Education as a Vaccine (EVA), a youth-led NGO focused on improving the health and development of children and young people, has called on government to play its part in educating Nigeria’s next generation; during their first annual gala event held recently.
The gala event, titled ‘A Night to Laugh and Learn’ featured notable personalities such as Audu Maikori and Prize of Chocolate City, and comedians Buchi, Senator and ATM from the stables of Basket Mouth’s Baron’s World Entertainment. The Gala held to build awareness amongst Lagosians about the work EVA does on sexual and reproductive health, basic education and child protection, across five states in Nigeria, and reaching over 200,000 children and young people each year.
Speaking on the mission of EVA, the Executive Director, Fadekemi Akinfaderin-Agarau said: “At EVA, we believe that every young person in Nigeria has potential. We work with young people who have been left behind by the system to equip them to make the right choices for their own health and education, and to help them empower themselves and those around them for a better Nigeria.”
Commenting on EVA’s strong commitment to empowering Nigerian youth over its past 13 years, Maikori called on attendees to support and pay attention to EVA’s cause. “I have watched EVA grow over the years and can say, without hesitation, that EVA is touching lives every day,” he said. “I am proud to be associated with an organisation that is so committed to bringing up Nigerian youth where gaps in the system may otherwise see these youth making unsafe choices for their health and development.”
As the title of the event suggested, the night consisted of a balance of laughter and learning, while Buchi cracked ribs trying to position himself as a youth in need of EVA’s support; Eyimofe Onifade, a past beneficiary of EVA’s programming, now working as a successful Human Resources professional, reminded the audience that EVA’s work is no laughing matter. She noted that because of EVA working in her secondary school on the outskirts of Abuja, not a single girl in her grade ended up as a teen mother.
“I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today had it not been for EVA’s support and guidance,” she said. “EVA taught us how to say ‘No’ as teens. It’s something I first used with the boys but soon realised the importance of being able to assert myself. It is something I continue to use every single day of my life.”
Last December, EVA became the first-ever Nigerian organisation to receive the prestigious STARS Foundation Impact award. The organisation was selected from hundreds of applicants for its vital role in tackling the high incidence of HIV infection in Nigeria amongst teens and pre-teens, through its preventive programmes. With $100,000 USD award EVA plans to build a youth centre that will allow it to expand its HIV/AIDS testing and counselling services as well as broaden its services to include pregnancy testing, STI testing and general sexual health education. The hope is that the new centre will allow EVA to increase its reach by 100% going from 100 youth per month presently to 200 per month with the new centre in place.
With the conclusion of the first annual gala, EVA kicks off its annual fund drive to support the diverse work it does across Niger, the FCT, Nassarawa, Benue and Cross River. The funds raised over the next year will go to support programmes such as toll-free hotlines for at-risk youth, peer-health education, HIV/AIDS prevention work and testing clinics, micro-finance empowerment initiatives and advocacy for truly free basic education; including the banning of so-called mandatory fees that serve as barriers to orphaned and vulnerable children.