AS THEY CROSS CANAL TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE DAILY WITH RISK OF BEING INFECTED WITH NTDs
Mycetoma is a chronic disease usually of the foot but any part of the body can be affected if infected.
It’s among the 20 types of Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a progressively destructive infectious disease common in low-income populations.
So far more than 70 different bacteria and fungi have been indicated as causative agents in Mycetoma.
Despite its implication on children and adults, there is no accurate data on people with Mycetoma worldwide, but there were 17,607 cases reported in a 2017 review of scientific articles between 1950 and 2017, which its incidence and prevalence may be substantially higher, but early detection and treatment are important to reduce morbidity and improve treatment outcomes.
This informed the desire to speak with these pupils who cross the Canal popularly called (River) in City College, about 5 kilometers away from Karu, a suburb in the Federal Capital Territory where children trek a long distance due to the lack of public schools in the area, to ascertain their challenges in their quest for knowledge.
The height of the canal is estimated to be five feet deep when it rains heavily, as children are often seen drowning, apart from the infectious NTDs most have shared their experiences of almost being bitten by a snake amongst other health issues.
This is one of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), key strategies of providing countries with a conducive atmosphere of learning to reduce out-of-school children accounting for approximately 20 million in Nigeria.
Fielding questions from Quality TV Health and Education Correspondent in Abuja, these pupils lamented their ugly experiences and urged the federal government including international organizations to come to their rescue to boost learning in the area.
According to them, they find it difficult to ply the major road because it is costly and their parents could not afford it, hence they rather go through the Canal to gain knowledge and become better persons in society.
Also speaking, one of the pupils Abigel Tiokorso said most times they prefer not to go to school when it rains heavily, as the tension becomes high, and could pose the risk of drowning.
Meanwhile, efforts to speak to leaders of the landlord association proved abortive, although some residents highlighted the consequences of the water, stressing that it’s contaminated water that shouldn’t be associated with humans.
They are calling on every lover of education to come to their aid and build schools that will be subsidized for the poor and meet with needs of education in the community to promote a more productive society for national development.
