RN31052023

Today, May 15 is the International Day of Families proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993. The theme for 2023 is ‘Demographic Trends and Families’

It is celebrated annually to create awareness about the importance of families and the role played by them in society.

Today gives us the opportunity to call attention to the state of African families and the fundamental issue of Social Protection as we have done over the years.

The African families are one of the most neglected families in their world. They are left to run the affairs of their families as mini local government responsible for everything. For both the rich and the poor, nothing accrues from the state to their precious children. The families provide everything for their precious children. In actual fact, the children are citizens of the families as they responsible for their welfare and security and not the state.

While the nations of the future focus on Family Strengthening, the retarded nations focus nothing. The Annie E. Casey Foundation defined ‘Family Strengthening a as ‘deliberate process of giving parents the necessary opportunities, relationships, networks, and supports to raise their children successfully, which includes involving parents as decision makers in how their communities meet family needs.’

Today we reiterate our call for an Africa where families are strengthened through relevant Social Investments, which Social Impact is measurable through formidable Social Protection.

We commend the prodigious works of notable organizations like Institute of Family Engineering and Development, under the leadership of Praise FOWOWE which has committedly over the years, through her widely attended annual African Family Life Delegate Conference, which holds in Lagos Nigeria and streamed across the world continues to equip the African families and sensitize the public and state and non-state actors on their specific roles.

Building a world fit for our precious children and empowering them to thrive therein is a task that cannot be done by the families alone but with the deliberate commitment of our communities, the state and the international community to strengthen the families and build a formidable Social Protection Systems, according to the needs of individual African societies.

Do have an INSPIRED day.