hope for your help.
- Because if we don’t, they will come back to hurt us. Have you not heard the wise saying that it is the child we do not train that will come back to rob us? Think about it. Millions of uneducated children will result in millions more unemployable youth. Many of the men will probably end up as adults in violent crime; God forbid they come back to rob us, rape us, or cause terror in many other ways. Many of the women will end up in sexual trade, passing STDs to husbands and children; luring husbands from their homes causing broken marriages and homes.
These are just two of what could truly be a long list of reasons. The simple ask is that you take a minute to remember the over 10 million out of school children in Nigeria and commit to educating at least one but really, as many as you can.
Practically, you can contact mosques who cater to Almajiris and offer to sponsor sending one or more of their children to school; or you can contact various non-profits that do this work to sponsor out of school children.
The shameless point is this, don’t overlook them. as you make your plans for 2024, please do not forget Nigeria’s over 10 million out of school children. If everyone that is able sponsored as many as they could, Nigeria would have no out of school children and this would definitely set us up for a brighter tomorrow. For more specifics on how to do your part in educating our out of school children this year, please contact [email protected].
Their future depends on you and me collectively; the future of our country depends on them.
*Dr. Aderonke Kujore Adelekan is a children’s leadership development expert, author, and philanthropist. A lot of her work is focused on raising a new generation of leaders who are ethical, competent and have a spirit for serving their nation. Aderonke often speaks on children’s rights, child education, and other leadership development topics including the roles of Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the Growth of People, Building Community and Ethics in developing good leadership. She can be reached via: [email protected]