The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has reaffirmed her commitment to providing the needed support for women and children, especially girl-child education.
Mrs Buhari was speaking in an event to mark the 6th anniversary of her foundation, the Future Assured Initiative at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, on Thursday, in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Future Assured Initiative is a component of the Aisha Buhari Foundation
She also appealed to the relevant stakeholders and other development partners not to relent in the effort to support the course of women and children.
She said that the achievements recorded by the foundation were due to a collaborative partnership and support from local and international donor organisations which are used to the benefit of the less privileged.
“I appeal to partners and other stakeholders not to relent in your effort to support the course to improve the living standard for women and children.
“Because your commitment and support to Future Assured remained significant in deepening our collective efforts and investment to the development of this country.
“I, therefore, urged all stakeholders to pay particular attention to the recurrent deficit in developmental spheres of our lives, especially the welfare of women and children who form part of the larger population of our country.
Mrs Buhari said the aim of the event was to appraise the journey so far by examining the successes and challenges faced by the foundation with a view to addressing them.
“ The celebration of the 6th anniversary of Future Assured will not be complete without taking stoke of our achievements and challenges so far.
“Future Assured has made a lot of progress worth sharing with you today, we share to inspire others; we equally anticipate feedback for sustainable actions in future.
“The journey began six years ago when at its inception Future Assure became committed to advocacy and support in three formative areas of Health and Nutrition, Girl-Child Education, Women and Youths Empowerment.
“ I feel proud to state categorically that the Future Assured started with only advocacy at inception and now it has succeeded in carrying out developmental activities and projects,” she said.
According to her, the projects have redirected impact on the lives of women, children and youths, especially, girl-child education.
In his address, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, extolled the resilience and doggedness of the first lady in providing the needed support to women and children, especially the women and youths educational empowerment programme.
Osinbajo commended the first lady for providing the needed support to victims of flood disaster and insurgency in the FCT and North-East.
He expressed the need for stakeholders to pay attention to the future of our children as exemplified by the Aisha Buhari Foundation.
“The Educational initiative, especially the Youths Educational Empowerment Programme YEEP and the support for girl-child education, support to IDPs that return to the communities with relief materials, Building of Schools and Orphanages and distribution of Future Assured nutritional Packs.
“ Free Medical outreach for women, children and the aged mothers in some states of the federation,“ he said.
In his remark, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, commended the first lady`s complementary role in driving the health sector initiatives through the Aisha Buhari Foundation.
Ehanire expressed confidence that the Future Assured track record will ensure better results in health outcomes.
“I have no doubt that, many women, children and adolescent, especially the rural poor and the vulnerable had in one way or another from the programme, the strong advocacy for health, wellbeing and education of women, children and adolescent, in particular, girl-child education and empowerment has been consistent.
“ The Federal Ministry of Health has in the last six years engaged in a partnership with the Aisha Buhari Foundation in several fronts and collaborated with the Future Assured in the areas of Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition.
“We have enjoyed tremendous support from the first lady and from the foundation team to drive health sector initiatives, worthy of mention was the inauguration of the national zero water campaign in August 2019.
“The advocacy and mobilisation programme with the general objective of increasing the proportion of infants who are put to their mothers’ breastmilk within an hour of birth, raising the proportion of infants exclusively breastfeed,” Ehanire said(NAN)
