“LISTEN TO US”

PROGRAMME FOUR

NARRATOR: Listen to Us

SIGNATURE TUNE:

NARRATOR: “Listen to Us” is a programme about the plight of

children. It is aimed at bringing awareness to parents,

authorities and the society in general on issues

concerning us. Stay tuned.

SIGNATURE TUNE (MUSIC)

HYPE

TESTIMONY

Peace be upon you. My name is Tanimu Sa’id. I am a student studying the Holy

Qur’an. I was brought to Sharada in Kano when I was three years old. I am now

ten years old. I have read up to the third chapter of the Holy Qur’an. The first

challenge I faced was parting with my parents. I don’t get what to eat often. I

sometimes don’t eat breakfast at all, even lunch sometimes, I don’t eat. I don’t

have anywhere to sleep. We don’t have shoes to wear. When we go begging in

the evening someone will follow us, big boys will take our food and then we

come back and have nowhere to sleep. Sometimes we get a shop, maybe a

mosque and sit there. Motor cars or motorcycles will run some of us down and

there will be no one to take us to the hospital. When we fall ill no one will take

us to the hospital. Our Islamic teacher is not in a position to help us. There is

nothing any of us can do. We see other children being taken to school and I

don’t have that opportunity. In the morning, children will be taken to school

there is nothing we can do. We have to go begging and it is their leftover that is

given to us. I want to go to the conventional school but there is no one to

sponsor me. I want to become a journalist.

HYPE

NARRATOR- Here is Hajiya Rakiya Yahaya Sani, the President of the

child Almajiri empowerment support initiative (CAESI).

HAJIYA RAKIYA-The Qur’an learners are normal children. If they are

supported, they will go anywhere other children go. When

they came under our care, they couldn’t even get pap, but

now they will take breads and butter as breakfast and your

will see them licking their lips. They also know what sweat

is. All children are the same. When they are pampered they

enjoy it. This organization is a coalition; we came together

and started this pilot project in Sharada with these children.

We took permission from the district head and their Islamic

teachers. It has reached a stage now when we are teaching

them and it’s time to close, they don’t want to go, they want

to go on learning. God has given us the opportunity to train

our own children. Let us by the grace of God make these

children have the same opportunity our children have. Let us

reduce drug abuse by helping these children. We have not

overstepped our boundaries. We have not in any way

stopped them from learning the Holy Qur’an. We have them

come here to learn on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

They come between 11am to 11:30am and leave at 2pm.

They come after they have eaten and we give them whatever

is available. Rice and beans, cous-cous with oil and so on.

Whatever God gives us, we give them too. We have not

tempered with their Qur’an learning. If any individual or

individuals or organizations want to help in any way it is

very simple because these children also have dreams. One

wants to become a president. Only God knows what the

future will hold. Given the opportunity no one knows what

will happen. When a commissioner once saw them he said to

one of them. “What will you want to become in future”. And

the boy said “Commissioner”. He said that is good, but

becoming a commissioner will not be possible unless you

study very well. The boy said “OK”. If he is determined and

there is no one to help, there is nothing he can do. Someone

else said he wants to be president, another, a Governor. May

God help them and bring someone to assist them. Every day

they want to achieve more. They don’t look back. If things

get tough I tell them to go back and pray over the problem.

They tell me they do it. I am proud of the fact that they want

to achieve in life. God says man was made to struggle. The

way these kids struggle is what endears them to me. They

are trying and you have seen them. Everything they get

today they give thanks to God. Sometimes we take thing for

granted, but they don’t look at things like that. That is why I

and the coalition members are very proud of them.

NARRATOR- You heard Hajiya Rakiya Yahaya Sani, the President of the

child Almajiri empowerment support initiative (CAESI)

Sharada Kano. My name is Ismaila Dahiru

HYPE

SONG

My name is Bashiru Adamu. This is a song we sing when we go out begging

SIGNATURE TUNE (Music)

NARRATOR

We have come to the end of this edition of the programme “Listen to Us” for

this week. On behalf of Ahmad Alhassan Dankurmi the studio Manager.

Mohammed Ibrahim and Maimuna Muhammad Hayatuddeen the Producers.

Halima Balarabe is the supervisor of the programme. Special thanks to Radio

Nigeria Kaduna, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in persons

and other related offences, that is NAPTIP Kano Zonal Office with support

from UNICEF. For those who have listened and want to comment you can text

your messages to these numbers 08056844059 or 07035966957 or you can

email us at asauraremufrcn@yahoo.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

My name is Abdullahi Dahir.

SIGNATURE TUNE (MUSIC)