‘Why I’m pushing for girls’ empowerment’

When the subject of girl empowerment is raised, opinions usually tend towards educating the young female members of the society, and just that. But girl empowerment ought to be much more, considering the peculiarities and dynamics of the current times and seasons.

It is this light that Mrs. Dayo Benjamins-Laniyi (DBL), a girl empowerment enthusiast said she is pushing harder for more girls to be empowered in Nigeria.

In an interview, she said the African girl is obviously in need of every form of empowerment that she can get, in view of the fact that she has been short-changed for far too long, and cannot compete favourably with girls from other climes.

“Rather than mere talk, we went beyond that to actually making an effort to act it out through her ‘Dream Girls Project’ (DGP). We have reached out to hundreds of secondary school girls in Abuja but there are plans to extend it across the country and beyond,” Dayo said.

One of such outreaches was the training of over 100 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Dutse in Abuja recently.

The participants were trained in the arts of photography, dressmaking and use of technology. The beneficiaries of the project were also supplied with educational needs such as books, pens and other stationeries. The project also supported the students with food aid and finance.

Onyemaobi Sonia, an SS 3 student recounted her experience during her photography and dressmaking training.

“The value that the training has imparted in me is 100 per cent because I didn’t have a skill, but through DBL and the entrepreneurial classes of five weeks, we have been greatly impacted. I now have a photography skill and I hope to go worldwide as a young female photographer, and I’m very proud of it.”

Dayo said she also partnered with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Universal Education Board to provide the girls with e-learning schemes during the COVID-19 lockdown. The GGSS Dutse e-learning platform is the first of its kind for a public school in the FCT, she noted.

She further said the project will be extended to boys to promote gender balance, but that will be when the COVID-19 pandemic has eased out.

Dayo said the e-learning sessions helped the students to prepare for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). According to Netsima Suleiman, an SS 3 student of GGSS Dutse, the e-learning was a saving grace that buoyed her to confidence shortly before the WASSCE began.

“Apart from the motivation, she also organized an e-learning programme for us, and it was really helpful because most of us were indoors, and lessons weren’t going on. So, we stayed inside our rooms and studied,” recounted Netsima.

Explaining the impact of the project on the students, Mrs. Bonire Deborah, the Clubs and Societies Coordinator of GGSS Dutse, said the project was also of great impact to the teachers.

“They (girls) have really improved a lot. Some of them that were very timid are now very bold because she (DBL) preaches boldness. Even the teachers who interact with the students have also been impacted on. In fact, it has become a general affair here.”

On the objective of the project, Dayo said it was founded to inspire young girls to aim for their highest aspirations.

“I always say there is the need to imbue the African girl with confidence and motivate her to attain her highest place in life,” she said.

She further narrated how her own unpalatable experiences as a young girl spurred her to help the girl-child achieve her dreams and goals.

She said: “The Dream Girls Project is an inspiration for the African girl that began in my life and with my personal experiences, from a place of insecurity and challenge about my identity, to a place of personal discovery, through opportunities that inspired my heart to reach out to a girl anywhere, particularly in my own space and in spaces where such opportunities are not readily presented to them.”