Kaduna (Nigeria) – Women in Kutugare Afaka (Mando Area) community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna state have decried the absent of secondary school as well as school uniforms, desk and books for their primary school pupils, calling on government and well meaning Nigerians for a timely intervention.
They also call for the rebuilding of the primary six classroom block which has collapsed for years without any attempt by government to rebuild.
Women Leader of the community, Adama Mohammed made the call on Monday when Tamar Love Foundation (Non-Governmental Organization) visited the community to celebrate the International Day of Rural Women observed on fifteenth of October every year.
The essence of the visitation was to teach women on personal hygiene, nutrition, empower as well as to distribute some items to them.
According to the women leader, “What we are worried about is the lack of secondary school and we feel the state government is not worried about us. We don’t have secondary school for our children to attend, there is lack of school uniforms, and the children don’t have chairs and desks while our primary six classroom building has collapsed.”
She however noted that, their wards trek long distance for about 1000 miles from their area to Mando to attend secondary school saying the roads are not very safe for them. She said, “now that there is high rate of road accidents, kidnapping, and raping, if the state Governor, Mallam Naris El-Rufai will build secondary school for us, our children will not be expose to unnecessary hardship and dangers.
She however appealed to the Kaduna state government and other NGOs to come to their aid by erecting secondary schools for the community to avoid their children from been expose to social vices.
While making her remarks, President of Tamar Love Foundation, Mrs. Tessy Dibal said in this current dispensation and as small-scale farmers in charge of ensuring adequate nutrition for families, rural women are at the centre of the challenge.
She said rural women play a critical role in the rural economies of both developed and developing countries as this Day directs attention to both the contribution that women make in rural areas and the many challenges they are face with.
“We are here to in Kutugare community to empower you women and to teach you on how to take care of your home, children and on how to use the little resources or products from your farms to make nutrition foods.
“Women always participate in crop production, livestock care, provide food, water for their families and engage in off-farm activities to diversify their families’ livelihoods and even carry out vital functions in caring for children, older persons and the sick.
According to her, Women in the cities easily get access to information through Television, social media among others than women in the rural communities, hence the need to take the enlightenment campaign to them; noting that, if the women in rural area learns about hygiene and how to keep their body and environment clean, there will be less outbreak of diseases and infections.
She also added that, “You can see, the women do not have enough money to buy much things they need but they can use the little they have to cover more area on diet. Some of the women have these goods but they do not know how to make use of them to bring a good nitrite food.
She further called on other NGOs to visit rural communities and sensitized them on the basic things of life which could improve their living standard.
Items distributed to the women include cartons of Maggi, bags of salts, detergents and tooth paste among others.
