1. We started out in January working on the game app idea courtesy of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Women Entrepreneurship for Africa accelerator partnership.
2. Some of our parents joined the safety advocacy campaign by sharing their #ChildSafetyExperience in short videos on Instagram.
3. We worked with the Safe Schools Movement, Ford Foundation, and other stakeholders to step down safety training for stakeholders in Abuja so they could take it to schools in their community.

4. The IOSH Magazine featured our insights among other female safety professionals worldwide for the International Women’s Day edition on “Break The Bias.”

5. We held the sixth edition of the annual School Safety Summit with the theme “Child Safety: Incorporating a Systematic Safety Education”. We thank our Keynote speaker, Dr. Ulrike Bollman, the DG of Lagos Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, and our panelists: Dr. Bisi Esuruoso, Rotimi Eyitayo, Alpha Djalon, Abiola Sanusi and Abdoulaye Diallo. You can read the REPORT.

6. We launched our child safety game app, The Adventures of Muna, on android and iOS amidst many challenges. We believe this will be helpful to so many children hence the push despite all. Feel free to download it for your device.

7. In partnership with our nonprofit, UGIP Foundation and Dolly Children Foundation, we implemented a pilot program on safety education in the Magboro community. The results of the Research and a Video summary are available online.

8. We also released our child safety storybook in a special edition 3-in-1 version. Now, you get all 3 books in one location. It is available on Amazon if you are outside Nigeria and on the Website if you are in Nigeria.

9. We were invited by the Directorate General of Occupational Safety and Health (DGOSH) of the Republic of Türkiye in collaboration with ENETOSH to contribute to strategies for mainstreaming OSH into Education. The report is available online.

10. We were invited to contribute our insights at the International Product Safety Week hosted by the European Commission and UNCTAD. You can read about it here.

11. We spoke at many other safety education events to train children, teenagers, parents, and educators on safety.

In the European Union alone, unsafe products cause accidents and losses estimated at $34.4 billion per year, according to the European Commission. In November, the European Commission and UNCTAD hosted a workshop on Next Generation Product Safety Ambassadors during its International Product Safety Week held in Brussels, Belgium, to mark the European year of youth. This workshop featured young people from different continents making an impact on safety, and the founder of The Safety Chic, Ugochi Obidiegwu was there.

During the three-day event, professionals from global institutions, private sectors, academia, and civil service organizations shared concerns, data, and best practices across child safety, product safety, e-commerce, online market surveillance boosting safety consciousness, social media strategy, gender lens product design, and legislation. For more details, here is a recap of Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, the young Ambassadors workshop, and a report from UNCTAD.

Image Credit: Simon Pugh Photography

On the 18th May, 2022, The Safety Chic convened the sixth edition of the annual School Safety Summit in Lagos, Nigeria. The theme of the Summit was Child Safety: Importance of a Systematic Safety Education. The Summit was attended by teachers, parents, representatives of the DG, Lagos State Safety Commission, Fire Service,  Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, safety professionals and concerned members of the public. The DG, Lagos State Safety Commission mentioned that safety was important and must be approached creatively. The Convener, Ugochi Obidiegwu stressed that the theme was important because Safety Education had to be systematic and not just a response to social media trends or news. She urged all stakeholders to take responsibility and be proactive about our children’s safety because children can take action when taught about safety in an age-appropriate manner. This was one of the reasons behind the launch of The Adventures of Muna game app at the Summit. A child safety game app to teach children different safety topics in a way that is memorable and fun.

The Keynote Speaker at the Summit, Dr Ulrike Bollman, Head of International Cooperation, DGUV, Germany shared the strategic plan of the European Network of Education and Training in Occupational Health and Safety (ENETOSH) toward achieving the aim of integrating safety education for children. Dr. Bollman highlighted three fields of action for making safety an integral part of schools: school development, teaching development, and organizational development. She concluded her session with six factors and three principles for a strategic approach. The six factors are language, goals, cooperation, multi-level approach, participation, and resources. Competence Orientation, School Development Approach, and Holistic Prevention are the three principles upon which strategic implementation of safety should be done in schools.

The Summit featured an enlightened panel session with speakers such as Rotimi Eyitayo, Dr Abdoulaye Diallo, Abiola Sanusi, Dr Bisi Esuruoso, and Alpha Djalon. The panelists shared very practical tips and resources with the audience such as the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence Free Schools and  Minimum Standards of Safe Schools.

See pictures from the Summit.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC, the leading cause of death in children aged 14 and below is accidents (unintentional injuries). In the September 2018 edition of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “an estimated 644,855 children under the age of 15 were killed by an injury and between 10 million and 30 million more suffered a non-fatal injury. A large proportion of these unintentional injuries (for example, burns, suffocation, poisoning, and falls) occurred in or around the home while others occurred in the community (for example transportation-related injuries, drowning, and sports injuries). These injuries represent a serious burden to the injured person and their family. It represents a tremendous economic and community burden; yet, most are predictable and preventable”.

With such statistics, why are we not passing on safety education to children in a more systematic manner? You might say that accidents are “accidents”, they are not preventable. Or you might say, “but we are doing something about it, there are existing policies, strategies, and child injury prevention programs”. First, accidents can be prevented. Second, policies, strategies, and programs are not enough if they cannot be integrated into the normal daily life of children. If we do not take intentional and systematic steps to incorporate safety education into the daily life of children, the number of children involved in these “accidents” will keep rising. But we can stem this tide by including safety education in and outside the classroom.

In my opinion, safety education is the deliberate and intentional dissemination of safety knowledge in a way the selected target audience will understand. This ensures that the audience is empowered to make better safety choices in different scenarios that may arise. Every school day across the country, children are learning an aspect of English and Mathematics. What if they also learned an aspect of safety at least once a week considering that this is something that has the potential to save their life? For example, if fire safety is taught this week, road safety follows next, bullying prevention and other safety topics are spread out across the entire academic term, the children will learn in a more intentional manner. Imagine safety education topics adapted to the age and class of the child across their entire academic journey, wouldn’t that be a child empowered to prevent accidents?

A practical example is a story of Chloe Woods reported in 2016 by the Washington Post She helped her blind grandmother escape from a burning house. She knew what to do because in her words, “that’s what they taught us”. According to the story, her class had visited a fire station. Just imagine if such trips were not just one-off but a part of a comprehensive child safety education curriculum all children go through in school. Note again that for her age and class, a field trip was more appropriate. When teaching children about safety, it is important to state that the complexity of the safety topic chosen must take their age into consideration. For example, when I visit primary schools in Nigeria and Ghana to teach about child safety, I just use my child safety storybook because safety concepts have been storified to foster understanding. On the other hand, when I visit to teach teenagers in high school, I use a different method because they are older and can grasp some other concepts better. All children in school need to experience a systematic method of learning how to stay safe throughout their academic journey and not just as a temporary program.

Outside the classroom, safety education can be incorporated through movies, games, cartoons, and even family bonding moments. One might say, let fun times be devoid of training for relaxation purposes. But entertainment methods are a great way to integrate important information in a way that is rarely forgotten. In 2017, Jacob O’Connor pulled out his younger brother who had fallen into the family swimming pool, and went on to administer CPR. When asked how he knew what to do, he said, “I saw it in a movie”. I am certain that when Dwayne Johnson, The Rock was acting that scene in the movie, San Andreas, he never knew it would equip a boy with the lifesaving skill to save his brother. This right here is the power of entertainment methods to etch safety education in the minds of our children outside the classroom. In my work in raising safety consciousness in Africa, I have seen how movies, games, cartoons, and family bonding moments make safety knowledge memorable to children. Every parent should use this hack. A quick tip for parents who want to incorporate this, pick a topic on safety and teach it to your children during your weekly family bonding moments. Make it fun, make it easy and they will never forget. The day they find themselves in a safety scenario, they will make the safe choice.

Are children not too young for this? No, they are not. Chloe Woods was 5 and Jacob O’Connor was 10 but when a situation came up, they sprang to action because they had been empowered. No matter how much we love our children, we may not be with them all day for a variety of reasons. However, if we equip them, they can act, and this will reduce the statistics of children dying due to unintentional injuries.
Let’s intentionally build a safety conscious generation.

There have been at least 3 major safety-related injuries and deaths in and from school which social media helped escalate awareness. Don Davis, Keren-Happuch and Sylvester did not deserve this. There are many more cases that are being hidden or manipulated. No child deserves to get injured or die because they sought education. We must do better as a society. For that to happen, all stakeholders must play their part.

If your child complains to you and you’re not listening or you ask them to endure, you are part of the problem.

As a teacher, if you see children being mean to another child and you turn away, you are part of the problem.

As a school owner, if you do not take action when a child goes out of line because the parents are rich, you are a part of the problem.

As a family member, if you see children ganging up against another child and you mind your business, you are part of the problem.

If justice is trying to be served and you are distorting information or frustrating the parents, you are part of the problem.

STOP IT!

Sylvester’s death has led to an outcry across all segments of society. This was totally preventable. We cannot continue to be a reactive society. Children do not need to die or get injured before we realize that their safety is critical. This case must be transparently treated and we must ALL work towards preventing a re-occurrence.

According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, an estimated 644,855 children under the age of 15 were killed by an injury and between 10 million and 30 million more suffered a non-fatal injury. A large proportion of these unintentional injuries occurred in or around the home while others occurred in the community.

You have a role

1. Parents: You are the primary caregiver of your child. Your child should be able to tell you ANYTHING about their experiences without fear. Build a loving relationship with them so this can happen. When they confide, please TAKE ACTION because it builds their confidence in you. Stop shutting them up or using words like “man up”
2. Family/Extended Family: Be observant. If you notice a child is not getting the care from their parents, care. There have been cases of children confiding in their grandparents on the abuse they face. This can only happen if they know the person cares. So, care. Observe, ask questions, support.
3. Teacher: You are a major influence in a child’s life. Use your influence positively. Do not be a part of the problem with abusive words, aggressive character and “funny” undertones. Don’t be nonchalant when you observe anything that compromises a child’s safety.  You might be their last hope of getting a “safe” adult’s attention.
4. School administrator /Owner: What is the overall culture in your school? Children’s development is not just about academics. Are they physically and emotionally safe? How do you ensure that? Do you have a proactive and reactive method of addressing safety concerns? No child deserves to die or get injured because they came to school. You must be seen to give a fair judgment regardless of socioeconomic status.
5. Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA): This is not an association to show off or gang up against the school. It is an opportunity to get involved in the well-being of children. Use your expertise to make life better for children who may not have anyone to speak for them. If you say it’s not your business because your child is fine, what happens when another child without scruples goes after yours? Get involved. Speak up.
6. Government: No child on your watch should die. If they do for any reason, you must use your FULL authority to get to the bottom of it. No hidden agendas because the child is the important party to be protected.

The media, places of worship, childcare services providers and YOU must use your voice. Call out bad behaviour in children when you see it and build them to make better choices. Do not be an enabler of bad behaviour.

Over the years, we have spoken and trained on the importance of equipping children and having the systems to protect them. We will continue. But we ALL need to rise up and play our roles too. ALL hands must be on deck.

A child should be confident that they are protected and will not die because adults did not have the courage to do the right thing.

#TheSafetyChic

Intentionally building a safety conscious generation