The Network For Disabled Women, with support from Actionaid and Canada recently trained some NDW-Project staff and teachers from selected schools on the rudiments and requisite skills for establishing Girls’ mentorship clubs and working with young girls in the education sector.
The 4-day training took place between 22nd to 25th March, 2022. Some twenty persons – 15 females and 5 males were in attendance. The training centered on enhancing knowledge of participants on running a Mentorship club and relating with Persons with Disabilities, PWDs.
Participants also received training on understanding the peculiarities of the girl child. Furthermore, they learnt how to manage the girl-child’s concerns, foster a healthy student-teacher relationship, and offer orientation on driving the goals of the club.
Several topics of discourse were dissected at the training. Facilitators at the training included, Ovo Otarigho (ED IDYL Initiative), Omolola Aneke (Comprehensive Autism and Related Disabilities Education), Edidiong Idang (Self-discovery Coach), Bibiora Yinkere (Founder, School of Grace).
Ovo Otarigho in his speech emphasized that modelling young girls and helping them achieve their goals is a major challenge as there are many negative influences out there.
Otarigho went on to comment on ways by the chain linking society, school, and the girl-child might be strengthened. He further emphasized the need to draw out merging points which will help the parties involved function effectively through smooth communication across levels.
Facilitator Bibiora Yinkere noted that the world has projected a misleading idea of non-disabled humans as perfect, leaving out persons with disability. She drew attention to the fact that society harbors a number of able bodied girls who are disabled in mind.
According to her, there’s a pressing need to groom the girl child because they are more vulnerable compared to the opposite gender.
During discussions on building self-esteem of the girl child, Yinkere listed steps that can improve self-esteem of the girl child.
She concluded with the admonition that the girl-child should be encouraged to affirm positive things about herself. She would then be able to glow externally, build healthy relationships, and learn to respond to situations positively. The girl child who hasn’t discovered herself will definitely have issues growing up.
Another facilitator, Omolola Aneke asserted that a woman who understands her role and peculiarity must have been taught as a girl child.
While addressing the topic: “Understanding the Girl Child and her Peculiarities”, she pointed out that situations where a woman meant to take responsibilities behave as a child may be attributed to issues involving environmental influence, peer influence, amongst others.
According to Omolola, interacting with the student and educating her on core values are of paramount importance in such cases.
Edidiong Idang stressed that education is a right and light especially for Persons living with Disability. She noted that education of the child is very important as it creates exposure, critical reasoning, self-awareness and self-improvement in the girl child.
She further explained that to have a good learning environment for students, the quality of teachers and the mode of delivery is also sacrosanct. The teacher must be able to simplify things for students. Teachers should help the students develop intellectually, so they can develop into an efficient and effective workforce, well groomed for the socio-political system and making meaningful contribution to the economy.
Other topics discussed at the training dwelt on supporting the girl child in the areas of goal-setting, understanding/managing abuses faced by the girl child, building/guiding the students on the right career path, the need for holistic growth and development (morally, academically, intellectually and spiritually) etc.