Support and safeguard a Girl child, she is our only potential Future

I am 25 years old, and I wish to talk about my heart aching experience in my current community. Where a girl child is considered to be an asset, and there is little or no regard towards her.

Looking back at the kind of environment that I grew up, I wish to promote the safeguarding of children's rights especially that of a vulnerable girl child. My parents together with the wider community, treasured a girl child so much that I grew up enjoying my rights. Little did I know that not everyone experienced the same privileges as I.

I have heard of stories of men abusing girls especially those from poor families just to give them something of little value, my heart aches! I have continued to work at getting such culprits to book, no matter what it takes. It is a pity that some parents or families choose to remain silent when their child is abused. The worst is that some parents have been heard in some stories to be culprits too especially male parents and guardians.

I wish to share my initiative in trying to bring these acts of abuse to an end! I have started spear heading a group called 'Reclaiming myself worth' The group is for every vulnerable, girls from a reasoning age of 10-22 years old are encouraged to join the group.

From the time we started, we have delt with over 500 girls. We hope to do more and to get some support from the well-wishers.

The program deals with Rights of a child awareness, where we educate children on their rights and their worth. Apart from that, we mentor girls who are victims of this, and we are encouraging on the reclaiming of oneself dignity and worth!

We are working with the community, especially mothers who are interested in the initiative having heard what it is about. The response seems good so far although funding is the challenge.

We are thrilled to also come up with short life skills to enable girls to become independent even though who may not be gifted academically. We are considering courses like Fashion and Design, Computer Studies, cookery and communication skills like public speaking. Although most of these girls are ready to share something related to abuse, we don't publicize them and wish that they themselves once of age, or mature enough, can come and tell these stories on their own, hence the need for activism, advocacy and public speaking skills.

We are dealing with very gifted children who are capable of doing so much and even changing their own environment in the near future.

I earlier own alluded to what I called considering a Girl child to be an asset, some parents or families have also made it a habit marrying of these Potential game changers at a very tender age in the name of money making. It is not easy to change their perception of things, but we are working very hard to change the situation and bring all these to an end.

It's a pity to say some of these parents or guardians, are going to the extreme of teaching the girls on marriage life, that is telling them on how to behave towards men and enticing men, with the aim of getting these girls pregnant and marrying them off eventually.

I know that I will get some help from World Pulse to keep and my team going me going. Thank you for reading this.