YAADA to Send One Million Out-of-School Children Back to School

An Abuja-based non-governmental organisation, the Young Ambassador Against Drug Abuse Initiative, is to enroll one million out-of-school children.

The Chief Executive Officer of the YAADA, Saifullahi Usman, represented by Esther Nwankwo, made this known at an event to mark the 2023 International Day for Street Children.

The event jointly organised by YAADA, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and Street Children’s Parliament, was an awareness campaign in Nigeria to commemorate the day.

The day was set aside by the United Nations to amplify the voices of millions of children on the street abandoned in their vulnerabilities whose rights are violated.

He said, “It is in view of the above that we wish to embark on a campaign to take one million children and youths off the streets by empowering them to go back to school, acquire skills, engage in sports, and psychosocial support for survivors of drug abuse.

“We intend to achieve this by partnering with the ministry and ensuring vulnerable children identified to benefit from the alternative school programme.”

According to him, one million children is just five per cent of the 20 million out-of-school children in Nigeria,” he said.

Also speaking, Head of Special Duties in the Humanitarian Ministry, Nadia Muhammed, said it was sad to see millions of children in the world, and Nigeria in particular living on streets.

She said, “In light of the above and for social inclusivity of leaving no one behind, the ministry, under the leadership of Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouk has started a programme called the Alternate School Programme to cater to street children and Out-of-School Children.”