The United Nations Children’s Funds in collaboration with the Katsina State Government has empowered 800 out-of-school adolescent girls across four selected local government areas in the state.

Acting Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Department of Girl Child Education and Child Development, Zainab Abdulkarim, disclosed this in Katsina while presenting the fourth quarter progress report.

According to her, the department, in collaboration with UNICEF, is conducting safe space exercises to empower girls through education and skills acquisition, aiming to facilitate their reintegration into formal school.

She said, “The Ministry of Women Affairs coordinates and monitors the conduct of the exercise in Katsina, Daura, Mani and Batagarawa Local Government Areas. About 800 female children were selected for the training programme, which is still ongoing until January 2025. No fewer than 200 female out-of-school children selected from the four local government areas were provided with all the necessary reading and writing materials, as well as hygienic kits. We trained eight mentors from each local government area, making 32 mentors for the step-down training to the female children of ages 10 to 19 years.’’

Ms Abdulkarim further explained that the project also engaged about 50 community stakeholders and 50 parents of the safe space children to discuss the issues about the training.

According to her, the aim is to allow their children to attend in their local government areas.

She noted that within the period under review, about 70 service providers were trained in the Child Protection Information Management System.

Ms Abdulkarim explained that during the review period, the department carried out child protection activities, primarily funded by UNICEF.

She said, “These initiatives aim to significantly improve the lives of vulnerable community members, especially children, by empowering them to make better personal and community decisions.”

During the meeting, various ministries, departments and agencies that render social protection activities also presented their fourth-quarter progress reports.

The progress review meeting with stakeholders on social protection was organised by the state’s Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, with support from UNICEF, Kano Field Office.

(NAN)