By Etop Ekanem

As part of its effort towards making orphans and vulnerable children safe, Nima Memorial Care Foundation has vowed to enhance its charitable operations and activities through welfare benefits.

The Co-founder of the foundation, Mrs Zainab Abdulmalik stated this at the annual symposium/grand ball held recently in Lagos with the theme: “Ensuring the safety and social welfare of children in the society.”

The symposium, organised by the Nima Memorial Care Foundation, sought to honour and perpetuate the work of Nimatallahi Fashipe, whose contributions to child welfare have left a lasting impact despite her untimely death at 30. With hundreds of communities and families touched by her efforts, the foundation aims to ensure that her vision for a safer and more nurturing society for children continues to inspire action.

According to Abdulmalik, children, especially less privileged are faced with numerous challenges ranging from hunger, malnutrition, kidnapping, bullying, domestic accidents among others, adding that the foundation was out to support the prevailing needs of less privileged children, their safety and wellness.

She said: “Although the foundation was founded by Nimatallahi Fashipe who passed on about a year ago, I and her siblings have decided to carry on her legacy.

“My late daughter was passionate about charity. She was interested in the safety and social well-being of the Nigerian child. The only way to keep her memory alive is to immortalise her and focus on empowering orphans and vulnerable children, which she was passionate about.

“Nimatallahi impacted about a hundred street children, and sank boreholes in vulnerable communities in the north, where they lack good water. She visited orphanages and equipped street children with skill acquisition before her demise.”

Abdulmalik stated that her encouragement is improving the lots of orphans and indigent children, adding: “With collaborative efforts, we would safeguard children from less privileged background. Governments play a critical role in safeguarding every child from poverty by strengthening the linkage between cash benefits and other social services.”

She urged government, humanitarian organisations and well meaningful Nigerians to support this cause, noting that they have been able to fund their activities from donations and 10 per cent from late daughter’s soap production factory.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Finance, Kwara State, Dr Hauwa Nuhu, said child’s safety is not just security alone but includes education, well-being and their upbringing.

She said: “The Federal Government is concerned about the safety and security of children and have made an effort to tackle it. For instance in Kwara State, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has shown commitment to creating safe school environments because of his interest in education.

On his part, Director of Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies, Prof. Anthony Kila, appealed to educationalists, government officials, and families to be fully involved in the social welfare of children, adding that this will guarantee a better nation in the future.

Kila said the best way to make children good,”is to make them happy. But what can we do when children face environments that are not only unhappy but dangerous? In unsafe situations, child welfare steps in to promote safety and security for children across the nation.

“It is the responsibility of individuals, organisations, and governments to ensure that children are protected from harm and their rights respected. This includes providing a safe environment for children to grow and develop, protecting them from physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and ensuring they have access to education, healthcare, and resources to fulfil their basic needs.

“Child welfare is a continuum of services designed to ensure that children are safe and that families have the necessary support to care for their children successfully.”

However, the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Lagos, Bishop Adegbite Stephen said children’s view should be heard and considered in any society.

He said: “As religious leaders, we have a duty to ensure they are safe and given support, especially to the vulnerable children in the society. Children and young people have the same general human rights as adults and also specific rights that recognise their special needs. Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their rights.”