By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
The Japan funded UNESCO intervention has ended in Bauchi State with the duo calling on the Bauchi State Government and other stakeholders to upscale and sustain the gains achieved.
In a well attended End-Line Report and Closing event for the Japan-UNESCO project titled, “Empowerment of Women and Girls on Marginalize communities for better Well-Being through Education and Advocacy” held at the Command Guest House, Bauchi, Program Specialist, UNESCO Regional Office Abuja, Mrs. Adele Nibona expressed her delight on the successes recorded and the enabling environment created by the State Government that resulted into huge outcomes.
Niboma then called on beneficiaries of the program to be ambassadors in what they have learnt and also cascade it to those that were not fortunate to be part of the the program.
In presenting the end line report on behalf of UNESCO and Japan, the education and partnership officer of UNESCO, Magdalene Anene Maidoh said that the objective of the program was promote the empowerment of women and girls in marginalized communities though
resilience strengthening and self-actualization.
Maidoh said that, specifically, the program was set to provide second chance education opportunities, incorporating COVID-19 preventive measures, to women and girls facing marginalization and also provide psychosocial rehabilitation in support of the long-term recovery of women and girl survivors of SGBV
According to her, the program also aimed to equip media personnel with strategies for developing quality contents on gender sensitive reportage and countering mis/disinformation around COVID-19,
raise awareness about SGBV and support the promotion of the zero-tolerance-of-violence environment, and relieving the increasing social tension aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She further said that the program also seek to Increase knowledge and respect of existing rights of women and girls among all stakeholders
While highlighting some of the achievements recorded during program, Maidoh said the intervention has succeeded in developing a new and innovative manual of understanding COVID-19: (A Module for Basic Literacy).
Other achievements according to Maidoh were:
– Of the targeted 100 learners, 99 women and girls completed the 6-month Basic Literacy course, which included the innovative COVID-19 content
– Transformation of the learners into advocates for COVID-19 prevention in their communities.
– Developed Training manual titled “A Gender-Based Violence Manual” which would be used by the CSOs and other stakeholders in training other partners in their community
– Capacity of over 50 CSOs and stakeholders including youth, women, men, religious and traditional leaders, media, policy makers, security, and medical personnel was built on the knowledge and respect of existing rights of women and girls becoming key advocates and actors in preventing SGBV, preventing COVID-19, countering violent extremism and hate speech.
– 15 Community media personnel were equipped with relevant skills and competencies for tackling hate speech and fake news on COVID-19, developing quality information and content on gender-sensitive reportage that can increase women and girls’ access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Right (SRHR).
– 10 CSOs and their partners stepped down the training in their communities of which there was a multiplier effect.
– 8 Trained media personnel developed programmes on their platforms advocating for the rights of women and girls in marginalized communities, sensitizing the public on COVID-19, hate speech and fake news.
“The period under review also saw the development of a manual on psychosocial counselling and rehabilitation for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and the rehabilitation of 25 SGBV women and girl survivors through a 16 -week counselling session”, said Maidoh.
The UNESCO education and partnership officer said that though an appreciable successes were recorded, she however pointed out some challenges encountered during the implementation.
The challenges she enumerated were centered around inadequate funding that may likely hamper scale up and sustainability of the gains achieved stressing that, “due to limited funds, not all the communities could be engaged in the trainings”.
She also noted that the restrictions of COVID-19 limited the number of beneficiaries. To adhere to social distancing, number of learners under one facilitator had to be pegged at 10.
Also, vulnerability of the victim’s family and survivors with disabilities were not taken into account during the planning of the project.
In conclusion, the endline report recommended the payment of facilitators allowance and continued professional development.
UNESCO also recommended the funding of and provision of post basic literacy and vocational skills programmes for women who have completed the literacy programme for economic empowerment and improved livelihoods and leveraging on support from local philanthropists for payment of facilitators to expand NFE provision.
Other recommendations highlighted by the World are:
Increased support to the State Agency for Mass Education to conduct effective monitoring
Provision of learning equipment and materials, including furniture in literacy centres.
Support for community media personnel in using their platforms to advocate and educate their listeners on SGBV and COVID-19.
Support to CSOs for continuous engagement with stakeholders and gate keepers to address issues of SGBV and sensitization on COVID-19.
Create more safe spaces with adequate facilities and tools for counselling SGBV survivors.
UNESCO also suggested that more copies of the manuals produced should be made available and also
step down capacity building activities to CSOs in rural communities to use counselling manual.
Our correspondent reports that highlights of the occasion was the presentation of basic literacy certificates issued to beneficiaries of program, with some of them actually reading from a story they wrote to invited guests.