(By Ishaq Zaki, NAN)
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Reaching and Empowering Adolescents to Make Choice for their Health in Nigeria (REACH), on Saturday sensitised a group of pupils in Gusau on the rights of adolescents.
REACH, a project of Save the Children International (SCI), carried out the sensitisation programme at Ma’ahad Zubairu Binil Awwami Litta’alimil Qur’an Waddirasatil Islamiyya in Gusau.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sensitisation was part of the NGO’s activities to commemorate the 2020 International Universal Day for Children.
Speaking, Hajia Zainab Usman, the Advocacy and Communication Officer in charge of the project, said the event was to enlighten children on how to prepare for their future through studying, honesty and hard work.
She said that there was a need for children to learn good morals and be dutiful to their parents and guardians for them to grow and become responsible adults.
‘You should know that as children, it is your duty to put in more efforts in your studies to be able to further your education and achieve your future ambitions in life,’ she advised.
Usman said children should always report abnormal acts or words from adults or peers to their parents or guardians to avoid being involved in wrong things that could destroy their future.
She urged them not to engage in domestic violence or Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and to report any trace of GBV to their parents and guardians.
‘You should not engage in anything that could harm you or your peers and also not allow any other person to do anything that could harm you physically or psychologically,’ she said.
Usman said that parents should give adequate attention and love to their children as it would help them to grow up to be compassionate and caring adults.
‘Parents and guardians should always provide shoulders for the children to lean on in order for them not to lean on wrong shoulders which could make them to lose focus and become a liability to the society,’ she added.
