NGO calls for greater focus on girl-child education

A non-government organization known as CARITAS Nigeria has appealed to the government at all levels and policymakers in Nigeria to prioritize the education of the girl-child and women to encourage rapid development of the country.

The Gender and Protection Technical Officer of the NGO, Mrs Naomi Thompson, made the appeal at the end of a three-week training tagged ‘Community-Based Adolescents Girls and Young Women Teaching/Sensitisation Program’ for adolescent girls and young women in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State on Saturday.

The training, which was made up of seven modules teaching, had topics drawn from HIV prevention, GBV prevention and good menstrual hygiene practices, water sanitation and overall health and care of adolescent girls among others.

Mrs Thompson, who doubles as the Orphan and Vulnerable Children/Gender Protection Officer of the NGO, said educating the girl-child would prepare and make them confident to overcome the challenges of life, adding that the girls were taught different topics regarding the challenges associated with adolescent stages and how to take care of themselves.

She appreciated the wife of the governor of Abia State, Mrs Priscilla Otti, for her passion to put an end to issues relating to sexual and gender-based violence, including supporting the girl-child 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.”

Also speaking, the Program Manager of the Presbyterian Community Services and Development under the Access OVC Project of the NGO, Rev. Dien Aniyom, said that the essence of the training was to gather adolescent girls and young women from the Orphans and Vulnerable Children program in the communities and equip them on the essence of life in terms of building their resilience and helping them fight against challenges of adolescence and gender-based violence.

Some young girls who participated, including Azubuike Chizoba, Achinefu Success and Nnamdi Chisom vowed to prioritize their studies and shun premarital sex.

They also enumerated some of their challenges, and what they learnt at the event.