IntercontinentalNewsReservoir: e-CAPH Graduates 30 Young Women, Launches Toll-Free GBV Helpline to Strengthen Community Nutrition, Protection

Kaduna was filled with excitement and renewed hope as the Enhancing Communities Action for Peace and Better Health Initiative (e-CAPH) graduated 30 young women from its five-week capacity-building programme on “Empowering Young Women through Nutrition and Confectionery Skill Acquisition.”

The event also featured the launch of a new toll-free Gender-Based Violence (GBV) helpline aimed at expanding life-saving support for vulnerable groups across the state.

Implemented in collaboration with the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission and supported by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the training brought together young women, including persons with disabilities and survivors of GBV, determined to rebuild their lives and secure sustainable livelihoods.

Over the five-week period, participants were equipped with hands-on skills in bakery and confectionery, nutrition, entrepreneurship, digital marketing, and the production of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).

Representatives from the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA), the Planning and Budget Commission, KADMAM, UNFPA, and KADSACA delivered goodwill messages, stressing the urgency of locally driven interventions as Kaduna continues to confront rising malnutrition rates.

They commended e-CAPH for “stepping in where it matters most” and ensuring that vulnerable young women are not excluded from economic opportunities.

In his welcome address, the Executive Director of e-CAPH, Abdulmumin Rabiu Aliyu, said the initiative was inspired by a community sensitisation activity during World Breastfeeding Week, where his team encountered mothers and children visibly affected by malnutrition.

“That moment stayed with us,” he said. “We knew we had to do more than create awareness. we had to create opportunities. This programme is our commitment to offering a real, local solution.”

He extended appreciation to the Kaduna State Planning and Budget Commission and UNFPA for their unwavering support and collaboration.

Also speaking, the Head of Gender and Human Rights at e-CAPH, Khadija Lawal Aliyu, said the timing of the graduation was deliberate, coming during the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

She noted that economic empowerment remains a vital pathway out of vulnerability, adding that the inclusion of persons with disabilities and GBV survivors was central to e-CAPH’s mission of promoting dignity, equality, and resilience.

In line with efforts to strengthen protection systems, e-CAPH unveiled two new toll-free GBV helplines: 07058890117 and 07058890116. The lines will provide survivors with immediate access to counseling, legal guidance, medical services, and referrals.

Some of the beneficiaries, who received certificates and seed grants, shared emotional accounts of how the programme has transformed their lives, helping them discover new talents, gain confidence, and chart paths toward financial independence.

Their joy and determination, reflected in their expressions, symbolized the broader impact of the initiative: hope restored and opportunities unlocked.

The ceremony ended with a collective call to invest more in women and girls through both skills development and supportive systems that enable them to thrive, contribute to community development, and break cycles of vulnerability.