By Jacinta Nwachukwu
A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Plan International Nigeria, says it will partner with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) to drive stronger advocacy for women and youths in Bauchi and Sokoto States.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the partnership between the two parties was sealed through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday in Abuja.
The NGO’s Director of Programme Quality and Influencing, Dr Helen Idiong, said that the collaboration was aimed at driving stronger advocacy, amplifying visibility and strengthening capacity building for women’s rights and youth-led organisations in the two states.
Idiong stated that the initiative would be actualised under its Plan International Nigeria’s Adolescent Girls and Young Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASPIRE) project, aiming to impact 20 million girls in five years.
According to her, the ASPIRE project, funded by Global Affairs Canada, works to dismantle barriers to sexual and reproductive health and rights for adolescent girls and young women.
“It will also advance gender equality and inclusive participation in decision-making by creating an enabling environment for local organisations to thrive.
“We believe that whatever is causing the girls to be down there, issues around poverty, discrimination and all of the patriarchal things that affect girls, if they are removed, girls will have a better life.
“And you will agree with me that when girls are in their best elements, the country and the home will be better for all.
“No one can tell a woman’s story better than a woman herself. And so all of the great work that we are doing in our project in Sokoto, Bauchi, across the space, it’s only we women who can tell the story the way it should be told,” she said.
Idiong highlighted the organisation’s programmes to include: policy engagement and partnership building to address systemic barriers, amplification of girls’ voices and creation of enabling environment where children and young people, especially girls, can learn, lead, decide and thrive.
This, she said, was to ensure that their priorities shaped public discourse and advanced their rights in policy and practice.
In her remarks, the National President of NAWOJ, Aisha Ibrahim, appreciated the organisation for the initiative, saying that it underscored its commitment to advocating for gender equality and the rights of every child.
Ibrahim said that NAWOJ actively engaged in advocacy on societal and humanitarian issues, particularly focusing on persons of concern, including orphans and vulnerable children, among others.
“This partnership is not merely a formality, it is a declaration of our united vision, a vision that seeks to create a world where children and girls can thrive, where their voices are heard and where their rights are upheld.
“Through this collaborative framework on the ASPIRE project, we will implement strategic capacity-building initiatives designed to empower the local women’s rights and youth-led organisations as well as enhance their skills,” she said.
NAN reports that Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation founded over 85 years ago for the purpose of advancing children’s rights and equality for girls. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq
