Green Youth Club at Richhagar Academy: Children on SDG 1, No Poverty

In early December 2025 I joined a Green Youth Club session at Richhagar Academy, part of the school engagement programme run by the United Youth Initiative for Africa (UNIYIA). The session was led by Noah Bugre, General Manager of UNIYIA, and focused on Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty.

The Green Youth Club takes conversations about sustainability into classrooms. Rather than delivering a lecture, the session asked the children to work out for themselves what their contribution to ending poverty by 2030 could look like, and to present it in a form of their choosing.

The session

Classes prepared and performed their ideas through music, poetry, rap, art and storytelling. The presentations were practical and grounded in the children's own experience. Among the themes they raised:

• Cleanliness and hygiene as a way of reducing household health costs, which frees money for other needs.
• Recycling and supporting recycling activities in the community.
• Sharing resources with those who have less.
• Helping their peers, both in school and outside it.

Taken together, the presentations showed a clear understanding that poverty is not only a matter of income, and that small, everyday actions contribute to stronger and more resilient communities.

Recognition

At the close of the session, the first three classes were awarded prizes for the creativity and commitment shown in their presentations.

Why this work matters

Sessions like this one are a reminder that children are not too young to take part in development conversations. Introducing the SDGs early, and letting children express them in their own language and through their own talents, helps build a generation that sees a fair and sustainable future as something it has a hand in shaping. It was a useful session to be part of, and I hope to support more of the club's school engagements.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Noah Bugre and the UNIYIA team for leading the Green Youth Club programme, and to the management, teachers and pupils of Richhagar Academy for hosting the session and for the work they put into their presentations.

Photographs: UNIYIA.