Helpline Foundation Trains FCT Original Inhabitant Girl-child on Equality

By: Wisdom Acka

The Helpline Foundation has organized training for the FCT Original Inhabitant Girl-Child on gender equality, social inclusion, human rights and health practices.

While declaring the training open on Tuesday in Abuja, President, Helpline Foundation for the Needy Abuja, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu said that the Foundation has organized the training to uplift the standard of living of a girl-child in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to her, “over the years, the Foundation has taken the girl-child project as a top priority among other objectives”.

She stated that Helpline Foundation has, therefore, given the girl-child a voice through the Voice of the Girls Parliament, where the girl-child meets to enact laws, and be mentored on leadership and capacity building, among others.

Dr. Ahmadu, who was represented by the Foundation’s Project Manager, Mr. Onoja Arome, revealed that the organization has equally engaged over 189 of the FCT original inhabitant women and youths on local economic development project through traditional attire weaving for cultural preservation.

She stated that the traditional attire-making training had been carried out by Foundation with her development partners to ensure revamping and preservation of the indigenous cultural heritage of weaving a cherished, age-long local fabric, which was at the verge of extinction.

Dr. Ahmadu, therefore, thanked MacArthur Foundation, Resource Center for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), as well as Dr. Zikirulahi Ibrahim, for championing the project in the FCT and beyond.

Speaking for one of the partners, Reproductive Health/Family Planning Program Officer, Pathfinder International Nigeria, Kosi Izundu stated that sensitisation of girls of reproductive age in hard to reach areas was part of her organization’s mandates.

Izundu expressed happiness for being able to gather the girls in one place and “talk to them about sexual reproductive health and their rights today.

“In summary, what we are telling the girls today is helping them to maintain their agencies in terms of having information to be able to protect themselves and to be able to speak out in case of any form of harassment or discrimination.

According to her, it was important for the girls to be given the right information so that “they can grow into very healthy adolescents and adults and they are able to filfil their potentials in the society”.