Highlights:
The American University of Nigeria in the northeastern area of Yola have incorporated the ‘Feed and Read’ programme that has rehabilitated young boys. The programme teaches the young boys how to read, be clean and neat as well as feed them and has stopped most of the teenagers from joining the Boko Haram.
Analysis:
A 200 boys- programme has been launched by the American University of Nigeria in the northeastern area of the country that helps young boys learn Basic English, mathematics, trade and basic life skills.
The programme allows the boys to belong and especially being a voluntary programme for the Almajiri- which Arabic for someone who leaves home in search of knowledge in Islam. The ancient tradition sees families send their sons thousands of miles from home to boarding schools across northern Nigeria, where they are left in the care of an Islamic scholar or “Malam”.
The boys become susceptible to recruitment into Boko Haram as they go to Koranic school during the day and beg for alms on the streets in the evening.
The ‘Feed and Read’ programme is very relevant as it teaches the boys how to be neat and develop social and trade skills that make them better equipped to fit in the society, make their own decisions and reduce their susceptibility to recruitment into the Boko Haram.
Summary:
The main objective of the programme has been to help the boys fit in the society and avoid feeling like misfits which tend to drive them to join Boko Haram which tend to give the boys a false sense of belonging and family.
A similar programme for girls is set to be launched in February 2016 with funding from the Irish government that will be aimed for girls orphaned by the Boko Haram violence.
Different programmes have been launched to fight radicalization and recruitment of young boys and girls into the terrorist organizations in Africa and the Middle East in a move that is geared towards eradicating the root cause of Islamist extremism.
