Pulse.ng : Kaduna: UNICEF, NOA trains 1,080 adolescent girls on tailoring, hairdressing in Chikun LGA

By Sani Idris

UNICEF, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), has trained no fewer than 1,080 adolescent girls in Chikun LGA of Kaduna state on tailoring and hairdressing.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the training, was funded by UNICEF.

Speaking to newsmen at sideline of the girls graduation on Wednesday in Kaduna, the UNICEF Chief of Field Office in the state, Gerida Birukila, said children were exposed to violence, abuse and neglect, which prompted the idea to empower them with the trainings.

Birukila, speaking through the UNICEF's Child Protection Specialist, Dr Wilfred Mamah, added that the advent of COVID-19 brought the reality to light, where UNICEF found out that alot of Almajiri and adolescent girls were on the street.

She therefore, said the programme was conceptualised by UNICEF in order to know the number of children that are out of school in Kaduna, where their primary research revealed a lot of numbers.

"We are able to document 107,000 adolescent girls who were out of school and have nothing to do. They were exposed to physical, sexual and emotional violence, many of them are forced into prostitution.

"We went around asking questions on what the girls really want, and many of them were asking for skills acquisition. They said is they will be trained on tailoring and hairdressing, it will give them opportunity to perform,"he said.

Birukila therefore, said, based on that, UNICEF came up with the program to work with communities to train adolescent girls.

"In the course of the training, we use the opportunity to educate the of their rights. We educate them on what to do if they are abused sexually or physically," she said

Speaking further, she noted that the adolescent girls were verified to be from Chikun LGA, where they were documented and empowered with skills.

She also said UNICEF would select the best of the girls and enroll them on internship and apprenticeship so as to be trained further by experts.

She however, said in the course the training, they found out that some of them want to go back to school, where UNICEF documented them and would work with the ministry of education and SUBEB to ensure they enroll back.

Birukila hoped that they would come up with other opportunities to give the girls startup kits so as to start producing clothes and also open hairdressing saloons.

She expressed satisfaction at the pace at which the girls were able to within two months learn the skills almost like professionals.

Also, the state Director of NOA in Kaduna, Malam Hamisu Abubakar, said in November/December 2023, about 50 community leaders were selected from five
LGAs and trained on strengthening community structures to provide child protection
services at the community level.

At the end of the training, he said it was agreed that two pilot
community based centres would be equipped with child friendly safe space and life skills training for out of school adolescent girls.

As a follow up, Abubakar said the NOA, funded by UNICEF Kaduna
Field Office in compliance with agreed criteria selected Sabon Tasha community
in Chikun LGA of the state to conduct the training of 1,080 young girls on tailoring and hairstyling.

He explained that among the many communities visited, Sabon Tasha met the requirements of having a standard community centre where it could serve as a child friendly safe space and also serve as a place to learn skills.

"We met a community that is highly organized and enjoys the leadership of its
community leaders who accepted the idea of providing a place to conduct the
training for the young girls.

"This is a deliberate attempt to strengthen community structures for child protection services at the community level. Two months down the line, we are here today to witness the graduation
ceremony of dedicated young girls who are now equipped with skills on tailoring and hairsty ling for survival growth and development," he said.

speaking further, the State Director said NOA
has now gotten data of
young girls who needs to be added to the social register of Kaduna State and enrolled in schools.

He thanked UNICEF for the support in ensuring the project became successful, while also appreciating the host community for
embracing the intervention, particularly the governance team of eight selected community leaders.

He also commended their master trainers, stressing that they played commendable roles throughout the two months of training.

Also, Chairman of Chikun LGA, Mr Salasi Nuhu, commended UNICEF for the gesture to his LGA, adding that he was passionate about human capital development.

He stressed that skills is the ways forward, not theory, where however he noted that the two play side by side to offer greater opportunity.

Nuhu said the gesture would go along way in enhancing livelihood of the girls, while urging them to make good use of the opportunity.

"It is one thing to learn a skill and one thing to remain in business. You have to learn the hard skills in commensurate with softskill to help you sustain the business through application of honesty and keeping to promises,"he advised.

Some of the beneficiaries, Exceptional Abel and Sarah Solomon, who learnt tailoring and hairdressing, thanked UNICEF for the gesture, while pledging to use the skills for the betterment of their lives and communities.

NAN reports that highpoints of the event was traditional dances, fashion parade, and issuing of certificate to the adolescent girls.(NAN)