SCI’s REACH Project boosts girl-child education by 80% – Dukku traditional leaders
The representative of the traditional leaders from Dukku Emirate, Alhaji Umar Tafida who is also the District Head of Zaune in Dukku Local Government Council said Save the Children’s REACH Project has improved girl-child education by 80 per cent.
Disclosing this in Abuja on the sideline of Reaching and Empowering Adolescents to make informed Choices for their Health in Nigeria (REACH) Project sustainability plan review workshop by key stakeholders from Gombe state, Tafida said the success of the project was “numerous and commendable.”
According to him, the impact of the programme on children, women and girls in the emirate is worth celebrating especially in the area of enhancing awareness on girl-child education.
He stated that more girls from the emirate were now attending schools as “they have recorded between 70 and 80 per cent increase in girl-child education.
“ This wasn’t the case in time past. We are extremely happy that this is happening and we are now more united in that course of ensuring education for our children.”
The district head noted that the success of the REACH project was due to the acceptance and support of traditional leaders starting from the Emir of Dukku, Alhaji Haruna Rasheed II to others, adding “ if this project is sustained and strengthened, we will increase our support for the project because we need it sustained,” he appealed.
On his part, Umar Abubakar Dukku, an Imam from Dukku representing the religious leaders from the emirate said the impact of REACH project on their children is now better told by parents in the emirate.
Dukku said “parents are now testifying of the good impact of REACH. When our children go out for this programme, we observe them and we have seen changes and we beg that these changes remain through the sustainability of the project.”
He noted that many of their children were now empowered in decision making regarding their future and health and “even more respectful to elders than it was the case prior to the introduction of the REACH project.”
Also speaking, Rev. Gaius Isuwa Bangus, a clergyman from Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA 1), Talasse Community in Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe state said the gains of REACH Project in three years had made it imperative for the project to be backed for sustainability and scaled up to reach wider coverage of children across the state.
“Since we are dealing with a belief system that has lasted for over 100 years, three years of a project is not enough to effectively correct some of those cultural beliefs so we need the programme to be sustained.
“The gains so far are foundational and if we can get more from the REACH project beyond August , 2021 the project would have been rooted deeply for more children to benefit,” he said.
Our correspondent report that the REACH Project, being implemented by Save the Children International (SCI) and Kishimi Shelter and Care Foundation in Dukku and Balanga Local Government Councils is being funded by the Canadian Government through Global Affairs Canada.
