Traditional rulers, govt officials, adolescent beneficiaries lament as Canadian Adolescents development programme comes to an end in Gombe

Satisfied with the positive performance of the Global Affairs Canada development programme in Gombe State, the REACH Project which has impacted the lives of the beneficiaries, traditional rulers, government officials and adolescents among many other stakeholders have called for the extension of the programme as it officially came to an end, on Monday.

In their reactions during the closeout programme of the REACH project in Gombe, the state capital as well as Dukku LGA and Talasse, Balanga LGA, the stakeholders expressed interest in the continuation of the programme.

The three-year programme, Reaching and Empowering Adolescents to make informed Choices for their Health (REACH), was executed by Save the Children International in two Local Government Areas in Gombe State with funding from Global Affairs Canada.

The Emir of Dukku, Alhaji Haruna Abdulkadir Rashid who paid glowing tribute to the programme due to what he described as its positive impact on adolescents in his domain expressed sadness over the exit of the programme saying, “it has turned around the lives of our children by giving them adequate knowledge to make informed choices in their lives.”

The traditional ruler assured that he along with other traditional rulers would support the sustainability of the programme as it has started addressing issues such as early marriages, drug abuse, schools dropout, gender-based violence among many other social ills associated with adolescents.

The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Naomi JJ Awak, expressed happiness with the acceptance of the programme by the beneficiaries and added that the State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, gave the enabling environment for the project to succeed, thus, also called for its extension.

Other commissioners who also paid glowing tribute to the programme were the Commissioners of Education, Health as well as the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency who all agreed that the indicators had been met.

Some adolescents who benefited from the project told our correspondent how the programme had built their confidence and exposed them to life-changing behaviours that will be beneficial to them and society.

In her address, Programme Manager of Save the Children International (SCI) in Gombe State, Altine Lewi, said the programme succeeded in reaching out to thousands of Adolescents (some married) with sexual, reproductive well as positive life-changing behavioural messages to help them make informed choices in their lives.

While outlining some of the challenges faced during the execution of the programme, Altine Lewi, however, commended CSO’s, media, parents and many other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the project in Gombe State.

The programmes, both in Gombe, Dukku and Balanga, witnessed exciting performances by the adolescents who exhibited their talents from what they learned through presentations in debates, drama, poem presentations, discussion programmes among many others.

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Traditional rulers, govt officials, adolescent beneficiaries lament as Canadian Adolescents development programme comes to an end in Gombe

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