Children’s Day: How Elizabethan Humanitarian Life is Rewriting History 

Raheem Akingbolu, who has been following the activities of a non-profit organisation, Elizabethan Humanitarian Life (H&H) Foundation, that chooses the unusual path of focusing on the challenges faced by children, especially the male gender, in the society, writes on how the foundation is leveraging local and global children-focused activities to make a statement on why the society must not pay lip service to issues that concern the children in general and the male gender in particular
 
 
The United Nations is not oblivious of the need to protect the wellbeing of the children. The world organisation is concerned about the more than 2.6 million young people aged 10 to 24 that die each year in the world. These deaths are mostly due to preventable causes such as substance abuse. A 2022 report by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime in Nigeria indicates that 14.4% (14.3 million) of people aged between 15 and 64 years abuse drugs. Most of these people are within the category of boy-child and young adults.
 
To confirm the organization’s concern for the children it set out the International Children’s Day to recognise children all over the world. World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated on November 20theach year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare. The UN considers “November 20th as an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
 
Since 1990, World Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children’s rights. According to the organisation “Mothers and fathers, teachers, nurses and doctors, government leaders and civil society activists, religious and community elders, corporate moguls and media professionals, as well as young people and children themselves, can play an important part in making World Children’s Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations.” Consequently, “World Children’s Day” offers each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.”

Children’s Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually in honor of children, whose date of observance varies by country. For instance, China celebrates Children’s Day on June 1, while Japan celebrates theirs on May 5, and Britain celebrates theirs on August 20. In Nigeria, May 27th of every year is set aside for Children’s Day. Although it is not a general public holiday, the day is set aside to honor the younger generation and, thus, primary and secondary children are given a day off from school. In addition to the festivities and celebrations of Children’s Day, this date also serves to recognize that all minors and children have the right to health, education, and protection
 

Following the UN demand encouraging all persons including civil society organisations to engage in advancing the cause of the children, a Nigerian non-governmental organisation, Elizabethan Humanitarian Life Foundation, otherwise known as H&H Foundation,  was recently launched to promote the wellbeing of the children with emphasis on the male gender. According to the Founder of the organisation Mrs. Oyinade Samuel-Eluwole, H&H Foundation is a non-governmental organisation,  NGO,  that is set to identify, rehabilitate and provide succor for those children who are unfulfilled, disconnected, rejected, dejected and disillusioned from society with a distraught feeling towards life. “We are  passionate about children in general, but to be very effective in our chosen operations, we are focusing on the male gender. We commemorate this year’s Children’s Day by joining The Feeders Foundation at the Slum to celebrate with the children. 

“We will also continue our advocacy by drawing the world’s attention to some quiet and salient areas, particularly about the male gender,  that could cost us all the essence of humanity, if there is no intervention such as we have in this foundation. We are happy that the world set out a Day to recognise the pains and the concerns of children. And we are celebrating Children’s Day in Nigeria, just like the rest of the world.”

 
Prof. Emevwo Biakolo, the Founding Dean of the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, commended Nigeria alongside other countries of the world for instituting the Children’s Day to recognise the special needs of the children and their plight. The Emeritus professor of communication, who is also a US trained and licensed Marriage Counsellor and Therapist, highlighted the core issues of concern about children generally, and the male-gender roles and social expectations in particular. He underscored the consequences of the social environment, especially youth consumption of social media content on children. He said that the effect of absentee fathers in the training of the males is telling on their overall growth, and impinges on their relationships with the girl-child when they eventually get married.
 

The plight of the children in general, and the male gender in particular, is not just an intellectual exercise, it also assumes an existential proportion. Mrs Folake Sanu, CEO, FS Global Consulting, and former Executive Director, Wema Bank Plc., knows this as she also shares in the celebration of the Children’s Day, especially with a focus on the male gender. 

She expressed happiness for the establishment of the Elizabethan Humanitarian Life (H&H) Foundation in Nigeria to cater for the interest of the children. According to her, society’s perception of masculinity contributes to the challenges that the male gender faces,from cradle up to marriage; and in their old age. “The society sees the male child as very strong, and hence the emotional and psychological state of the child is usually not put into consideration. The male child is expected to live some stereotypical life, and there are some people who believe that there is a specific way behind how a boy should behave – a boy is supposed to be strong, and from childhood he is not supposed to cry, his emotions are suppressed. 

Usually, the boys gravitate more to their mothers, while the general belief is that their fathers should be the ones to guide them accordingly through life. Unfortunately, most often, their fathers are so busy with work and business that they do not have much time to provide the necessary guidance for the male child. This is why the growing attention on the male gender through the recognition of a special international day and the establishment of the Elizabethan Humanitarian Life (H&H) Foundation to cater for their wellbeing in Nigeria, is a welcome development”.

The plight of the children is conspicuous in all parts of the Nigeria – with specific manifestations in the north as the Almajiri phenomenon, and child labour in the form of trading in the south. Mallam Ahmad Sajoh, former Adamawa State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, who shared his concern about the Almajiri phenomenon said that we owe it to the children to ensure their wellbeing in health, education, social provision, etc. He lamented the tragedy of the Almajiri phenomenon as a scourge that must be eliminated from Nigerian society. 

He supported Mrs. Sanu’sview about the society’s perception of the male child when he said that “We are making a mistake by thinking that the physical strength of a man is equal to his psychological and emotional strength. We believe that men can bear pain without expressing emotions. This is the kind of ideas that the Children’s Day and the Elizabethan Humanitarian Life (H&H) Foundation are set out to correct.” 

This same story is rehearsed in the South East where children, particularly the male gender prefer delving into trading and business without paying much attention to their education. Barrister Emeka Anolefo, who has practiced law for many years, said that the Children’s Day should be a day to reflect on the wellbeing of the children. He endorsed the establishment of Elizabethan Humanitarian Life (H&H) Foundation to focus on drawing the society and government attention to the plight of the children. He lamented the growing trend in the South East Nigeria where many young boys would prefer trading and business to education because of the motivation to make money.

 
The patron of the H&H Foundation Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, OON, expressed his gratitude to the international community for recognising a Day for the children. He also commended the Founder of the H&H Foundation for the boldness she took to  establish the NGO to cater for children and the male gender in Nigeria. The Chairman of Elizade Motors and Founder of Elizade University said that this is a clarion call to the fathers and the society at large to take the training of the children as seriously as possible
 
He pleaded with parents to please show love to their children as no one knows what they will become in life. He admonished those that have been neglecting the male-child to turn a new leaf. “I am happy that Children’s Day is a day set out to recognise the concern and wellbeing of the children. I hope everyone will truly understand and value this day and use it properly to upscale the lives of our children,” he said.