Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), a non-governmental organisation, on Friday, in Ibadan, celebrated its 20th anniversary, using the opportunity to mentor female students through its Big Sister Programme (BSP) initiative.
Mrs Oluwatoyin Olunloyo, one of the coordinators of the Ibadan event, in her statement, stated that BPS was developed in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of WIMBIZ, and that its mission is to provide, equip and empower young girls aged 14 – 18 years with life skills that will boost their confidence and leadership capacity.
Olunloyo noted that the BSP initiative, for this year’s anniversary, is part of the 2,000 girls’ mentorship plan scheduled to hold across six locations in Nigeria: Abuja, Bonny, Ibadan, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Uyo.
The Ibadan branch of the anniversary was held at Onireke Girls High School, and according to Olunloyo, their aim is to impact the students with their experience.
Mrs Fumni Roberts, a member of the board of trustees of the organisation, noted that there are some students who have not met accomplished women before and who may not meet them unless an engagement programme like BSP is created.
“Our aim is to mentor secondary school students so that we can catch them young,” Roberts said. “We inspire them by telling them they can do it by bring role models, women who have done it before, to share their experiences with them.”
Mrs Olalade Adesola, while giving her remarks, stated that in this 21st century, there is nothing a woman cannot do.
“This engagement with you students is a call to great things,” Adesola said. “It only requires commitment to a purpose.”
Mrs Moremi Adeleye, the team lead for BSP in Ibadan, stated that one of the aims of the programme is to shape the mindsets of students and to expose them to vital skills they require to succeed in life.
“We connect young girls with appropriate Big Sisters in various fields,” Adeleye said. “Young girls need to see real-life examples of accomplished women in various niches. This will fire up their drive and desire to do better, be better, and excel.”
In the course of the event, there were some training seesions anchored by some of the BSP women.
The sessions and the women who anchored them were: Self-confidence (Temitay Obafaiye); setting goals and planning (Awokola Modesayo); Identifying your career and entrepreneurial paths; financial literacy and budgeting (Bukola Haastrup-Ashagidigbi); hygiene and good grooming (Adeola Akin-Cole); interpersonal relationships (Humaint Raji); and peer pressure (Olubunmi Fajuyigbe).
The students expressed their gratitude to the BSP women for coming to their school to teach and mentor them.
Mrs O. O. Salako, the principal of the school, while thanking the BSP crew, stated that she was happy that they chose her school for the programme and that her students were privileged to learn from their knowledge and experience. She also stated that the impact the women had made on her student will not only speak now, but also in the future.
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