Entrenching REACH Project’ll help address insecurity, social vices, others- NGOs
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) from Gombe, Katsina and Zamfara states said the Save the Children International’s (SCI) Reaching and Empowering Adolescents to make informed Choices for their Health (REACH) Project would help address insecurity, drug abuse and other social vices if the project is properly entrenched and sustained in the communities across the states.
The NGOs made the submission on Friday on the sideline of a workshop towards the Adoption of CHOICES and Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) and Life-skills Curriculum holding in Abuja.
The 42-month project which is expected to end by August and being implemented in two LGAs each of Gombe, Katsina and Zamfara states is funded by Canadian Government through the Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Save the Children International (SCI) through local NGOs from the respective states.
The NGOs while appealing to the state governments where REACH Project is being implemented said the Project carried with it a lot of benefits that would help proffer solutions to societal ills and make communities better places to live in.
Musa Umar Aboki, the Executive Director, Voluntary Aid Initiative, the implementing NGO of REACH Project in Zamfara state said the project was timely in view of the series of security challenges that the state and country was facing.
Aboki stated that the gains of the project on adolescents were related to attitudinal change which parents and community leaders have testified to the fact that beneficiaries of REACH Project were found to be “behaviourally and morally upright.”
He stated that the project would help remodel adolescents and in the long run contribute to the solutions to insecurity, drug abuse and other social vices if embraced and sustained in the three states.
“Our topics and curriculum in REACH Project prepare children to have good company, have dreams and pursue their ambitions and goals, embrace education especially girl-child as well as respect elders and be patriotic.
“In all, REACH focuses on attitudinal changes for adolescents and if they all have good attitudes social vices will be minimised going forward and our society will be healthier for everyone,” Aboki said.
He added that the gains being recorded in girl-child education in Zamfara state would empower girls and improve the chances of women participation in politics and other sectors in the future.
While commending Zamfara state for sending its representatives from executive, legislative and MDAs, Aboki expressed confidence that the essence of the workshop would yield the needed result in the interest of the wellbeing of adolescents in Zamfara state.
Also speaking with our correspondent, Mrs Grace Samuel, the Executive Director, Kishimi Shelter and Care Foundation (KSCF), the implementing NGO in Gombe state said the project was good enough for every adolescent to be exposed to and “that’s why are looking at the areas that the curriculum can be mainstreamed into schools.”
Samuel said that the REACH Project’s curriculum was robust and teaches a lot of good lessons for adolescents and helping them to live above board in any environment they found themselves.
“We know that in the environment we come from there is a disconnect between the children and their parents.
“And the teenage phase is a critical time and if they don’t get the right information, they mess up their lives and we cannot continue to have children having half baked or no information and then end up making mistakes that will affect their opportunities in life.”
Samuel advised the Gombe state Government to “look into the proposal for the adoption and sustainability of the REACH Project by supporting the two LGAs where the project is being implemented while yielding to demands from other councils for scale up.
She assured that KSCF was open to give technical supports to the government whenever such was required.
On his part, Jacob Aaron, the Executive Director, Community Information and Advocacy Initiative, Katsina state said awareness through the REACH Project helped in fast-tracking the passage and domestication of the Child Protection Law in Katsina state.
“If I will rate the success of REACH Project in Katsina, I will say 100 per cent because of the impact on communities and adolescents.”
Our correspondent also reports that the workshop is a stakeholders’ engagement towards the adoption of CHOICES and ASRH and Life-skills Curriculum in Gombe, Katsina and Zamfara states.
Stakeholders from these states were drawn from the executive, legislative and MDAs.
Highlight of the event during session include group works and presentations aimed at ensuring smooth adoption of the project into schools for sustainability of the REACH Project.
