By Philomina Attah
A Harvard University scholar, Prof. Hauwa Ibrahim, has narrated how her humble beginning as hawker influenced the setting up of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) camps, to empower vulnerable children.
Ibrahim, a Senior International Scholar-in-Residence at Wellesley College and Harvard University gave the account in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Abuja Children’s Home, Karu.
The international human rights and Sharia law expert said her passion for grassroots development is rooted in her humble beginnings in Hinna, a village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State, where she once hawked goods on the street at the age of five.
She noted that, her international accolades, notwithstanding, she maintained a deep connection to her roots.
“I never forgot I was a hawker. I never forgot that I never had electricity or drinking water,’’ she said.
She recalled that her journey to global academic prominence was sparked by a chance encounter with Dr Hannatu Ibrahim, the first female commissioner in Bauchi State, whom she saw on a television screen in a house with electricity, a luxury her village lacked then.
She narrated how, as a young girl, she was chased out of the Commissioner’s office 30 times before she was finally granted an audience.
The meeting, according to her, eventually paved her way to the University of Jos to study Law.
Ibrahim said she was the first female to open a legal chamber in Bauchi.
She said her chamber then, was committed to defending women and children in high-profile Sharia cases in the late 1990s before her foray into academics.
Speaking on the STEAM Camps, the Don said no fewer than 10,000 students in 2,000 schools, had benefitted from the project across the country.
She said students were being taught on how to create robotic items including cars from recycled materials like straws and plastic bottles.
She said the STEAM camps focused on developing skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics for children from various backgrounds, including those from orphanages and with disabilities.
The camps, according to her, included hands-on training, practical exercises, and projects that encouraged creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
Ibrahim emphasised that the project is funded through the goodwill of believers without government grants.
Fatima Abubakar, a student at the Abuja Children’s Home, shared her experience with NAN on how the STEAM camp expanded her horizons despite her academic background in the social sciences.
She explained that the programme’s focus on the “Arts” helped her bridge the gap between imagination and practical application.
”I learned a lot from the arts perspective in the STEAM camp creativity and creating things, and then making things come to life and reality,” she said.
She noted that the impact of the training has extended beyond her own personal growth, as she has begun mentoring others.
During school holidays, she said she used her new skills to teach her younger siblings in the orphanage home how to create intricate paper designs.
Expressing deep gratitude to Ibrahim for bringing the initiative to the home, Abubakar emphasised the economic potential of the vocational skills they acquired.
”On behalf of myself and the other children, I am saying a very, big thank you for impacting our lives with these useful skills, which we can also use to survive outside and make money,” she said.
Mrs Patricia Narai, the wife of the Emir of Karu, shared her testimonial on how the STEAM initiative has transformed her community.
The princess said that, by personalising the programme and hosting training sessions within the palace, the one-week event, has transformed into a sustained local movement.
Narai further explained that the impact of the one-week programme extended far beyond the classroom, reaching deep into neighbouring villages.
She noted that children had turned her own home into a practice hub, eagerly applying the lessons they learned.
While the short notice of the current visit prevented many students from attending the presentation, the royal mother stressed that both parents and children lauded the initiative, with many now wishing it could become a permanent, annual fixture in their lives.
On her part, Mrs Queency Patrick, the Administrator of the Abuja Children’s Home, commended the STEAM initiative, noting its long-term impact on the academic progression of the home’s wards.
According to her, many of the students who participated in the 2024 STEAM Camp are currently in the universities and other higher institutions of learning.
Reflecting on the timing of the intervention, she said: “The 2024 camp was held around July while our students were on holiday.
“We have truly benefited from this gesture and are very happy with the results we are seeing today,” she said.
Dr Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, the Mandate Secretary for the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, said the initiative had brought hope to “children of nobody” in various communities including Kagini and Gwagwalada.
She said the programme was part of the FCT Administration’s efforts to accelerate human capital development and inclusion, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda
According to Dr Asmau Adamu, Director of Community Engagement, FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, the programme saw students from the University of Rome and other international institutions sponsoring themselves to Nigeria to teach local orphans and vulnerable youths.
Education officials, including Dr Mosunmola Abdulwaheed, noted that the project has shifted the mindset of students, proving that they can achieve greatness regardless of their background through hard work and determination.
NAN reports that the programme is a collaboration between Prof. Ibrahim’s Peace Institute and the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat.
NAN also reports that the camps which began sever years back, had five tutors from the University of Rome, Tor Vergata, Italy, and one tutor from the US, who provided training and mentorship to the participants.
Copies of a publication on 2024 Art classes, “The Children’s Artwork, from 2024, STEAM Camps” published by the University of Rome Press in 2025, were presented to the children to further inspired them.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi
