Plan International, a nongovernmental organization in collaboration with the Adamawa State Government, has trained and empowered 200 adolescent girls by providing them with start-up kits to help them become self-reliant.
This initiative is part of the Learn and Stay Protected Project, which is funded by BEIERSDORF and aims to enhance adolescent girls’ ability to exercise their rights to education and protection from sexual and gender-based violence.
Among the participants, 80 girls received training in sewing, 32 in hairdressing, 18 in makeover services, 23 in grinding, 3 in soap making, 11 in shoemaking, and 32 in catering.
Falinyi Johnson, the Project Manager, explained that the project has been running for four years, with an additional two year planned for continuation with a goal is to create a lasting impact on the lives of adolescent girls in Adamawa State and, ultimately, across the entire country.
Falinyi mentioned that the girls underwent six months of training based on their preferred skills for sustainability and family support. “We asked them about their preferred income-generating activities to enable them to sustain themselves and their families. The distribution of start-up kits was aligned with the skills they learned; those who trained in tailoring received sewing machines, while the catering, shoemaking, and soap-making trainees were given their respective tools. Falinyi explained.”
Plan International is optimistic about a brighter future for the girls, as they aim to empower them to train others in self-reliance. Plans are also in place to distribute cash incentives to help the girls fight poverty in their communities.
“We want to ensure they are not exploited due to a lack of resources. Therefore, we have established a sustainability mechanism through a community-based approach, engaging community protection groups such as leaders to continue monitoring the project. We also train male champions, whom we refer to as ‘Him for Her,’ to help track the success of the income-generating activities,” Falinyi stated.
She emphasized that this project is made possible through a partnership with the Adamawa State Government and support from NIVEA.
In her address, Neido Geoffrey Kufulto, the Adamawa Commissioner for Women Affairs, praised Plan International for complementing the empowerment programs of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri. She urged the beneficiaries to make effective use of the start-up kits in their fight against poverty, especially considering the current economic challenges in Nigeria. “We all know what is happening in this country; if they do not help themselves, no one else will,” she reminded them.
She deemed the intervention timely and noted the overwhelming choice of beneficiaries.
In goodwill messages, Aishatu Ibrahim from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other stakeholders commended Plan International and their donors for positively impacting the lives of adolescent girls.
Beneficiaries like Shafa’atu Suleiman and Grace Sunday expressed their gratitude, promising to use the knowledge and tools they received to improve their lives and contribute positively to the growth and development of their communities