As part of efforts to assist the Girl Child achieve her potentials, Fidelity Bank Plc has announced a financial support of N10 million to install an information technology facility centre in the ‘Dream Catchers Academy’ for Girls.
 
Dream Catchers Academy for Girls is a free boarding educational and performing arts academy for orphaned and/ or underserved girls.

 
The academy use dance, drama, music, visual arts and leadership skills as a tool to help and encourage orphaned, disadvantaged and/or impoverished girls to stay in school while pursuing a purposeful life.
 
Managing Director of the bank, Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, made the announcement at the bank’s 2022 International Women’s Day celebration held in Lagos.
 
She said: “We are supporting the ‘Dream Catchers Academy’ for girls, a free board educational and performing art academy for orphans and underdeserved girls, by putting together an IT centre at the academy and paying for coding to the tune of N10 million.
 
“We believe this will go a long way to assist the young ladies who need a helping hand while enhancing their knowledge in their area of endeavour,” she said.
 
Onyeali-Ikpe also unveiled a special proposition tagged ‘HerFidelity” for the bank’s female customers and clients.
 
According to her, the bank under the initiative would sponsor five female led enterprises for training of apprentices to the tune of N5 million.
 
“This proposition boasts of exciting features such as capacity building, access to finance at reduced rate, health and wellness programmes, recognition and networking events all designed to help women achieve their potential and I encourage you to sign up for this experience.
 
“One of the pillars of this new preposition called HerFidelity is capacity building and to this end, we are sponsoring five female led enterprises today to a total sum of N5 million for training of female apprentices,” she said.
 
She cited a recent report by Malala Foundation which showed that girl counts for 60 per cent of the Nigerian 10 million out of schoolchildren, stating that the statistics are driven by barriers such as child marriage, poverty and discriminatory societal norms against the girl-child.
 
“Despite these challenges, women continue to play a very significant roles in driving economic, social and cultural development of their communities.
 
“Indeed, in a recent PWC report indicated that 41 per cent of the micro businesses in Nigeria are run by women with over 23 million female entrepreneurs operating in this segment.
 
She expressed hope that the event would steer up new conversations, drive fresh agenda and inspire all to stand up against agenda discrimination and bias.
 
Also speaking, the keynote speaker and former Minister of Education, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, encouraged women to be firm in order to make it to the top.
 
She urged women to use data to tackle structural issues that stand on their way to the top.