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By Bianca Iboma-Emefu and Olekanma Kleod
From different indicators, it might not be an exaggeration to say that a number of children in many parts of Nigeria are multi-dimensionally poor.
A trip to Ikola community in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State reflects everything about the life of kids living in the street and their daily struggles. Many of them are not in school not because they don’t want education but from the lack of basic things needed to be enrolled in school. So, every day, they are on the street fending for themselves in unhealthy ways.
Perturbed by the unacceptable development, a group known as Street to School Initiative moved in to support the education of out-of-school children and primary school drop-outs in the community. The foundation is doing so through its annual education sponsorship scheme and the establishment of a tuition-free school, among other necessities at Comenius Nursery and Primary School, Ikola.
At the school, pupils are provided the basic learning materials and free meals. No doubt, every child deserves education.
Indigent kids are the beneficiaries and the reason the NGO established the school. After the establishment, the organisation began to pick them from the street and enrol them into the tuition-free school.
Street2School Initiative is poised to address the barriers to education faced by low-income families and children living in rural areas and in urban slums of Lagos. Those who are out of school due to financial constraints, broken homes, poverty and orphans left in the street during school hours stand to benefit from the gesture.
The founder/executive director of the initiative, Mrs. Oluwatosin Olowoyeye-Taiwo, said Ikola has nine surrounding communities with traditional chiefs, called Baale, that govern the affairs of each community.
She said having discovered that there was no government primary or secondary school in the area, she decided to act quickly to curb the increasing number of out-of-school kids, particularly those whose parents cannot afford private schools.
She said: “The plight created a basic education gap for kids living in that locality and gave the room for them to roam about the streets, while some others assist their parents in the market, selling pepper or other items, when their mates are in school.
“Considering this challenge and with the recent reports by UNESCO, revealing Nigeria as having the world’s highest rate of out-of-school children and vulnerability due to poverty .
“Fifty-four per cent of children in Nigeria face at least three deprivations and that includes nutrition, health care, education, water, sanitation, adequate housing and information.
“I was in the market and I met a boy, Jamiu Mohammed, from northern Nigeria, and I interacted with him. Amazingly, I discovered he was very bright, but had financial constraints. He wants to be an astronaut. Today, he is a beneficiary of the initiative.
“Many kids in the Hausa community based at the Power line area in this locality want to benefit from the free education. The parents want their children to partake and we have accepted some of them because I have a limited space. Once some of them leave we would accommodate a new set. But if we get sponsors, those waiting can be enrolled in another school.
“Most families cannot private afford schools around. The children are encouraged to study due to the school meals.
“These children are out of school sometimes because of health issues, such as malnutrition.
“Initially, we made donations to schools and enrolled the children but we later started a primary school to ensure basic education and accommodate more children.
“After assessment, we provide bags, books, uniform, notebooks and other writing materials just to make learning exciting and fun-filled for them.”
She stated that they get sponsors who donate some of these items to enable the children have unhindered access to education.
She said: “The work is enormous and a lot of fund is required. I know the peculiarities of these children in this place because I lived here nine years ago. You see them hawking around, while others are playing in the street during school hours. That motivated me to come back here and help the children.
“It wasn’t easy but God has been faithful. Its true that the government cannot do everything because the work is huge. That was why I felt I could be a mobiliser. Some of my friends pulled resources together to start something. We included meals because most of them come to school without eating and they would be crying.
“We have graduated over 160 street kids in this rural community whereby the academic progress of this children have become a source of inspiration to do more.
“Despite various interventions and programmes by the state governments, there are still children that roam the streets during school hours.
“Most of our pupils presently are children of widows and single mothers who are not really buoyant enough; they are people that are really struggling. Those are the parameters we use in admitting pupils here. And we also have some people that walk in to meet us when they hear about what we do in the school.
“We are on a rented facility and the kids are about 200 because 35 of would be in secondary school by next session and there would be more kids joining the school. Space is a challenge for us.
“Last term, for the 12 weeks, the children were fed by Cuppy Foundation and it was a great relief for us. Children need nutrition during their early school years and is crucial for their physical, mental and psychosocial development.”
Olowoyeye-Taiwo said though government needs to do the needful, education should be taken beyond the sole responsibility of the government.
“All over the world, stakeholders, corporate, charity organisations, alumni, churches and individuals play key roles in building sustainable education system.
“Government should be committed to supporting initiatives that promote access to quality education and strengthen human capital for inclusive economic growth and development in Nigeria.
“More funds will address the needs of indigent children and we look beyond the government. If I had waited for government, I would not have contributed to the development of humanity,” she said.
The programme coordinator for Cuppy Foundation, Mrs Ruth Okonye, said the school feeding project was a passionate intervention targeted at improving learning experience of pupils, and curb the rate of children who attend school without taking breakfast.
She said about N3 million was spent on foods for the kids and other needs.
Okonye stated that the school feeding project serves as an incentive for families to reduce their budget on food for their children. She said the children eat at least once a day while at school.
The campaigners also donated food items to the women of Ikola community apart from the health sensitization they held.
