As a kid, I was lucky to grow up in a large family where everything seemed to be done in an organized routine. My siblings and I would wake up in the morning, get ready for school, and make sure to behave ourselves. You see, my father was a strict disciplinarian, and we had no choice but to toe the line.
We had a few almajiris who would assist us with errands around the house. Strangely enough, I found myself drawn to them, organising their tasks and taking charge just like the way I see us behave in the house. Little did I know that my influence would impact their lives so profoundly.
When I reached Junior Secondary School 3 and I had to go to a boarding school, these guys showed up, all gloomy and in tears, wondering who would take care of them once I was gone.! I had to took it upon myself to remind them of their duties and how to conduct themselves—a sort of pep talk— whenever I am leavening for the school. Sometimes, I’d even dip into my pocket or ask my mom for some extra cash to buy them bare essentials like sandals, body cream, soap, and razor blades. My main focus at that time, was to make them look clean and presentable because I wanted them close to me. Alhamdlillah! These guys became shining examples of well-behaved almajiris, admired by others for their manners!
Fast forward to my final year in the university, where I discovered my true passion for community development. While my classmates focused on topics like media acceptance and what a few (since I studied Mass Communication), my project had a specific focus on development— I interrogated the sources of reproductive health information among adolescents in Kano Municipal.
The findings of my research shocked both myself and my supervisor. The almajiris were actually some of the most unknowledgeable individuals when it came to reproductive health issues, let alone basic diseases prevention methods. Immediately I organized my first outreach program at an Almajiri school, inviting a medical professional to educate them about health topics.
This kind of engagement with the almajiris continued informally, as I had initially dived into this work without fully understanding its scope. It wasn’t until 2017 when I had the opportunity to attend a summer camp organised by CITAD in collaboration with the University of Robertson, that everything fell into place.
The camp focused on utilising media for campaigns, and I quickly applied my knowledge from the Almajiri health awareness project. The training was truly eye-opening. I learned how to identify important issues, target specific groups, design effective strategies, and even create impactful advocacy messages. Suddenly, people started reaching out, wanting to join our campaign through my founded organization @wecare
Alhamdlillah our activities gained recognition, where reputable organizations started inviting us to collaborate on projects including the Kaduna State Maternal Accountability Mechanism—a led health sector accountability platform in Kaduna state. I also became involved in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) platform to influence decision-making and policies at both the global and state levels, focusing on good governance, transparency, and accountability.
Through a collaborative effort led by FollowTaxes we actively engaged in community activities, particularly in project monitoring. We prioritized community sensitisation and mobilization to ensure the community takes ownership of projects. We provided them with the necessary information and involve stakeholders, empowering them to ask relevant questions about ongoing projects. We also monitored the implementation of these projects, ensuring they are successful.
This journey as a community builder has been incredibly fulfilling. We’ve positively impacted lives in ways we never thought possible:
#We conducted numerous health talks and awareness campaigns on the Almajiri System of Education and access to health and hygiene
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#We’ve sensitized and worked with 44 communities on project monitoring and ownership, overseeing 253 projects worth 123 million dollars in Kaduna State alone.
#Through Kadmam Kadmam- a Kaduna State-Led Accountability Project, we successfully advocated for increased health budgets, rehabilitation of 255 Primary Health Centers in Kaduna State among other achievements.
Also, I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in research design and policy briefs for state implementations, such as the @Open Contracting State Standards in Kaduna State and the Gender Procurement Policy in Plateau State. These initiatives have improved platforms for citizen engagement and open governance, such as the Kaduna State procurement portals.
Most importantly, I also took time to invest in youth engagement and mentorship programs. Through partnerships with organizations like CENDAL, Followtaxes, we organised workshops, seminars, and summits—most notably the Universal Sustainable Development Goals Summit and TEDx Events at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and Bauchi State.
I have also dived in the conduct of extensive research, wrote several articles, and presented my works at numerous forums and platforms, inviting the world to engage with us. Alhamdulillah! We’re grateful to God for the little things we’ve accomplished through these various means, all of which stem from community projects and engagements…
#Stay tuned next week.
Jamila writes from Bauchi
