“I want to be a doctor so I can fix people. But my uncle says girls in our house don’t go to school for long. They get married.”
These words from 9-year-old Hauwa*, spoken to me during a recent visit with Save the Children Nigeria, to an elementary school in Kano, have stayed with me like an echo in my soul. Bright-eyed, eager, and full of dreams, Hauwa represents the many children across Nigeria and Africa, whose aspirations are stifled long before they can take flight.
Kano is a city known for its vibrant culture and resilience. But it is also emblematic of the deeply rooted challenges that keep too many children, especially girls, trapped in cycles of poverty, inequality, and lost potential. The stark contrast between Hauwa’s dreams and her community’s reality underscores the urgency of our mission at Save the Children.
The Silent Emergency: Out-of-School Children
According to UNESCO, over 98 million children are out of school across Africa. Nigeria alone accounts for close to 20 million of these children, the highest number globally. Many of them are girls, like Hauwa, facing early marriage, poverty, insecurity, or societal norms that deny them access to education.
This is not just an education crisis. It is a social and economic emergency. Without access to learning, children are more vulnerable to exploitation, malnutrition, health crises, and generational poverty. According to UNICEF, one in eight children in Nigeria dies before their fifth birthday from preventable causes, and about 43% of children under five suffer from malnutrition. These are not just numbers. They are names, faces, and futures at risk.
Making Progress, But the Road Is Long
To be clear, progress is being made. Nigeria has seen increased investment in school feeding programmes, community-based education, accelerated learning programmes in conflict-prone areas, and more attention to girl-child education at the federal and state levels. Non-profits and international development partners are working tirelessly to support and scale these efforts.
But it’s not enough.
These interventions are often fragmented, underfunded, and fail to tackle the deep systemic issues like entrenched patriarchy, poor infrastructure, and low health outcomes that hold children back.
This is why organisations like Save the Children matter more than ever. Our work is not just about charity. It’s about justice; giving children the chance to live, learn, and lead their own futures.
As Vice Chair of the Africa Advisory Board, I have been incredibly inspired by African companies stepping up to invest in children’s futures.
But more can be done. Almost half of the growing population in Nigeria will be under 15 years old by 2030. What we do now matters for generations to come.
Nigerian businesses and philanthropists have the expertise, resources, influence, and innovation needed to drive meaningful, sustainable change. With deep connection to communities, their leadership is essential—not optional—in building solutions that tackle the root causes and secure better health, education, and protection outcomes for children.
A Mission that Matters
At Save the Children, we are driven by the belief that every child deserves a future. Whether it is delivering life-saving vaccines and nutrition, rebuilding schools in conflict zones, or advocating for policy reforms that protect children’s rights; our teams are on the frontlines of change.
Together with our global Save the Children members, we’ve set an ambitious target for 2030:
- that no child dies from preventable causes before their fifth birthday.
- that every child has access to a quality basic education.
- that violence againt children is no longer tolerated.
This is not just a vision; it is a roadmap for justice.
Why My Visit to Kano Was More Than Symbolic
Being in Kano and meeting children like Hauwa reinforced something I have long believed: change doesn’t happen from boardrooms alone; it happens in classrooms, in clinics, in community centers. My role on the Save the Children UK Africa Advisory Board is not just to bring expertise. It is to ensure that real voices; the voices of children, parents, and teachers; inform the policies and priorities we champion.
I left Kano inspired but also burdened. Inspired by the potential in each child I met. Burdened by the knowledge that without bold, collective action, that potential may never be realised.
We Must Act Together
African children are facing intersecting crises — conflict, displacement, climate change, hunger, inequality — and they need more than handouts. They need allies. Governments, civil society, private sector leaders, parents, and citizens must come together to build systems that protect and empower our children.
We need more awareness of what children in Africa are truly facing. We must break the silence around child marriage, educational exclusion, and healthcare inequality. We need more Hauwas to be seen, heard, and helped.
The work of Save the Children is a lifeline, not just in moments of crisis, but in building a better future. My hope is that our visit to Kano will spark deeper interventions, stronger partnerships, and long-term commitments that go beyond aid, toward empowerment.
Because no child, anywhere, should have their dreams deferred because of where they are born, their gender, or their poverty.
And because every time a girl like Hauwa says “I want to be a doctor,” the world should not just listen. It should act.
