NGO: In 2017, there’s no reason why any Nigerian child should go to school hungry

Live Abundantly Empowerment Initiative (LAEI), a charity organisation, has said it is unbefitting for Nigeria to still have children who go hungry to school.

Ama Onyerima, founder of the charity organisation, said this during a recent press parley to announce LAEI’s projects for 2017.

The organisation is dedicated to protecting and helping women and children from societal abuse.

Onyerima said: “The works we endeavour to do are in Nigeria for the women and the children. Live abundantly initiative started officially last year and the objectives are that we create a platform where the advocate for women and children is paramount to us,” Onyerima explained.

“We want to address issues that violate the civil liberties of women and children; so domestic violence and all the other ills which are prevalent in the society.

“The second objective for us is being able to address the issue of children that are marginalised by poverty as well as by birth defects.

“Third, we strive to empower women by offering them andragogical studies (adult education). Those are our three main goals.”

The Lagos-based organisation came into existence in 2016.

“We want to create a platform where children that are marginalised are included as members of the society and get education that is due to them; they are human beings and we must pay attention to them.

“The other issue is poverty, there are many children in Nigeria who are not going to school. The adequate resources that they need like food or clothing are not provided and that needs to be addressed.

“There is absolutely no reason in 2017 why children should go to school hungry or without clothing or shoes. It is time for Nigerians to take responsibility for themselves and for their welfare,” said the life coach based in Los Angeles, US.

Peter Boyo, a member of the board, added that the organisation is focused on women and children but includes the environment where we have men or boy-children.

“The programme will start in the south west, hopefully, the programmes that we initiate will be replicated in other areas but you have to start somewhere, you can’t take on the entire country.

“We visit destitute centre in Idimu, it is a centre for children who have been discarded by their families because they have physiological differences, birth defect. All of us have been a patron of that organisation and we want to extend to place whereby education is being provided for these children.

“Why should we throw away children just because they look and appear different?

“Children with special needs should get the education they are entitled to being citizens of this world. You are entitled to civil liberties, to respect regardless of who you are, what you are, how you look, religious creed or your socio-economic status, it is about respect and safety.”

The organisation will in March organise a symposium that will involve secondary school children who will be enlightened on why it is inappropriate to mistreat women and the voiceless in the society.