Celebrating International Day of the Girl 2020
Published on November 30, 2020
On 10th October this year, GB members around the world celebrated International Day of the Girl.
Ruth Utulu, a GB member from Ebonyi State in Nigeria, was involved with a collaboration between Girls’ Brigade, the Ebonyi State Vocational College and one.org.
Over 150 people were in attendance including Government officials, Girls’ Brigade mentors and girls, graduating students of the Give a Girl a Hope Project, One.org members, female students and staff of Urban Secondary School Abakaliki, Bishop Otubelu Convent school, Girls Model School Ugwachara, and Presco Secondary School and volunteers.
To mark the event, two key activities were scheduled.
First was a celebration of the young women who had completed three months of training on fashion design and entrepreneurship through GB’s Give A Girl A Hope Project. State Honourable Commissioner for Education, Dr. Onyebuchi Chima, did the honour of presenting the graduating students their certificates. Through this GB initiative, young women have been equipped with key economic skills which enables them to build a sustainable future for themselves and their families.
The graduation as followed by a panel discussion to educate young girls and women on the issues surrounding rape and gender based violence. This topic was chosen because of the increase in the reported cases of rape and gender-based violence across the State since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Organiser Ruth shared: ‘It is paramount to arm the young women with valuable information on signs to watch out for, who to speak to, how to go about reporting such cases, laws protecting them, actions to take when experiencing abuse, when to visit the hospital and why it’s important and information about organisations that offer counselling and legal support for victims, amongst other issues.’
The event was a fantastic way to showcase the impact of Girls’ Brigade to Government officials and other people of influence. It was also an opportunity to educate girls and young women about gender based violence. It was wonderful to have girls and women indicate interest in becoming members of Girls’ Brigade.
The celebrations continued on Sunday 11th October at the Ebonyi State Radio Broadcasting Service and on Monday 12th October at the T.V Station. These media appearances were an opportunity to share what Girls’ Brigade does to amplify girls’ voices and transform lives as well as advocate for the Girl Child.
GB International is thrilled to see GB members using International Day of the Girl to celebrate the power and potential of girls, raise awareness about issues of gender injustice and showcase the fantastic ministry of GB.
