NGO trains 1,770 women to strengthen the norm and weaken laws in N/E

A non-profit organization, Search For Common Ground has trained 1,770 women affected by insurgency on soft skills approach that will enable them to change narrative of norms and weakened laws discriminating and marginalized women in northeast.

Gender Specialist and Project Manager Tamwakat Golit said this during a training organised by Search for Common Ground, tagged, “Training Leadership and Conflicts Transformation”, in Maiduguri at the weekend.

“Of course, the issues of norms that we have, that discriminate and marginalize women and the culture of silence among women whenever their right is being violated, and the issues of perpetrators going unpunished,” said Golit.

“Key leadership skills that will support them in building their confidence, in non-adversarial communication technique, community mobilisation, how they can build relationships, gender-sensitive, conflict analysis, mediation and common ground approach training.

She explained that the training aimed to help them proffer solution and address some challenges facing women in the society especially in conflict zone area.

“It is basically at strengthening the resilience of women and girls in the ongoing insurgency in the northeast that comes with such as displacement, violence against women and girls, weakened laws that protect women and girls in our society.

“We are expected them to comes up with action plans in which we will help implement their action plan because they are the one who knows what is the problems are in their communities, knows their leaders those who are saddled with power to be able to change these norms and challenges they are facing.

“So at the end of this training, the women will be able to push and change the narratives after they have being trained on a soft skill approach and that is what we are doing.”

One of the trainees, Bawa Ganaabba Kau said, ” I lost everything when Boko Haram attacks years ago, I lost husband and all my belonging, I became IDP waited for distribution of relief item before we could eat. Today, through the economic empowerment skill, I am no long an IDP, we women from Mafa local government area can’t thanked the organiser enough.”