Today is the Day of the African Child, a celebration triggered by the Soweto Massacre of 1976.
While the general theme is on equal access to water and sanitation, the Nigerian theme is on equal access to education, care, and support for the child.
The Reality of the Nigerian Child
Here, the child is endangered. From discrimination in the place of birth to outright abandonment during the growing years. The child is raised in poverty, squalor, poor nutrition, non-functional education, misinformation, and an overdose of religious fanaticism.
In these days, the child’s rights are simply trampled upon, and the parents can’t do much.
People will make reference to the days gone by, when children were loved by their parents. When child care was the responsibility of parents, family members, and society. When the child was sent to functional schools, treated in good hospitals, slept in homes, and was loved.
Rebuilding a Better Future
Today, government, nongovernmental organisations, and religious groups are trying to re-invent the good days of the Nigerian child.
We need to remember that no child asked to be born. We make these children, so they must be taken care of.
The various governments must create the enabling environment for the proper training, care, and support of the child.
WAWA’s Commitment
The West African Women Association (WAWA) organises seminars, workshops, training, and supervision for mothers and families on child care.