…says children remain vulnerable to impact of flooding

By Gabriel Ewepu

AN international nonprofit organization, Save the Children International, SCI, Friday, appealed to the state and federal governments to urgently address rising issues of floods and other climate change challenges across the country.

Speaking during the launch of ‘Generation Hope campaign launch’ in Abuja, the Advocacy, Campaign and Policy Manager Save the Children, International, Ifedilichukwu Ekene Innocent, said climate change is occurring at rates faster than anticipated.

The campaign was launched under the theme ‘Generation Hope campaign launch’.

He said, “We have a tradition of branding our campaigns according to global trends, in recognizing the impact of climate change on almost all aspects of children’s lives, the new campaign, Generation Hope, was launched in 2022.

“Nigerian children participated in a worldwide consultation that was meant to garner children’s views on the climate crisis, leading to the Generation Hope flagship report. On our part, we are constantly reviewing our organizational in house policy on climate change.”

According to him, the policy recognizes and commits to collective and responsible roles in promoting environment-friendly measures in our workspace, limiting the environmental footprint generated by our work.

“Generation Hope is our global campaign for and with the children. We’re calling for urgent action on the climate crisis and inequality to create a safe, healthy and happy future for children.The campaign envisions a world that cares for children and their planet by demanding action to address the connected crises of economic inequality and the climate emergency.”

“We want to contribute to reducing the impact of climate change and inspire public and political action to guarantee children’s right to a clean and safe environment in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, Acting Country Director; Director of Advocacy, Campaign, Communication and Media; Save the Children International Nigeria Mr Amanuel Mamo said, “Save the Children is a leading international child rights organization, operating in over 120 countries.

Since its establishment in 1919, 104 years ago) our organization has been tirelessly working towards the betterment of children’s lives through various means, including education, protection, healthcare, food security, and livelihoods.

“We operate in both development and humanitarian contexts, striving to make a positive impact on children’s well-being. Save the Children International has been actively working in Nigeria since 2001, and we currently have offices in 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

“Nigeria, like many other countries, is facing the harsh realities of climate change. Temperature increases, variable rainfall, rising sea levels, drought, desertification, extreme weather events, and loss of biodiversity are just some of the challenges this great nation is grappling with.

“Unfortunately, women and children, who are the most vulnerable, bear the brunt of these adverse effects, many children have experienced and are experiencing the devastating impact of climate change first-hand, such as extreme.

“However, temperatures, flooding, erosion, landslide, and drought – resulting in an increased inequality, displacement or migration of communities, crop failure, low food production/hunger, extreme poverty, malnutrition, conflict and lack of access to basic social and development services including education, health and protection services.

“Other children are seeing children and communities in other countries who are suffering the impact of the climate crisis.I consider climate crisis as a global emergency. Hence, all States and Governments need to very closely look at how and what they can do differently in order to minimize the effect of the global emergency called, climate change”, he added.

“Considering these urgent concerns, Save the Children International Nigeria is delighted to launch a campaign called ‘Generation Hope.’

“The primary objective of this campaign is to enhance climate actions and secure commitments from the Government of Nigeria, stakeholders and partners to invest in child-sensitive interventions.

“We aim to contribute to building climate resilience for children, their families, and communities through shock responsive measures, we also seek to drive political commitments and accountability to address the imminent climate crisis, limit global warming, and promote effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.

“In our pursuit of these ambitious goals, we are also proud to share that Save the Children released its Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change (ESCC) Policy in 2019. This cross-functional policy outlines our organization’s aspirations for improving climate actions.

 “Through this policy, we seek to empower children’s climate campaigning and advocacy, particularly those who are most affected by inequality and discrimination.

 “Therefore, it was with great pleasure that we extended our invitation to each one of you, esteemed stakeholders, to participate in the ‘Generation Hope’ campaign. By joining forces and acting together, we can create a sustainable future for Nigerian children.”