The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has empowered no fewer than 95,556 adolescent girls and boys in Katsina State with financial literacy, safe spaces, and vocational skills
Mr. Muntaka Muhammad-Mukhtar, Education Specialist at the UNICEF Kano Field Office, disclosed this on Friday during a community town-hall meeting in Katsina.
He said the meeting aimed to assess and consolidate the gains of the “Reaching and Empowering Adolescent Girls in Northwest Nigeria, REACH, programme, implemented in six local government areas Katsina, Kafur, Kankara, Rimi, Baure, and Mani over the past two years.
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The initiative seeks to increase school enrollment, retention, and completion.
Muhammad-Mukhtar said the beneficiaries acquired life-changing skills such as knitting, crochet, henna design, cap-making, and throw pillow production to support their future careers.
UNICEF Adolescent Development Specialist, Ngozi Izuora-Songu, noted that out-of-school girls and survivors of gender-based violence, GBV, were among the beneficiaries.
“These skills align with local market demands, making the products marketable in their communities and urban centers,” she said.
She added that medical kits were distributed to six health centers in three LGAs to boost healthcare support for GBV survivors.
At least 150 traditional and religious leaders, along with law enforcement personnel, were trained on child protection and GBV response, improving community responsiveness and local protection systems.
Health workers were also trained on using the medical kits for screening sexually transmitted infections and treating injuries.
The town-hall meetings across the six LGAs served as a platform to evaluate challenges facing adolescent girls transitioning from primary to secondary education.
The event, organized by UNICEF in collaboration with the Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, brought together girls, parents, teachers, and education officials to reflect on REACH’s impact.
NAN
