GCC, AGILE train facilitators for ‘safe spaces’ for girls in Borno schools

image

BY ABDULKADIR M. LAWAN, JANUARY 31, 2023 | 05:15 PM


Girl Child Concerns, GCC in collaboration with Borno State chapter of Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, AGILE have flagged off a training of facilitators for the establishment of safe space in 100 secondary schools.

A safe space is a classroom often consisting of a few adolescent girls, between 20 and 25, with a trained mentor.

The space is normally a private provided by a community or government, with lessons strictly based on a girl centered curriculum and emphasis on the acquisition of life skills such as agency, voice, decision making, reading, writing and arithmetic, among others.

At safe spaces, girls are believed to be free to express themselves confidently in a secure environment without fear of judgement or intimidation.

The five-day training which commenced Monday is ongoing at data center of the Borno State Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement in Maiduguri.

GCC and AGILE organized a one-day inception meeting previously for the implementation of the spaces in the state.

The organizations said the project is aimed at supporting government through multi-sectoral approach to unlock binding demand and supply-side constraints to girls' empowerment, especially in Northern Nigeria.

AGILE is a five-year federal government project assisted by the World Bank to improve adolescent girls' access to secondary education.

Engr. Ibrahim Baba, coordinator of AGILE in the state said the project will empower girls through education, life skills, health education (nutrition, reproductive health) gender-based violence awareness and prevention, climate change, negotiations and digital skills, among others.

He called on the participants to make maximum use of the opportunity.

Speaking, Dr. Mairo Mandara, the founder of GCC said 'the group of people we are training today are people who will go to their various local governments… to guide and support young girls in schools to develop themselves, learn about their health, their lives and be able to make (good) decisions.'

According to her, the facilitators were selected from the three senatorial zones of the state.

'The participants are women who have made a mark in their lives at their local government levels as nurses, teachers and others.

'These people were selected by their community so that we can train them to go and train others,' Mandara said.

She explained that at the end of the program, they are going to have a group of women who are committed, who understand adolescent girls and how to support them to be able to remain in school and complete secondary school.

'Our ultimate objective is that, we will see our adolescent girls to be responsible, participating in rebuilding back Borno State,' she added.

Religious leaders, civil society organizations and educationists, among others, were at the event.


Appeal for support


Conflict Reporting is dangerous and risky. Our reporters constantly face life-threatening challenges, sometimes surviving ambushes, kidnap attempts and attacks by the whiskers as they travel and go into communities to get authentic and firsthand information. But we dare it every day, nonetheless, in order to keep you informed of the true situation of the victims, the trends in the conflicts and ultimately help in peace building processes. But these come at huge cost to us. We are therefore appealing to you to help our cause by donating to us through any of the following means. You can also donate working tools, which are even more primary to our work. We thank you sincerely as you help our cause.

Alternatively, you can also email us on info@yen.ng or message us
via +234 803 931 7767