15m Nigerian Girls to Benefit from $1bn Global Strategy Fund, Says NGO

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Plan International, a non-governmental organisation, has unveiled a $1 billion global strategy fund targeting 200 million girls to address challenges affecting children’s rights and their wellbeing.

The Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Plan International, Mr. Stephen Omollo, said this yesterday in Abuja, at the Global Strategy Launch 2022-2027 of the scheme with the theme, ‘Girls Standing Strong to make global change.’

According to him, societies thrive when girls learn, adding that tremendous and lasting positive impacts would be seen if attention was given to the girl child rights in the area of education, health and politics.

“We are looking at how to expand its reach and work with the partnership and grow investment to work with young people in Nigeria. We are here in Nigeria to launch this global strategy, which really pleases us as Plan International working with partners and in Nigeria to progress the issue and advance children’s rights and equality for girls.

“We are here to discuss issues on how we can we together accompany the government of Nigeria, the people of Nigeria, to say that we can address the humanitarian context in the country and address issues that impact on children.

“We have an investment plan. We have just launched what we call the Global Girls Foundation, which is an investment plan to grow more income, and to reach more girls.

“Globally; we want to reach 200 million girls. With assistance, we want to ensure that girls learn, lead, that girls can decide and that girls thrive,” Omollo said.

He also said the five-year global investment strategy was targeting 200 million girls, urging donors to support the course to address issues affecting girl child.

He commended the supportive role of the federal government to achieve this feat and expressed hope that the collaboration would be sustained and improved upon.

On her part, the Chairman of the Board, Plan International, Mrs. Gunvor Kronman, said past initiatives of the organisation had succeeded and expressed optimism that the new initiative would yield perfect results at the end of the five-year programme.

According to her, the organisation would work with local communities to address the humanitarian needs in the country.

Also, the Country Director, Plan International Nigeria, Mr. Charles Usie, said that about 15m girls have been targeted under the programme across Nigeria.

According to him, the strategy would bring new focus to girls and young people in meaningful ways in building their capacities to tackle the issues they face, especially girls.

He also said the strategy would help articulate what would be done for girls in the area of education, healthcare, livelihood, protection, water and sanitation, among others.

He said, “This strategy is going to guide everything we do globally. In Nigeria, we will align our strategy to the global strategy.

“Nigeria is one of our biggest country programme worldwide. Now, in the previous strategy, we had a target of 100 million girls and from that target, Nigeria was responsible for reaching 10 million girls, which is 10 per cent of the global targets.

“In this new strategy, starting from 2022, in the target of 200 girls, Nigerian may likely get as much as 10 or 15 million girls as a target for the next five years.

“So, the new strategy brings a new focus to girls and young people in meaningful ways. And by this we mean we want to in the next five years, build strength in the movement of young people or girls to tackle the issues that young people face particularly young girls.”

Also, the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen assured of continuous support to promote the rights of the girl child in the country.

The minister, represented by the Director, Child Development Department of the ministry, Mr. Ali Madugu, said the budget for the ministry would henceforth include budget line for girls’ education.

“And we can see that they are not also concerned with only the Nigerian girls, but they are trying to expose them to the international issues so that Nigerian girls will learn from them and also build their capacity and build their future,” she said.