7Oth Ann: We are committed to children rights – UNICEF ….As Staff Association celebrate with children with special needs
(Cross section of students of Kaduna State Special Education Schools during the get-together with Staff Ass of UNICEF in Kaduna on Friday)
//UNICEF: Shola O, Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria//
AS United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) clock 70 years of impacting lives of children in146 countries of the world, Chief of Field Office, Kaduna, Utpal Moitra has reiterated the commitment of the organization to support children rights to have a better life.
UNICEF’s Water Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist, who stood in for the Chief, Theresa Pama, while addressing cross section of students of Kaduna State Special Education Schools, located at Katsina Road, Kaduna on Friday stressed that, they came to identified with children with special needs because that formed bulk of UNICEF work in about 190 countries and territories where it currently offer voluntary services as it affect mostly children.
According to her, ”we are also celebrating 70th year of UNICEF. We stand for children and the bulk of our work is to promote the right of children to give them a sense of belonging in the society.
“UNICEF exists in about 146 Counties of the world. Apart from supporting the rights of children, we also help the children to reach their full potentials. UNICEF has programmes all day long towards fulfilling those rights”, she stated.
An Instructor with Kaduna State Rehabilitation who also lives with physical disability, Isiaka Isa Ma’aji while charging the students to take their education very seriously, used himself as a case study that, despite his physical challenge, he was able to acquire qualitative education which has helped him to be doing well in his business instead of resolving to begging for alms in the streets.
He said, ‘take up the challenge and don’t fill inferior anywhere you found yourselves. We have a problem at hand already. Beggars are more visible in the main and back streets in Northern Nigeria. We have more beggars here because of their parents’ inability to get them educated.
“Begging for #5, #10 alms cannot solve their problem or rake them anywhere, but education can help you do better in your skills. I’m doing well in my business and I believe anyone of you can,” he stressed.
Reacting, Principal of the school, Hajia Salamatu Shuaib, expressed gratitude to UNICEF Staff Association for selecting her school for the get together, saying a lot still needed to be done in the school to boost the learning morale of children living with physical disability as done to other children.
“Honestly, I’m overwhelmed and so are these children with the coming of UNICEF to identify and associate with these special children by a way of putting some smiles on their faces through get together. Their coming at this time is significant because they have just finished their examinations.
“The state government is doing a lot in the school in recent times as you can see, the school is wearing a new look. But like Oliver Twist, we always want more.
“We are pleading with spirited individuals, corporate organization and government that may want to come in to do so because we still need a lot to be done in the school. For example, we need learning and instructional materials, recreational and social facilities that can boost their morale towards qualitative learning.
“We commend UNICEF for the choice to come here and have fun with these children during this yuletide season for the get together.
“They have also looked into some trivial challenges we have in the school and they have to repair our borehole which has broken down for sometime now. That has put an end to the children going outside the school premises in search of water”, added the principal.