Today, Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark The International Day of Education. January 24 every year is set aside by the UN to throw its searchlight on Education which is a human right, a public good, and a public responsibility.
Without inclusive and equitable quality education, there won’t be measurable progress in society.
According to the UN, 244 million children and youths are out of school, and 771 million adults are illiterate. What happens to their right to education?
It would interest you to know that the theme for this year’s celebration is ‘To invest in people, prioritize education’.
So now permit me to go local. What’s the state of education in Nigeria? Is education qualitative, affordable, and inclusive? The answer to this question I believe is on your lips!
Recently, I saw something that brought tears to my eyes. Some pupils in a Government Primary School in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria were made to roll out the drums because an NGO donated water to their school. Aren’t schools expected to have pipe-borne water? It was even more comical that their teachers dressed in Aso-ebi to celebrate their ‘big day’. See, education must be prioritized if we want to take our place in national development!!!
In conclusion, I celebrate every child, youth, and adult undergoing one level of education or the other in Nigeria.
So self-advocate Favour didn’t complain about her disability and ill-treatment from the church. Rather, she sensitized the leadership of the Anglican community. Today, she hosted me to an interview at ACNN TV (owned by the church) to speak about “Cerebral palsy” and “Down syndrome”. Hope is rising I’m me. God bless you Ms. Favour
AS Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate 2022 World Cerebral Palsy Day, a nonprofit organization, Engraced Ones Prayers Support and Advocacy Initiative, EOPSAI, has called on Federal Government and Nigerians to focus attention on children with special needs.
The Convener, EOPSI, Biby Yinkere, made the call during a sensitization and awareness walk, which started from the popular Wuse Market in Abuja city-center and terminated at the ever-busy Berger Area of Abuja, and the month of October has been declared Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
This year’s theme of the Day is ‘Millions of Reasons’ while the focus is on ‘Technology that makes Lives of those living with Cerebral Palsy Better’.
In Nigeria, according to reports over 2,000 cases of Cerebral Palsy are discovered annually.
Cerebral Palsy is referred to as a group of disorders that affect muscle movement and coordination, therefore leading to vision, hearing, and sensation problems in the child.
The word cerebral has to do with the brain while palsy means weakness and inability to move the body.
I count the constant opportunities given freely to us by the media to share our experiences as special parents and advocates for special needs in Nigeria. We didn’t just share our encounters but the challenges our children are faced with and our successes as well.
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Life is a roller coaster of learning experiences from which we would never graduate.
– Biby Yinkere
From the quotes above, I’m sure you already get the drift of this post.
Along the line in our advocacy, we discovered we were, and still are, ‘unlearned’ in the game. The knowledge of this didn’t stop us from striving to create a change in Society.
However, one of the things God does when He sees an unskilled but willing vessel is to introduce him or her to destiny helpers who will help ‘sharpen’ his own for His chosen assignment.
It was a miracle when we came across the Leprosy Mission Nigeria. We’re glad to be ‘mentees’ of such a formidable organization that has made a tremendous impact in renewing hope and giving life to despondent people.
In what we consider a very interactive and mind-drilling retreat in Port -Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, which lasted four (4) days, Alex who is a co – laborer in the Engraced Ones ( A Support Group for Special Needs), and I, got the opportunity to learn about Project Cycle Management.
Suffice it to say, it won’t be business as usual in our daily operations at the Engraced Ones because we met the ones who were able to ‘lighten our darkness’. The full impact of the Training won’t be anything you can read from a post but rather, the improved impact you’ll be seeing in the outcome of what we’d do in the disability space and in society at large.
It was also a fantastic opportunity to network with other organizations across the Nation, of Nigeria.
Wow! We’re here to say a big thank you to the Management of The Leprosy Mission Nigeria for this wonderful opportunity to un-learn, re-learn and re-fire!
