Some choose the corporate sector, some choose business, some entertain others with their beauty and words. Yet, there are people who are concerned with making a difference in the lives of many around them, those, whom the society generally looks upon as ‘STREET TOUTS”.Children who because of their unfortunate lottery in life,have been placed in the precarious position to live on the streets.
Comfort Alli is one of such persons who has been associating and interacting with these street children for several years. Having done her graduation from the University of Nigeria Nsukka,where she read Geography. She also has a Diploma in Human Resource Management from The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and also an Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Management .She is currently the executive director of Street Child Care Welfare Initiative(SCCWI).
She confides in Daily Sun on her challenges so far: What is the goal of your organization? Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative aims at improving and protecting right and lives of street children in Lagos, through participative education, workshops, sports and social / health awareness projects. SCCWIís mission is also to encourage social and family rehabilitation through long term reintegration programs.
Your own personal goal? For me, it ís all about Caring. I am more drawn to children and i have made it a point of duty to educate and continue to encourage education of children. If we say we want a better future, how will we achieve that without education? And it starts now, not tomorrow, not later. I care, so am working to see it achieved, though am starting small but i know the future is bright, i see the stars.
What are the specific problems your organization addresses? Basically, SCCWI addresses issues of street children through 3 different but unlimited ways. We Rescue- The SCCWI team visit places where there are vulnerable children. Places where these children call home like Kuramo beach, Under Oshodi Bridge, Ijora Bridge, Ikotun, Abattoir Oko-Oba etc. There we talk to the children, interview them, feed them (we have come to realise that these children will not listen to us on empty stomach), we also counsel them.
The team go ahead and rescue children that are willing to leave the street. The ones that want to go back home are taken home, while those that we can not make immediate contact with their parents are taken to the SCCWI home in Yaba and the police is informed. We Nurture- The SCCWI centre has been taking care of children from all over.
We provide the bare necessities of life; food, clothing, shelter, education, psychosocial support, health need etc. The children are encouraged to participate in every decision making and action that affects their lives, by assisting them to know the key to become independent and to be able to contribute to their environment.
They undergo leadership and entrepreneurship trainings to enable them stand out in their chosen career. We do this through partnership and our intervention is not limited only to the children living in the centre but also those still on the street. We Reintegrate-SCCWI has been able to achieve tangible results in our overall mission, we have been able to trace and locate over 50 families of children in our home and those on the street especially families living outside Lagos.
Children have been reunited with their families and constant follow up is been done under our Reunification program. We also intend to keep sponsoring these children even after they have been reintegrated back home so they will not look back at the streets and see it as attractive. Your priorities in life? Being part of the change i want to see. How do you gain the confidence of these street children? To gain the confidence of this children takes time.
From going to meet them on the streets, associate and befriend them over a period of time to showing genuine concern for their plight and making them understand that the future will be better. We also organise programmes involving children from the street and children from regular homes. This gives them opportunity to express themselves and feel wanted and loved.
Their pains and sufferings? Street children are mostly from broken families or poverty stricken families, however ,some are on the street due to their own personal stubbornness and the crave for freedom. These children left home because of poverty, death of parents, family violence, and negligence of the parents, exploitation, rejection, maltreatments and non-recognition by the new wife or husband.
Every street child has a reason for being on the street. Most of them are looking for a better way of life. Or they want to earn money for themselves, or they want to support their families in need. Some of them have been denied a chance to go to school or have dropped out of school and have nothing to do. The family environment is very important in Nigeria.
Some of the children want to return into their family even those who were beaten but are hindered due to fear. School is very important to a lot of them, that ís why they beg and work on the streets to pay their school fee. They earn money by carrying loads, begging, washing windows, conducting danfos (buses), performing music and trafficking drugs.In overcrowded families with lots of children, the child prefers to leave space for the smaller ones.
Some of them do not find other alternatives. Others were separated from their families because of village’s conflict or war, sickness and death of parents, or just abandoned. Lack of basic education, skills, healthy environment, and poverty lead young children with the help of a friend to go to Lagos to find a job and money. As a result, the children hang around the streets, trying to survive.
The children sleep on the beach, on a bench, on wood, on the sand, under a make shift shelter. During the day they beg on the streets, help some market people to load some material, clean the beach for little money, clean cars and find casual jobs. Some of them try to buy water to bath in the morning, some never clean themselves.
Most of the children speak English. Few of them can read and write. No social services are provided, no help for education, no application of laws of the rights of the child. Streets childrenís image is very negative. They are considered as social parasites, small criminals and drug-addicts.
They live on margins of society. There is a lack of information, research, workshops, programmes and services; family breakdown; poverty and socio-economic inequality; an absence of an adequate legal and social framework for the protection of street children and insufficient law enforcement. Street children are exposed to lots of dangers and risks such as: physical and mental violence, drugs, social exclusion, health and care problems, criminality, hunger, lack of self-estee.
They are generally seen as dangerous individuals. What are the most important things these children need now? The list is endless!In general, there is a lack of social welfare. There is a severe lack of financial resources allocated to the protection and promotion of childrenís rights.
There is also a lack of information about specific mechanisms and measures to address their situation. The problem of the legal framework is being addressed through the enactment of a comprehensive children’s statute. This absence of an adequate legal and social framework for the protection of street children and insufficient law enforcement restrains work with street children.
Nigerian law calls for universal basic education throughout the country; however, authorities do not consistently enforce laws on compulsory education. Access to education is hindered by the costs of books, transportation, and uniforms.At SCCWI, I will say, our most pressing challenge is Finance. Most of the set programs can not be achieved if we do not have funds to carry them out.
We also encourage partnership in different programs e.g sports, health drive, book drive/book club, teenagers forum, volunteer, mentorship program etc. We will appreciate both individuals, groups, corporate bodies who can render their support in the aforementioned programs Your future plans and that of your organization? Planning to expand, First, we intend to see the children through the university if we get more sponsors.
Secondly, introduce more vocational training whereby we will be able to accommodate more children within our set age bracket and not be based solely on education as the case is at the moment. We also intend to provide for more street children, this we intend to do by acquiring a bigger property that will enable us do that, not to forget that with expansion comes extra needs, like more staff, more volunteers, more food, cloth, etc all which can not be achieved without sponsors coming in.
But we also intend putting up awareness program to sensitise parents of the dangers the street posses to the children as well as the need to educate their children instead of sending them to hawk on the streets thereby making them vulnerable.Talking about awareness and sensitization, we have already started a monthly Forum for the children and parents in our host community. There we discuss different issues concerning children and parenthood and advice them to spread the news. It is always better to start small than not to do anything at all.
Back in 1993, teen sensational Brandy Norwood burst on the scene with a heedful of braids and an impressive musical range. In the years that followed, she racked up accolades, earned her own TV series, “Moesha,” and various other film and television projects. Earlier this year she reemerged with Monica for the duet,
“It All Belongs To Me” Hip Hop Weekly was on the scene when Brandy performed at the annual Global Fusion Festival in Philadelphia, where she performed along with Kendrick Lamar, Kenny Lattimore, Elle Varner and Luke James. Brandy’s performance demonstrated enormous star power, leaving the crowed anxious for her forthcoming CD, Two Eleven. HHW: How do you feel about your return to the music industry and how do you juggle the numerous responsibilities? Brandy: I’m born to do this.
I have a lot of support with my family and I have a lot of help with my daughter. But it’s all about making quality time for the people that you love and the fans. It balances itself out. Once you have been away for a long time the understanding is better because it’s time to get out there and work. You have a new guy in your life and you seem to be very happy with your relationship? It’s all over my new album.
Music for me is therapeutic so whatever I have gone through is on the album. Music is supposed to come from an honest place, so whatever I am going through is in the music. Love has entered my life in a positive way. Tell us about some of the producers for the forthcoming CD. Frank Ocean is a genius. He’s great to work with; I have always had a good chemistry with him. On the album I also work with Sean Garret, Bangladesh, it’s good to be back doing core R&B music.
Is your album the main project you’re concentrating on right now? I am focusing on making sure the album comes out October 2 because it was pushed back. I am also thinking about going back to “The Game.” I’m trying to find a way to do both simultaneously. What about rapping? Is that something you’re still doing? The rapping is resting in peace…forever (laughs).
Which do you like better, singing or acting? I like them both. I have a passion for music. Music is me whereas acting is more of a challenge because I have to bring a reality and a truth to a character that doesn’t really exist, that’s more artistic. But with singing I don’t’ have to practice as much; it comes naturally to me. The acting is harder. You are a brand new Brandy. How does it feel? I try to stay in the moment as much as possible, but in making my come back, I feel like a brand new artist.
I feel like everything that has happened before hasn’t happened. And I am blessed to be here and share with the crowd at this Global Fusion concert in Philly where we are doing this interview. I take it all in. I’m in that place right now. We know that Whitney Houston meant the world to you. How are you adjusting to her passing? At the BET Awards, I chose the songs that I sang because I couldn’t get through a ballad. The album is going to be called Two Eleven because that was the day that I was born and the day that Whitney passed.
So this was my way of paying tribute to her. I promised her that I would dedicate my life to my music and live my life for purpose. I will pay tribute to her for the rest of my life. Is there any one producer that you really enjoyed working with on this album? Sean Garrett wasn’t afraid to give me something different. He has had 17 number ones and I got right in and we had a good time.
We had a lot of chemistry. But Breyon Prescott (Chameleon Entertainment) made it possible for all of us to get together. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I can’t wait to do the next album and this one hasn’t even come out yet. Since you are doing this concert in Philly, who are some of your favorite Philly artist? Jazmine Sullivan, Meek Mill, Jill Scott, Marsha Ambrosius, Patti Labelle and Bilal.
Every time my guy and I are listening to artist from there he says, “Philly.” And Is ay, “Philly has all the hottest artist!” Shout out to Philly. What has been your favorite movie role? It would have to be Cinderella because I got a chance to work with Whitney Houston and Double Platinum because I got a chance to work with Diana Ross. And that was so interesting because I would just stare at Diana Ross because she just didn’t seem like a real person. But I like playing Chardonnay on “The Game.” She is so ghetto and fabolous and loud and gives me a freedom, so I like her, too.
What about your daughter, Sy’rai? Is she following in your footsteps? She loves to dance and she loves to sing. She told me the other day to ‘make sure that you have my acting classes lined up for my after school activities next year.” She definitely has the bug, but I want to make sure that she is as normal as possible. I want her to get in touch with herself and maybe when she’s… 29, I’ll le her.
You’re here performing in front of a big crowd. Do you get stage fright? I get the stage fright. I go through my moments where I have to pray. I don’t want to talk to anybody, I rock back and forth, I rub my leg, but fear is just an illusion. The moment I step on stage, the courage comes through. Do you have trouble maintaining your identity? I have a great family, I’m close to my mom, I have my dad, normal frie4nds and my daughter loves me for me. It’s about keeping that normal energy around. And I know who I am. I had a chance to take a break and get in touch with myself. I read a lot of self-help books and apply all the positive energy in my life.
It is important for me to be a good person that people want to be around. I’m good. This has been one of the biggest crowds you have performed for in a while. How did you like it? The crowd was unbelievable. They were chanting. From the moment I got here I felt welcome. I like Philly; there are some good people from Philly (hint, hint, hint). What are some of the messages and themes on this album?
The chapters in my life over the past couple of years are represented on this album. But I just don’t sing about my story, I sing other people’s stories, what they go through. It’s definitely a celebration of me coming into my own. “And celebrating love coming back into my life. It’s sexy, too. You’re a fashion icon as well. Do you have any tips for your fans? I don’t have any fashion sense; it’s entirely the stylist! But I do my own makeup. I play around with the different colors.
Eyebrows are important because they frame your face. I like contouring because God forgot to give me a (nose) bridge. I love dressing upon. I like braids, weaves…I just love hair. Hair you can do whatever you feel, long, short, hair is like wardrobe, you can change it all the time. •Culled from Hip Hop Weekly
Despite the controversy and buzz that seemed to have followed the yet-to-be-released blockbuster movie, My Life, My Damage was simply phenomenal and one of her best performances till date. Complimenting on her character in the movie, Dikeh before to the Damage trilogy, showed to many why she is one of the actresses of tomorrow’s Nollywood.
Written and produced by vivacious and amiable actress cum producer, Uche Jombo, My Life, My Damage deals with the consequences of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS. A young lady who lives a reckless life abroad as a drug addict is given a rude shock when she discovers that she’s HIV positive and now has to seek redemption for herself. The movie tells the ugly story of young Dora I whose dream of becoming a medical doctor takes her on a roller coaster of missed steps that eventually defined her life.
A life she wishes could be reversed. Dead to her brother and alien to the world around her, Dora (Tonto Dikeh) choice of relationship brought about reversed romance, one filled with fun but with grave consequences. With an arresting plot, gripping story line and a commendable picture quality, My Life, My Damage showcases an array of international stars including Thomas H. Altman, Dani Palmer and Biola Williams, whose delivery and collaboration with two of Nollywood’s best, Tonto Dikeh and Bukky Wright gave an award-winning performance that made the message in the movie a compelling; delight to follow and easy to comprehend .
Speaking on the movie, the producer, Uche Jombo, said it’s high time Africa began to make movies that can best address some of the ills that has long affected it. “…Yea I agree that My Life, My Damage addresses a social phenomenon that is common to people the world over but like they say “Charity begins at home”. The earlier we begin to inform our children of the dangers of keeping bad company, the better so as to avoid future regret. The HIV/AIDS scourge and drug abuse has devastated many families the world over.
While some contacted the disease through ignorance, others were innocently infected. Set to begin its American tour with its first screening at the Nollywood Film Festival New York (NEA Awards) on September 1, 2012, the movie, directed by Moses Inwang, was set in modern day America. It got its good scenery from the state of Minnesota with some scenes shot in some choice locations in Lagos, Nigeria.
