By Ojoma Akor
Pathfinder International Nigeria with support from Organon has empowered 45 adolescents and young people in Gwarimpa community of Abuja, Nigeria with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge and skills.
The young people whose ages range between 10 to 24 years were empowered through the organization’s Empowering Futures Project.
Dr. Amina Dorayi, Regional Portfolio Director for Pathfinder International in West and Central Africa said the project was implemented following identification of issues and challenges that young people face.
Speaking during the close-out ceremony of the project, Saturday in Abuja, she said the project was implemented in collaboration with the FCT Primary Health Care Board and Gwarimpa community.
She said, ” Challenges that have to do with a lot of things, their health, their wellbeing, their empowerment, and also they need to know more and be able to thrive.
“Because as an organization, we envision a world where everyone, irrespective of where they are, or their age, have what they need to be healthy, to thrive and to live the life they choose.
” The population of young people is very big in Africa. They need to be empowered to be able to really address their needs, one of which is their health needs; this includes adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights and knowledge and also empowerment in the sense of having skills, and knowledge to be able to really do a few things for themselves; and also to work with health workers to understand their needs and to provide youth friendly services.”
Dorayi who is also the country director for Pathfinder in Nigeria explained that Pathfinder, in collaboration with its partners developed a comprehensive peer mentorship curriculum for the project.
She said the curriculum was used to facilitate peer mentorship sessions alongside skills acquisition training with adolescents and young people in the community.
She said, ” they have graduated from the curriculum that we have taken them through over a period of time. So this is a ceremony to recognize, the good things that they have done. There are alot of items or products that they developed themselves, shoes, sanitary pads that are reusable, hand wash, soaps that they can use at home. So it is really a very important event where we recognize our young people and congratulate them for a job well done in going through these modules.”
On the outcome on sexual and reproductive health, she said, “Every week we have the modules that teach them from even understanding their bodies, to even understanding gender based violence; how the boys can ensure that they don’t perpetuate this or be part of this, how girls can also protect themselves, to their anatomy, the physiology, and even the services that can be provided in facilities close to them.”
The District Head of Gwarimpa, Hakim Umar Bayero, said empowering adolescents early helps address not only health challenges but also wider social issues.
He said, “By informing and equipping them early, we are not only addressing national challenges but also helping to tackle insecurity in this country. Theoretical education alone cannot sustain Nigeria; combining it with practical skills and crafts, as you have done here, will go a long way.”
A beneficiary of the project implementation, Umar Nana Aisha, a JSS3 graduate, said the training equipped her with practical vocational skills.
“I learnt shoemaking, soap production, and reusable pad making. This programme has triggered something in me about how to be on my own if things get tough. I am eager to improve on these skills because I’ve seen they will help me in the future.”
Amir Ademu, an SS2 student of Government Secondary School, Gwarimpa, said the training helped equip him with communication, peer guidance, and positive decision-making as well as guide him on his career path.
He said, “One of the topics that improved my thinking was goal setting. It has made me understand the steps I need to follow to become an architect.”
