Vision: A society where the rights and general welfare of the child are duly observed and protected.
Mission: Promoting the fundamental human rights and general welfare of the child, encouraging the acceptance and practice of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
We are working to promote the rights and welfare of children. In Sokoto State many children like anywhere else in Nigeria are used by their parents as source of generating income. Many children by the age of five can be seen walking in the streets begging or hawking boiled eggs, peanuts, water, cigarettes or working on the road side food areas with their mothers.
Many parents would rather not send their children to school but instead they will make these children work and get money to feed the family. There are many children who are working in the markets as “barrow boys”. These children will be pushing wheelbarrows around the market hoping to get customers who will need their services. The loads at times are too heavy for the children but they have to do it if they are to take any money back home.
The girl-children have more problems, especially the ones who hawk their wares in “mummy markets”. Apart from clients not willing to pay for the goods they take from them, the young girls are very often molested by the male customers. For example, a male customer may buy boiled eggs and refuse to pay. The girl will ask for her money and the man will ask the girl to sleep with him if she really wants to be paid for her boiled eggs. The problem is that if the girl returns home without the money, the mother may beat her up and demand the money. In this case the girl is caught in the middle - if she refuses the man, she does not get paid and will have to face the wrath of her mother - and in most cases the girls would rather give in than go home without that money.
Asking parents to send their children to school is often not easy, as they will ask who will supplement the income that will be lost when the children are sent to school instead of hawking.
Our organisation is trying to work closely with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF office in Sokoto in order to find a solution to this problem.
Abubakar A Abdulganiyu founded the Save The Child Initiative in 2001. He is a graduate in Medical Micro-Biology and is passionate about health and emergency management issues. This passion was born out of the fact that he was born in a community where very little attention is paid to health, particularly personal and environmental hygiene, which has greatly exposed the communities to health hazards and made the inhabitants vulnerable to infections and outbreak of diseases.
He has participated in various emergency management operations including the Zamfara State flood disaster in 2001 and played an active part in the National Youth Forum on HIV/AIDS Abuja, 2004 which was jointly organized by the United Nations System in Nigeria and the National Action Committee on Aids (NACA).
Abubakar A Abdulganiyu is currently the State Coordinator of the National Youth Network on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NYNETHA). More details about the awards his work has received can be found on the News Page.
Background: Save The Child Initiative (STCI), Sokoto was founded in October 2001 and registered with the Sokoto State Government on 22nd January 2002.
Vision and Mission Statement - see top of page.
Motto: “Promoting the Child’s Development”
STCI is a non-profit making, non-governmental voluntary organization promoting the overall development of the child through advocacy, public enlightenment as well as sensitization. It is also an advocate for policies and legislation that promote the right of the child to decent conditions of living as well as protection from all forms of child abuse and neglect.
Love and care
Patriotism
Gender and cultural sensitivity
Mutual respect and trust
Transparency and Accountability
Gender equity
Dedication and Commitment to duty
The objectives of the organization are: -
To empower parents socially, educationally and economically to be able to provide for the basic needs of their children.
To conduct researches, needs assessment, survey and baseline study to ascertain areas that require urgent improvement and/or further development in the community.
To promote the survival, Growth, Protection, development and participation of the child through advocacy and public enlightenment.
To educate parents, youths and children on reproductive and other health issues through the assistance of health workers.
To work in collaboration with other development partners at local, nation and international levels.
To organize fund raising activities so as to raise funds to achieve its objectives.
To embark on child rescue programmes and activities for example First Aid and emergency response.
Identify and develop related activities/efforts to ensure the promotion of rights and welfare of the child. Promote the overall growth, survival, development, protection and participation of all children wherever they may be.
Promote the acceptance and observance of the United Nations Convention on the rights of child through Advocacy, Enlightenment activities, health education as well as lobbying for passage of appropriate legislations that promote the child's interest. Organize capacity-building workshops, skills training and other social activities to keep the child fit.
Establish Adult Education Centers for parents and ensure that girls are not only sent to schools but also retained in schools till they attain a reasonable level of education.
Discourage Child Abuse and street hawking through Advocacy and Awareness creation.
To uphold relevant sections and sub-sections of international treaties, charters, strategies and conventions aimed at improving the child's development.
HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns and reproductive health education for parents, youth and children to catch them young.
Advocacy and sensitization on prevention of mother to child (Vertical) transmission of HIV/AIDS.
We are also collaborating with the following organisations:
The Coordinator,
Save the Child Initiative (STCI)
No. 49 Sultan Bello Road
Old Market, P.O Box 2552
Sokoto State NigeriaTel: +234 805 4517480/+234 803 5668238/+234 803 4196960
+234 804 5463541/+234 804 3351369/+234 806 5585929.
