Friday, 25th June 2021: Africa Family Life Foundation, (AFLF) has selected Nigeria to be among the six countries in Africa to benefit from its programme aims at improving good morals and virtues on the children and youths.

The country trainer, Rev Sister Mario Kelechi Agugoh, a religious sister of charity made this known in an exclusive interview with CEOAFRICA at the sideline of the training the trainers’ workshop organised in conjunction with Alive to the World, (ATW), at Carmelites community Ibadan, Nigeria.

She said the workshop was jointly sponsored by Diocese of Gboko of the Catholic Church and Hungary Helps; Africa Family Life Foundation, and Value Education Project.

According to her, Nigeria stands to gain a lot from the programme as it would assist in entrenching peace in the country noting that persistent militarization of all issues as well as politics cannot help Nigeria out of her current dilemma.

In her words, “The programme is to address all the challenges and ills in Nigeria today. Insecurity, lack of peace, lack of justice apart from improving the educational and literacy levels in the country. I see it as a programme that would restore peace in Nigeria because it involves the family and faith based organisations.

“All these militarization of everywhere would not help us, politics would not help us but good education about virtues, in keeping the children for life. Am not referring to academics alone at all and I know Alive to the World is capable of doing it.”

Speaking further, the religious sister of charity added that “The workshop is about the programme called, Alive to the World. It is a new programme coming into Africa. It is been brought to Nigeria by the Africa Family Life Foundation, (AFLF).

“The programme is about helping children, teaching them and educating them on developing healthy and good characters, converting values to virtues. And helping them how to live with virtues, how to choose virtues. It is a new programme to help children develop positive character and positive attitude in our world today, and that is why it is called Alive to World.”

Rev Sister Agugoh said the workshop is for the training of the country trainers. “These trainers would in turn go and train some selected teachers from selected schools in Gboko Diocese (of the Catholic Church).

“Alive to the World programme can only begin with six countries in Africa because of funding. Three Anglophone countries and three francophone countries.

“For the Anglophone is Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya. So this particular workshop is for the each of the countries. The programme itself is going to focus on children in ages 6 and 18, that is those in primary one to SSS3 students.  

“Every Nigerian child should benefit from the programme but it demands resources. Resources to train the teachers and buy books.

On his part, Rev Father Emmanuel Doki, of the Catholic Archdiocese of Gboko who is also the  Diocesan Coordinator for the Family and Human Life unit said the workshop is so timely considering what the country is witness with the behavior of youths who are the future generation.

“It would have come up earlier than now going by the local challenges we have in relation to value, to add value to the life of our youths. I think it is also an effort in the right direction.

“The general complaints in Nigeria today are just about delinquent youths. It does appear that our morals have become very low and the enforcer – the church does not enjoy the needed freedom to discharge its duties. I believe, this workshop would serve an impetus to improve and equip the church in the discharge of their duties,” he added.

The Diocesan Country trainer from the Diocese of Gboko and Secretary for the Family and Human Life, Hyacinth Kalu, said the workshop has come at the right time considering the fact the country has gone astray in time of value.

According to him, “there is a general consensus as it seems there is a disconnect between the family and the society because of the characters that were been exhibited by our youths,” which is what this workshop set out to correct.

The workshop is a five-day event to prepare the trainers to face the challenges ahead to re-train others so as to inculcate the right virtues on the Nigerian youths.