NWTF graduates 100 women from training institute

 The Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) has graduated its first set of 100 women from its National Institute for Leadership and Ending Violence against Women and Girls (NILEVAWG).

The women underwent a 6-month mentorship programme organized by NWTF with support from Ford Foundation.

The first batch of the programme was held from the 4th to the 6th of April while the second batch was held from the 7th to the 9th of April in Abuja before the six months mentorship.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of NWTF, Mufiliat Fijabi, said women’s voices and leadership over the years have been limited due to multiple barriers which include violence against women, sexual violence, lack of opportunities in decision-making, and unequal gender relations.

EVAWG programme

Mrs Fijabi said the training programme was a sequel to the successful completion of a similar but distinct project under the Ford Foundation called Ending Violence against Women and Girls (EVAWG). Phase I and II of the EVAWG programme were held in eight states including Adamawa, Cross River, FCT, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Rivers, Nasarawa, Kebbi, and Ekiti.

“This set of graduands across the 36 states of the country and the FCT are pioneers of NILEVAWG after the successful implementation of EVAWG project in eight states in the past,” she said.

The trainees were asked to learn under different advisors, called mentees.

Advising the mentors and mentees not to cease to be good ambassadors of NWTF, she commended them for their “labour of love” in building a community of women who are taking leadership roles in raising voices on violence against women and girls.

“Our mentors, through this initiative have encouraged and supported survivors of abuse, broken the cultural barriers to their leadership roles and confidently engaged with stakeholders on GBV; transformed their ways of thinking, approach to life and impacted in their various communities,” she said.

GBV is still a big problem

While lamenting that violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights violations, Mrs Fijabi said a lot still needs to be done to end the menace.

“I must say that this six-month mentorship, training, and experience sharing is not the end of your input to correcting the anomaly in our society,” she said. “It is only the beginning of the resilience and doggedness to push for a total eradication of trampling on women’s rights, violence against women and girls, inequality and stereotypes against the women in Nigeria and across the globe.”

The chairperson of the Advisory Board of NWTF, Amina Salihu, noted that such mentoring is always trans-generational as learning is cross-fertilized between the mentees and mentors.

“We are trademarking this to expand the pool of women and girls that can step in as leaders in this field,” she said.

Ms Salihu said the trainees should not limit themselves. “You must always share your abilities with others,” she said.

Also speaking, one of the mentors, Bilkiss Oladimeji, said the mentors appreciate the opportunity to serve.

She said although mentees are looking for sponsorship to implement their various project ideas, she hopes they will continue to be great leaders of their nation.

Mentees speak

A mentee, Temitope Olaniyi, said through the mentorship programme, she has developed more passion against harmful traditional practices.

“I can boldly engage with the stakeholders now and I have been able to network with more people to achieve the goal,” she said.

Another mentee, Joy Haa, said the mentorship programme has helped her to build the team spirit in her and also helped in collaborating with other mentees to carry out activities.

“We carried out a project tagged ‘Project Unmute’. The responses we got from the participants through the questionnaires show that many of them have been harassed through unwanted sexual harassment but they didn’t report these cases because they were afraid.

“Some didn’t think it was harassment. We have been able to build their self-esteem,” she said.

First published in PREMIUM TIMES Newspapers 

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