In commemoration of International Day of the Girl-Child (IDG), girls have been urged to build capacity, be fearless, financially knowledgeable and have a strong sense of their identity as they glide through life.
Speaking at Bloom Africa’s ‘Girl in bloom conference,’ tagged: ‘Fearless,’ where girls were mentored, Founder, The Bloom Africa, Tosin Durotoye emphasised the need to engage young girls sooner than later and before they entered the university, saying this is when girls need mentoring the most.
She said: “For four years, my NGO – The Bloom Africa – a platform for ambitious African women and girls – held an eight week leadership programme for teen girls. From that programme, I realised that it was critical to engage young girls sooner than later and before they entered the university.
“They have so many questions and are often uncertain of next steps. From that leadership programme – which mentored girls across Nigeria and in Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa – I found the inspiration for Girl in Bloom. A yearly leadership conference for girls ages 16-18.”
Also speaking, author and disability advocate, Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, who was the keynote speaker, stressed the need for girls to be focused and positive as life unfolds and present different challenges to them.
She urged the girls to start early by building a community and foundation, even as they trust in God. She said: “Life is always evolving and the challenges will always change but one thing that we need to be reminded of is that we must build a community, have a foundation, and always hold on to God.
“Life will continue to happen but in all of it have faith and believe that God has given you the strength to overcome. It’s important to have a foundation, if you don’t have one, when challenges come, you would be tossed in the open. Build community and invest in your relationships. No matter the challenges, don’t give up, keep moving and trust that all will be well.”
On her part, Senior HR Advisor at Shell, Isioma Coker, urged the girls to be intentional about how they live their lives, be proud of their identity and believe that all will be well, irrespective of the challenges that may come their way.
“As girls they go forth in life, it’s important to build a strong sense of identity, have a learner’s mindset and be focused that they can achieve the goals that they set their minds to. Be intentional about how you live your life, have fun and trust that all things will work out for your good.”
Founder and Lead Coach, Smart Stewards, Sola Adesakin, urged the girls to have the right mindset about money, while urging them to be consistent in their various endeavours.
“When it comes to money, there is nothing like too young or old. You can make money, you can be rich, money can gravitate towards you, but you need to have the right mindset. You don’t have to steal, lie or be promiscuous to get it. When you master the game of money, and understand how it works, it will come to you. See it as a tool to serve you.”
Meanwhile, UNICEF and the governments of five northern states have launched an initiative, Girls for Girls (G4G), to empower girls and build their “capacity to stand up for themselves.” Empowering women spurs productivity and promotes economic growth. Besides, gender equality and women’s empowerment are central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in 2015 is linked to girls.
The programme, which had 700 girls in attendance, comprised 100 in person and 600 virtually and had Junior Achievement Nigeria, The Mike Adenuga Center, The YBB Company, The Conversation Cafe and Road 14 Studios, as partners.
Participating schools included: Chrisland Schools (Lagos), Community Secondary Commercial School (Akwa Ibom), Faith Baptist College (Rivers), Falomo Senior High School (Lagos), Girls Senior Secondary Grammar School Glorious Hope School (Plateau), Government Secondary School Asokoro (Abuja), Government Secondary School Kuje (Abuja), Government Secondary School Sabo (Kaduna), Government Secondary School Kakuri (Kaduna), Ireti Senior Grammar School (Lagos), Merit International School (Ondo), Oxbridge Tutorial College (Lagos), Queens School Apata (Oyo) and others.
Urban Girls Secondary School (Enugu), Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls (Lagos), Wahab Folawiyo Comprehensive High (Lagos), Wellspring College (Lagos), Yandutse College (Kano) and Various Schools from the Makoko Community (Slum2School, Lagos).
