NAS Street Child Project Champions Access to Education for Vulnerable Children

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), Sahara Deck, in collaboration with the Zero Meridian Deck, UK, has launched a humanitarian intervention tagged “NAS Street Child Project” at the LEA Primary School, Dakibiyu, Jabi, Abuja, as part of its national advocacy campaign in support of street children and in commemoration of World Literacy Day.

The project, aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, forms part of NAS’s broader Back-to-School Initiative which seeks to reintegrate indigent children into classrooms and create a conducive learning environment for them.

Speaking at the event, Capoon of the Sahara Deck, Chike Onyia, explained that the initiative was born out of a commitment to give every child the opportunity to learn, regardless of economic background.

“We are here today to identify children who have dropped out of school due to poverty and bring them back to class. We’ve paid school fees for some of these pupils and renovated classrooms to encourage attendance,” Onyia said.

He also urged government authorities to step up efforts in addressing infrastructural and staffing gaps in public schools, lamenting that LEA Primary School, Dakibiyu, has only one teacher for all classes.

“It is unacceptable that a public school has just one teacher. The local education authority must intervene immediately. Even if it means deploying corps members or volunteers to teach, something has to be done,” he added.

In the same vein, Second Mate of the Sahara Deck and Chief Programme Officer, Aloy Atsenokhai, noted that the Street Child Project has been running for over a decade, with a focus on getting children off the streets and into classrooms, while also advocating against drug abuse and homelessness.

“The future of any nation depends on its children. They are not meant for the streets but for classrooms. Beyond advocacy, we also intervene directly by renovating classrooms, providing writing materials, and ensuring that both students and teachers have basic learning and teaching tools,” Atsenokhai said.

He further stressed that the initiative is fully self-funded by members of NAS, emphasizing their commitment to complementing government efforts in improving access to quality education.

The Head Teacher of LEA Primary School, Mrs. Nakiru Anaenyeonu expressed gratitude to the association for transforming the school’s learning environment.

“When I was posted here two years ago, I was shocked by the poor condition of the school. There were no chairs, no tables, and classrooms were empty. But today, thanks to the National Association of Seadogs, two classrooms have been renovated, furniture provided, and the children are happy to return to school,” she said emotionally.

She also appealed to the government and well-meaning Nigerians to emulate the NAS gesture, noting that the pupils, mostly from low-income families, deserve better opportunities.

The NAS Street Child Project is one of the association’s flagship social responsibility initiatives, reinforcing its long-standing advocacy for child education, welfare, and literacy development across Nigeria and beyond.