Statistics has revealed that over 10 million children are not in school or receiving any training to equip them to be independent and responsible citizens in Nigeria in spite of the provision of the country’s constitution which mandates that every child has a right to education. And out of these 10 million children, the girl-child takes the greatest percentage, because, for various reasons, the education of the girl-child had been hitherto sacrificed on the altar of training her male counterpart.
To reverse this trend, many organisations, both governmental and non-governmental, have joined hands to pursue the cause of sensitising the people of the importance of educating the girl-child. One of these organisations is Morna International Children’s Foundation (MICF), a Lagos-based non-governmental organisation.
In furtherance of its dream to ensure all round education and protection of the girl-child, MICF, in commemoration of International Day of the girl-child kickstarted another initiative tagged: “The girl-child Matters” on October 13, 2017, at Ikotun in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The first phase of the programme was a seminar that had in attendance over 350 girls from various secondary and primary schools within Ikotun as well as their mothers at the Akod College.
The girl-child matters is an initiative designed to promote the rights of the girl-child in Nigeria and enlighten girls on what is expected of them and what they should avoid to attain their potentials.
One of the guest speakers, Jesuleke Akinpelumi, a female Pilot with Caverton Helicopters, spoke on the need to believe in oneself, irrespective of gender, mentioning notable women across the world who had dared the odds to attain great heights and encouraged the girls to be focused and know that there was no height they could not reach with determination.
Another speaker, an Assistant Commissioner of Police and a Senior Advisor with African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Remi Adeoye, who spoke about security of the girl- child – Safety from Sexual Predators.
He urged the girls to be aware of their environment, avoid lonely alleys, night outings and learn basic self-defense measures, encouraging them not to be ashamed of screaming if they find themselves in dangerous situations to their maximum advantage.
Also, Susan Ikegwu, a gender activist, spoke about gender equality and sexual reproductive health of girls, harping that they should not allow any form of discrimination against them as they are not inferior to their male counterparts.
Speaking on the initiative, Bukola Afolabi Ogunyeye, the founder of Morna International Children’s Foundation, stated that the initiative would focus on the right of the girl-child to education, the right of the girl-child to protection from abuse, the right of the girl-child to equality, healthcare and survival.
According to her, “the girl-child matters” is subsequently going to include campaigns, rallies and workshops in order to spread the message of empowerment of the girl-child in all spheres.
The first phase of the project was supported by Caverton Helicopters who provided female pilots to inspire the girls, 7Up Bottling Company, Vitafoam Nigeria Limited, Posh Lingerie Plus and Beth-Zion which donated books for the girls in attendance.
One of the participants told Nigerian Tribune that “the girl-child matters has really opened my eyes as a mother to reasons we must invest in a girl and how to protect the girl-child from sexual predators. The video shown to us also helped to educate us not to give up on the girl-child.”
And for the teenage beneficiaries, the response showed that the programme was not a waste. “This is amazing. You never can tell what you have inside of you until there is someone or something to trigger the real you. I once had a dream of becoming a multinational speaker but I felt there was no hope for us in this country. Right now, that dream has been re-kindled. There is hope for Nigeria and I love my country.”
Another stated that “today was really educative and interesting because I learnt that the female child is also as important as the male child. I wish I would always come here to learn more about the female child. The girl-child matters has taught us that SKY is a way out when someone tries to trap us for sexual molestation – Scream, Kick and Yell.
As the girls continue to laud MICF, the path is set for the initiative to move into the society and continue spreading the gospel of girl-child education
and then