In a collaborative effort between the United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF) and the Katsina State Government, 800 out-of-school adolescent girls have been empowered in four selected local government areas in the state.
Hajiya Zainab Abdulkarim, Acting Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the Department of Girl Child Education and Child Development in Katsina, revealed this during the presentation of the fourth-quarter progress report.
The initiative, conducted in partnership with UNICEF, focuses on providing safe spaces for girls to enhance their education and acquire skills, with the goal of reintegrating them into formal schooling.
The Ministry of Women Affairs is overseeing the program’s implementation in Katsina, Daura, Mani, and Batagarawa Local Government Areas. A total of 800 female children have been selected for the training program, set to continue until January 2025.
Furthermore, 200 out-of-school girls from the four local government areas have received essential reading and writing materials, as well as hygiene kits. The program also involved training eight mentors from each area, totaling 32 mentors, to provide further guidance to girls aged 10 to 19.
Abdulkarim mentioned that “the project engaged 50 community stakeholders and 50 parents of the safe space children to address training-related issues and ensure local government participation.
Additionally, 70 service providers were trained on the Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS) during the review period to enhance child protection efforts.
The department’s child protection activities, primarily supported by UNICEF, aim to empower vulnerable community members, especially children, to make informed decisions that improve their personal and community well-being.
The stakeholders’ meeting included presentations from various ministries, departments, and agencies involved in social protection activities, organized by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning with UNICEF’s support from the Kano Field Office.
