The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to provide long-term solutions to the problems brought by Nigeria’s expanding number of out-of-school children.
Mrs Maryam Uwais, Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, made the announcement in Maiduguri, Borno State, at the concluding ceremony of a three-week capacity development program for youth facilitators under the Federal Government’s At-Risk-Children Programme, ARC-P.
Mrs. Uwais stated that the youth facilitators were trained in a variety of skills, including basic literacy and numeracy, sports and life skills, vocational and digital skills, mental health, psychosocial support, and basic monitoring and evaluation, among others.
She stated that the intensive training exercise was in line with the At-Risk-Children Programme’s implementation strategy, which was designed to equip youth facilitators with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide the necessary guidance, mentorship, and support to the vulnerable children assigned to them.
The Presidential aide revealed that the 830 youth facilitators trained in Borno would be designated a minimum of fifty children across the State’s 18 local government areas, noting that the first phase of the Programme in Borno State is expected to benefit over 41000 street children and vulnerable young people.
She encouraged the young facilitators to approach the assignment with a strong sense of dedication, hard effort, devotion, and patriotism, and to utilize the information learned from the different training sessions to make a difference in the lives of the Programme’s core beneficiaries.
Mrs. Uwais was cited as stating, “Please do not shirk your duties,” in a statement issued by Bright Eugene, Communications Officer, At-Risk-Children Programme. It is not easy to care for children, so be patient with those that are allocated to you. Engage them with all of your compassion and resist the urge to inflict physical or mental harm on them.
“Don’t strike them or shout at them. Investigate why a youngster is acting out. Most youngsters act strangely because they want to be noticed. As a result, we held several trainings on mental health, life skills, and psycho-social assistance. All of these abilities are required.
“We are also exposing their eyes to technology since many of their parents are unaware of how lucrative technology is.”
We also want to work with the malams and Ulamas to see how we can assist their enterprises so that these youngsters may learn new things.”
Mrs. Uwais, who also serves as the National Coordinator of ARC-P, thanked the government of Borno State, led by Professor Babagana Zulum, for agreeing to participate in the program initiative, which she believes is critical to addressing the key problems associated with low school enrollment and child poverty.
“This Program was established to serve youngsters who are out of school and do not get as much support as they should,” she said. Nobody here can claim to love these vulnerable children as much as their parents do, but the youngsters have not been exposed to the skills that will allow them to take control of their lives and become assets to their families.
“These children have become a part of our life, and we cannot turn them away.” So it involves more than just enrolling youngsters and teaching them skills. It ensures that students stay in those courses and utilize their talents. Foundation literacy is crucial for skills since everyone has to grasp numbers and letters in order to participate in markets.”
Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Umaru Kadafur, who spoke on behalf of Governor Babagana Zulum, thanked the Federal Government for introducing ARC-P to the state and stated that the Buhari administration’s humanitarian interventions are having a significant influence on the lives of the people, particularly those affected by the insurgency in Borno State.
He said that ARC-P is in accordance with the State Government’s policy objectives and promised to offer all necessary assistance to guarantee the Program’s success.
