CARITAS Nigeria, a non-governmental organization, has urged government officials and policymakers in Nigeria to prioritize the education of girls and women to drive the rapid development of the country.
Mrs. Naomi Thompson, the Gender and Protection Technical Officer of the NGO, made this plea at the conclusion of a three-week training program titled ‘Community-Based Adolescents Girls and Young Women Teaching/Sensitisation Program’ in Aba, Abia State’s commercial center, on Saturday.
The training covered seven modules on various topics such as HIV prevention, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention, menstrual hygiene practices, water sanitation, and general health and care for adolescent girls.
Mrs. Thompson, who also serves as the Orphan and Vulnerable Children/Gender Protection Officer at the NGO, emphasized that educating girls equips them to confidently navigate life’s challenges, addressing issues specific to adolescence and self-care. She expressed gratitude to Mrs.
Priscilla Otti, the wife of Abia State’s governor, for her commitment to addressing sexual and gender-based violence and supporting girls’ education in the state.
She said, “I have always promoted the girl-child education and I cannot come across any girl without trying to find out what level of education she has gone through; and also see how I can support the girl-child.
“I will be going around the state to ensure that all we taught these girls for the past three weeks is not thrown away. We would like to see them teach others and become ambassadors of our organization in their communities, schools, churches and wherever they find themselves.”
Rev. Dien Aniyom, the Program Manager of the Presbyterian Community Services and Development under the Access OVC Project, stated that the purpose of the training was to bring together adolescent girls and young women from the Orphans and Vulnerable Children program in the communities to empower them with knowledge on resilience and strategies to combat the challenges of adolescence and gender-based violence.
Participants, including Azubuike Chizoba, Achinefu Success, and Nnamdi Chisom, pledged to focus on their education and avoid premarital sex.
They also shared the challenges they face and what they learned during the event.
