The Almajiri Child Rights Initiative (ACRI) is a non-profit that aims to end the systemic abuse of Almajiri children through access to better healthcare, nutrition, shelter and a reinvigorated educational curriculum that prepares them for a life of dignity in the 21st Century.
ACRILast year, we formally institutionalized May 26 as the Annual Almajiri / Vulnerable Child Rights Day as advocacy strategy to focus the nation attentions to Almajiri crisis to provoke necessary action by relevant stakeholders and the event received favourable feedback, highlighted by a personal statement from the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Ms. Amina J Mohammed and the Danish Ambassador to Nigeria, Torben Getterman.
This was initiated as a set of advocacy activities for remembrance, solidarity and to demand for political accountability and government Commitments for the education and welfare of ALMAJIRI children and all vulnerable kids like IDPs.
The aim is to:
1. Stir the conscience of our political class into developing the political will to address the decades long ALMAJIRI crisis through accountable governance.
2. Increase public conciousness , support and solidarity with innocent children currently caught up in the ALMAJIRI crisis in communities across the country as we acknowledge and accord dignity to every ALMAJIRI child that has been lost or abused, under this condition.
3. Rekindle our sense of humanity and empathy by reminding ourselves that we have moral responsibility to protect and ensure welfare of children in our society, and that no one is immune to societal consequences of the abuse and rights violations of vulnerable children .
4. Assert, as humans, and as citizens, put an end in our docility to no longer condone the ALMAJIRI child Inequality in our society.
As we are still confronted with, and grappling with the reality as mentioned above, we consider it imperative for us to host this event again in 2019 and have scheduled it to hold on the
*26th May (Sunday), 2019.*
*Venue: Unity Fountain Abuja and other locations across the northern states, Katsina, Kano , Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Jos. Etc.*
We invite you to get involved and , request that you kindly save the date and plan to take a lead voice in this campaign as we mark this year’s event.
We will appreciate your kind inputs and advice regarding our planned activities and point of action to spice up the event and develop the initiative.
We must inspire and encourage citizens to be advocates – to continue to demand an end to the dehumanization and indignity of ALMAJIRI children , and to challenge government’s irresponsibility and lack of accountability towards ensuring that Children are protected from abuse, negligence and supposed maltreatment under the care of their parents, guardians and who ever may exert control over them.
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