MY FIRST VISIT TO THE ADULT EDUCATION CENTRE RIGASA– a safe space for Women
If you know Nigeria, you must have heard of Kaduna. Most great things in northern Nigeria begins here. Rigasa is one of the largest communities in Kaduna state. And if you have used the train that runs between Kaduna and Abuja, you have been to Rigasa.
So one day some months ago, a friend called me up to request that I come to visit the Adult Education centre to speak to the students about my work and beneficial topics. I was immediately interested because one of the perks of experience in teaching is the fact that, I believe that every opportunity to speak, is an opportunity to impact knowledge. As you suspect, I agreed to go but was indisposed on that weekend to make the visit. Long story short, I visited the Adult Education Centre on Saturday 16th November 2019.
I woke up early and was so pumped up with zeal. I had to leave early because Rigasa and my location are at two extremes of town, so it was a trip to the other side of town. I got delayed by Opay (tricycle ride), but eventually arrived at 10 am.
The Adult Education classes take place at Ansarudeen college, at Bakin Ruwa, Rigasa. There are several classrooms where the students are taught. The students are mostly married women who have either left school a long time ago or women who have never been within the four walls of a school. This centre is designed as a safe space for these women to learn to read and write. I particularly love the energy and zeal they showed for education.
Back to my talk. I was prepared to talk about the anti-corruption fight and all the other social impact projects I am involved in, but on seeing the students, I knew I had to begin from why they should show up every Saturday and Sunday for the classes.
Sometimes, we know why we do a thing, but when we get information that reinforces our decision, we are spurred to invest more of ourselves in such ventures. So we began by talking about why they decided to enroll for the Adult Education classes. Many wanted to be able to help their kids with their homework; understand bank instructions and hospital prescriptions; read and have a general feeling of usefulness.
In our discussions, I mentioned some of the global benefits of female education such as economic empowerment, community development, decreased child and maternal mortality, intergenerational success, good health, reduced terrorism, and human rights. Many of these women could connect with the numerous opportunities/benefits of their decision.
As I ended the discussion, I was convinced that every day they leave home for their classes, they will have renewed purpose and drive to push themselves harder to excel at this. I learned from them that “Ilimi haske ne” meaning “Education is light.”
I am especially grateful to VDCare, the organization that organizes these classes (and have been doing so for 4 years) for this experience. As a result of this experience, I have begun to see education in a new light, and truly “Ilimi haske ne.”
I looked forward to visiting such places and experiencing people’s realities in such safe spaces. Have you visited any safe space? Share your experience in the comment box below.
