NGO trains volunteers, ‘strategic partners’ on women’s rights advancement

A non-governmental organisation with a focus on preventing violence against women and girls, the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), has trained volunteers and strategic partners across the six South West states.

The training of the trainers with the theme ‘Women at the Centre, Strengthening Capacity and Resilience for Women’s Rights Advancement’, which was held in Ibadan, Oyo State, was supported by the Ford Foundation.

WRAPA Programme Officer, Mrs Zainab Abdurasheed, said the training was meant to enhance the capacity to protect and advocate for women and girls by strengthening social accountability support groups and enhancing membership structures and community involvement in strengthening women’s rights in Nigeria and beyond.

Mrs Abdurasheed explained that each of the trainees that has been equipped with skills, techniques and practical applications of project management and execution were to train 6,000 volunteers across the South West.

“WRAPA is collaborating with local-based civil society organisations through identification of women-led organisations to build technical capacity of its partners as well as learn from them” she noted. 

She said the organisation also “contributes to national statistics,” especially data on abuse and violence against women and girls through the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs. 

According to her, the organisation is passionate about elimination of harmful practices which deprive women of access to health care, education and communication with a view to improving their overall well-being. 

One of the facilitators at the three-day zonal training, and Deputy Director, Outside Broadcast and Sports, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Ibadan, Dr Abiodun Ogidan, emphasised the need for volunteers to jettison sentiments while on advocacy to eliminate Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) against women and girls in communities.

Ogidan educated the trainees on the importance of research, getting the buy-in of major stakeholders, identifying dissenting voices, understanding the values and norms of target communities, safety of volunteers and identification of mobilisers among the indigenous people.

The Head of Unit, Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs Olafunmilayo Akinpelu, stressed the need for training of volunteers on best response approaches to help the survivors, advocating the establishment of gender desks in all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to expedite actions on reported cases of SGBV.

WRAPA Acting Coordinator, South West and the Oyo State Coordinator, Dr Mercy Olumakinwa, said the training was targeted at students, especially abused females, the civil society organisations, as well as community and religious leaders.

Olumakinwa added that the trainees had been groomed on safety measures and use of legal and government agencies to overcome pushbacks.

Some of the trained volunteers, Professor Olubunmi Ashimilowo, Ogun State Coordinator; Alhaja Sherifat Taliat-Arafat, a partner from Oyo State and Miss Dunni Riches, Ekiti State Coordinator of WRAPA, said the training session was enriching as they learnt new methods of engagement with community stakeholders and the importance of synergy and advocacy in the fight against SGBV.

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