From Olanrewaju Lawal Birnin Kebbi
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as the Nana Girls and Women Empowerment Initiative, in collaboration with the Kebbi State Ministry of Women Affairs, have trained 400 out-of-school girls on skills acquisition and literacy.
The beneficiaries were drawn from three local government areas in the state, which are Maiyawa, Gwandu, and Argungu. They were given training on tailoring, cosmetics, catering and other basic skills.
The organisers said the skills that the girls acquired would help them survive after the initial training on literacy, under the Nana Initiative for six months.
Executive Director of the Nana Girls and Women Empowerment Initiative, Prof Fatima Adamu, explained that all the girls were selected based on their record of being school dropouts.
She noted that many of them have experienced series of abuse, and rescued at a point of being subjected to a child marriages.
“Let us support these girls. They have gone through a lot of hurdles in their life. Not only these girls, boys too are going through many challenges. Let us support them,” she said.
The Sokoto Field Officer for UNICEF, Mr Michael Juma, represented by Mr Pius Uwamanua, stated that Sokoto Field Office, through empowering the out-of-school girls would lead to the global agenda to end child marriage by 2030.
“As part of efforts to promote girls’ participation and empowerment, and ultimately reduce child marriage, UNICEF is supporting the Kebbi State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, alongside the civil society organisation, NANA Girls and Women Empowerment Initiative, to implement a project titled: ‘Leading the Global Agenda to End Child Marriage by 2030’.
Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Nura Fingila, Commissioner of Sports and Youths Development, urged the beneficiaries to utilise the working tools they were given to be employer of labour and stopped being dependants on their parents.
