The Future
There are still hundreds of children who are still living in abandoned buildings, market stalls or on the street. Gangs of youths frequently rape such children, traffickers prey on them and some have been known to end up as the victims of ritualists who use their body parts for Juju. SSN’s experience, wide range of supporters and contacts gives us a unique opportunity to help more disadvantaged children in Akwa Ibom State. SSN UK coordinators have developed an ambitious 5-year plan for our work.
Stepping Stones Nigeria's plan for the next five years includes:
- Setting up two more street children projects in areas where child abandonment and trafficking are particularly rife
- Building 3 more classrooms at the Stepping Stones Model School in 2007, followed by 3 more in 2009
- Spreading the PACT campaign to all areas of Akwa Ibom State
- Lobbying the Akwa Ibom State Government to enact the Child Rights Act
- Expanding the vocational skills training of the children accessing the services at the CRARN children’s shelter
- Training and equipping CRARN so that they may become the leading Child Rights agency in the Niger Delta
- Training and resourcing up to 50% of Nigerian schools in the use of the synthetic phonics method
- Strengthening our working links with international agencies working in the field of child trafficking