A non-governmental organisation, Justice, Peace and Development Commission (JPDC) has inaugurated Child’s Rights Clubs in 20 selected secondary school to help in the enforcement of child right law in the state.
The event was held in Ibadan on Tuesday to commemorate this year’s Universal Children’s Day celebration.
While welcoming guests to the event, the Director of the Commission, Rev. Fr. Ezekiel Ade Owoeye, disclosed that the initiative was put together to raise awareness among school children on the existence of laws that provide for the protection of their rights.
Part of the highlights of the event was the presentation of educational items to some indigent students in the selected schools to take care of their academic needs for the session. The items included school bags, textbooks, notebooks and cash for their tuitions.
The Catholic priest also announced that the commission would soon start an empowerment programme to set up indigent parents whose poor income status is affecting the academic progress of their children.
He added that the assistance will come in form of soft loans, which the beneficiaries will utilize to boost their businesses and ultimately help them to take responsibilities on their children’s education.
“We have found out that many of the parent who don’t seem to take responsibility over their children’s education are not as irresponsible as we think they are. Some of them fail in their duties because they don’t have the means.
“This is why we are initiating the project to help lift them out of poverty so that they will be able to play their role effectively as responsible parents,” he noted.
Rev. Fr. Owoeye described the commission as a non-governmental entity set up to provide succor to people in need irrespective of their race, faith and ethnic affiliations.
The commission had inaugurated the first batch of the clubs in October 2016,
