CANADIAN GOVT. FUNDED PROJECT CLOSES OUT IN ZAMFARA
The Global Affairs Canada (GAC) funded projects “Reaching and Empowering Adolescents to make Choices for their Health (REACH) Project” has on Thursday closed out a three year project in Zamfara State.
The REACH funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by an NGO Save the Children International (SCI) in
Zamfara Gombe and Katsina states.
In Zamfara Kaura Namoda and Talata Mafara LGAs were selected for the three year pilot project.
Speaking at the event, the Project Director, Rahinatu Hussaini said the project started in 2018 targeting at adolescents age of 10-19 years in rural communities where discriminatory social and gender norms significantly affect their abilities to make decisions to protect and improve their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
Hussaini thanked the adolescents and their parents for using the opportunity to participate in the project.
Read Also: ZAMFARA GOVERNORS’ WIFE DISBURSES CASH, CLOTHING MATERIALS…
She urged them to utilize the knowledge they acquire during the three years for the future benefit of the society.
“The Reach project was successful in Zamfara, we enjoyed cooperation from all stakeholders especially the state government, traditional rulers and two councils of Talata Mafara and Kaura Namoda for their support to the project.
“We have achieved our targets, we can even say, we over achieved our targets in Zamfara considering the successes recorded by the project in various aspects of adolescents development.
“We need more collaboration from the state to sustain the project”, the Project Director said.
While giving overview of the project in Zamfara, the Project Manager in the state, Murtala Bello said the projevct recorded tremendous achievements as regard to future of adolescents in the state.
“Our key targets are adolescents to improve their sexual and reproductive health.
“We adopted socio ecological models method to implement the project and we have witnessed great successes especially as it changed the lives of adolescents in the state.
“We have successfully reached out thousands adolescents comprising males and females in the two LGAs. And the project changed their lives to a better status especially in education, sexual and reproductive health”, Bello explained.
In his remark, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Kabiru Balarabe commended the GAC and SCI for funding and implementation of the project in the state state.
Balarabe represented by the Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Health, Dr Habibu Yelwa pleadged the state government’s commitments to continue with the project.
He also acknowledged the cooperation given to the project by the traditional and religious leaders, parents from Talata Mafara and Kaura Namoda local councils.
In their separate remarks, the Emirs of Talata Mafara, Alhaji Bello Muhammad-Barmo and Emir of Kaura Namoda, Alhaji Sanusi Ahmad Asha commended SCI and Zamfara state government for choosing their domain to implement the the project.
They have acknowledged that the will guarantee the future development of adolescents in their respective areas as it changed their lives to a better.
During the event, state children’s parliaments and beneficiaries of the project (adolescents) from the two LGAs in various presentations called for more efforts to address issues affecting children in the state.
