The United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported in May 2005 that more than 7.3 million Nigerian children of school age were not in schools. The ugly statistic has its grave social consequences, including the spiraling rate of illiteracy and the dramatic rise in crimes committed by homeless street kids in Nigeria’s major towns and cities.
Across Nigeria, there are millions of children who are neither cared for nor have the prospects of personal fulfillment for the future. Their forlorn outlook paints a graphic portrait of their state of helplessness. Bereft of hope and cut off from the sustenance of family ties, these children roam the streets in a daze. They appear unkempt, emaciated, a picture of innocence defiled. Speak to them and they reveal a total absence of hope regarding their future. They make their “homes” in some of the filthiest, most dangerous parts of cities and towns, including abandoned buildings, underneath overhead bridges, and near refuse dumps which they scavenge for food.
They usually retire to their dangerous “abodes” at dusk and dash out early in the morning before they are seen by the prying eyes of the police or rightful owners of some of the structures that serve as haven.
In a country where the vast majority of the populace is racked by abject poverty, the state of street children is particularly grim.
Fela Awosika, a photojournalist who documents street kids across Nigeria, sets out to keep the future of these disadvantaged children firmly before our eyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment