A non-profit volunteer organisation, Beyond the Classroom, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, has organised an awareness campaign for 6,000 children in Nigeria on COVID-19 safety protocols.
The community engagement is part of the Mastercard Foundation’s ‘COVID-19 Public Awareness Campaign,’ aimed at delivering accurate, timely and life-saving information on COVID-19 across African communities.
The initiative in Nigeria was rolled out in 11 public and private schools in Lagos and Nasarawa. Each child received a free COVID-19 safety pack containing the book ‘There is a New Virus in Town,’ written by Raquel Daniel, founder of Beyond the Classroom, and produced in partnership with the foundation.
The programme educated the schoolchildren on the need to wash their hands regularly with soap or use alcohol-based hand sanitisers, properly wear a face mask and maintain social distance, Raquel stated.
He added that the students were encouraged to motivate their parents and guardians to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the Nigeria Country Head at the foundation, Chidinma Lawanson, the community engagement is the second phase of the NGO’s COVID-19 campaign, aimed at educating children aged seven to 14 years on COVID-19 preventive measures.
She explained that 3,000 children were initially engaged in the first phase of the project last year with a key message to “protect yourself, protect your family, and protect your community #ItsUpToUs.”
Responding, the Principal of Memorial Primary School, Dr Soyemi, said, “We would like to express our appreciation to Beyond the Classroom and the Mastercard Foundation for the kind gesture towards our school. This book will continue to create awareness of COVID-19 and ensure that we carry out the necessary protocols. We will also incorporate this book into our co-curriculum activities.”
