African Child Labour Relief Foundation (ACLRF) is founded by the host of NEBO TV, Nekpen obasogie. The purpose of this foundation is to eliminate economic burden among vulnerable African children: by donating, organizing small businesses for families with low and no-income and advocating for government assistance. In Nigeria, for instance, young children of 8 year-old and younger are street vendors in the cities. Myriad Nigerian children are facing lack of social assistance in the system; they are subjected to sought for economic support for themselves and their families. These children often engaged in selling food stuffs and other materials in the streets for economic sustainability.
In the event, whereby, families with no income are not supported financially by the government children are forced to be economically self-reliance (children become the breadwinners of their families at a very young age). Children from low or no income families, such as widows, lone-parents (single mothers) and parents with disabilities (who cannot engaged in the workforce) are left in destitute. Substantial number of children attending public primary schools in Benin City are street vendors. Some of the children will perform their regular selling commitments before going to school in the morning, and continue with their businesses after school.
These children constantly carry heavy loads on top of their heads and walk from one street to another hawking their materials. This method of selling goods is too stressful for young children in many African countries. Especially, for country like Nigeria that is popularly known as one of the top ten oil producing countries in the world. Nigerian children deserve social and economic support from the system to fully meet their basic human needs.
During Nekpen’s visit to Benin City, Nigeria in Feb 2018, she and her brothers paid a surprise visit to a child named Amos and his brothers in Ezewmengie primary school. Prior to her visit to Nigeria, Nekpen’s brother spotted Amos and his brother in the street of Benin selling pure water after school. This motivated her to found ACLRF to address poverty among African children who are street vendors. In order to remove children from the streets we have to address the root causes of poverty in their families.
