By Auwal Ahmad Umar

The Misilli Community Development Foundation (MCDF) is set to hold the fourth edition of its annual school enrolment programme for out-of-school and vulnerable children in Gombe State.

The initiative, scheduled for Sunday, September 20, 2026, is aimed at helping children facing financial and social challenges gain access to formal education and remain in school.

The programme, which has grown into a yearly intervention by the foundation, is designed to complement government efforts to reduce the number of children excluded from the education system.

Since its launch, the initiative has supported beneficiaries with school enrolment and essential learning materials, including uniforms, school bags and books. The foundation has also introduced measures aimed at easing the financial burden on vulnerable families and encouraging regular school attendance.

The intervention aligns with ongoing efforts by the Gombe State Government to tackle the out-of-school children challenge through programmes implemented by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), with support from organisations including the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and UNICEF.

Beyond enrolment, MCDF said its intervention is focused on helping children stay in school and benefit from education irrespective of their socio-economic circumstances.

The fourth edition is expected to bring together beneficiaries, parents, community leaders, education stakeholders, partners and other supporters of the initiative.

The event will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the residence of the late Alhaji Uba Misilli in Dawaki Quarters, Gombe.

The foundation called on individuals, organisations and community stakeholders to support efforts to identify and enrol children who are out of school, while urging parents and guardians to ensure that enrolled children attend school regularly.

According to the foundation, access to education should not end with admission into a classroom but should provide children with the knowledge and opportunities needed to improve their future.

By Auwal Ahmad, Gombe

Women Community in Africa (WCA), Gombe State Chapter, has urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of giving, saying charity can help transform lives and strengthen communities.

The organisation made the call on Saturday during activities marking the UN Day of Charity in Shongo Dirago Community, Gombe State, with the theme, “In Giving We Receive.”

The event, organised in collaboration with the Adamu Yola Foundation and Voice of Women for Peace and Development Initiative, sought to encourage people to support others irrespective of their social or economic circumstances.

Speaking at the event, WCA Gombe State Commissioner, Hon. Ruth Abner, said charity should go beyond material donations to include kindness, compassion and efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable people.

Represented at the event, Ms Abner said empowering women to contribute to their communities could create a wider impact on families and future generations.

“When we feed one, we feed many. When we touch one life, we change a generation,” she said.

She urged residents of Shongo Dirago to sustain the culture of generosity, stressing that acts of giving could promote peace, unity and community development.

Ms Abner also commended the WCA executive, volunteers, community leaders and partner organisations for supporting the programme.

She said the initiative would be followed by a virtual engagement at 7:30 p.m. to broaden discussions on charity and encourage more people to participate in acts of kindness.

She thanked the traditional and community leaders for hosting the event and urged participants to continue supporting people in need beyond the commemoration.

“Give with love, touch a life and make a difference,” she said.

Yahoo Mail: Search, organise, conquer

By Auwal Ahmad Umar

Two women-focused civil society organisations, Compassion for Women Initiative and Gombe Women Agenda, have launched a pre-election sensitisation programme in Gombe State to encourage women and youths to make informed and independent choices during elections.

The programme is aimed at reducing the vulnerability of women to vote buying and political manipulation while encouraging voters to look beyond campaign gifts and consider the long-term benefits of their choices at the ballot box.

The organisers said the initiative became necessary ahead of the forthcoming elections, particularly because economic hardship and poverty could make vulnerable women susceptible to inducements from politicians.

Speaking at the sensitisation programme, the Chairman of the Gombe Civil Society Network (GONET) and Convener of Gombe Women Agenda, Amb. Ibrahim Yusuf, represented by Auwal Ahmad Umar, said the initiative was designed to address concerns surrounding election preparations and the influence of campaign inducements on voters.

Yusuf said poverty and hunger had left many women vulnerable to politicians who use cash and other material items to influence voting decisions.

He identified money, food, clothing and other forms of material assistance as some of the incentives commonly distributed during election campaigns.

He urged women to assess candidates based on their capacity to provide good governance rather than the temporary benefits offered during campaigns.

“Any person giving you money to vote for him will not give you the dividends of democracy, which include security, quality education, healthcare and other development,” he said.

Also speaking, the State Coordinator of the Compassion for Women and Youth Initiative, Hajiya Fatima Abdullahi, said women and youths form a significant part of the electorate and must be empowered with the knowledge needed to make independent political decisions.

She explained that the programme was conceived in response to concerns that the prevailing economic difficulties could make some women more vulnerable to campaign inducements.

“We looked at the fact that the elections are coming and the preparations, as we know, for campaigns. The usual thing we are afraid of is the giveaways to the masses,” she said.

According to Abdullahi, women facing difficulties in providing food and other basic needs for their families could easily view money, food, clothing or other campaign gifts as an opportunity to address immediate challenges.

She, however, said the organisation’s strategy was not to condemn women for accepting such assistance but to ensure that receiving a gift does not dictate their choice at the polls.

“We cannot tell them not to collect. What if we make the mistake of telling them not to collect? We lose them. So, what we tell them is “collect, but vote rightly,” she said.

The Assistant Secretary of Gombe Women Agenda, Fatima Chadi, also urged women not to allow politicians or other influential individuals to dictate their voting choices through intimidation, religious sentiments or threats.

She particularly cautioned against attempts to make voters swear allegiance to a candidate in exchange for money or other benefits.

Chadi said the sensitisation programme was also intended to establish a trusted support system through which vulnerable women could discuss their challenges, receive guidance and seek assistance.

She described the initiative as a “stepping stone”, stressing that changing voting behaviour and addressing the socio-economic challenges facing women would require sustained engagement beyond a single sensitisation programme.

The organisers said they hoped the initiative would help women and youths become more discerning voters who would evaluate candidates based on their competence, policies, integrity and ability to deliver meaningful development.