NGO Sets to Inculcate Adolescent’s Sexual Reproductive Health Education into Religious Sermons
By: Edirin Robinson, Kaduna
The Hope for Communities and Children, (HforCC) has partnered with the Kaduna State Bureau for Inter-faith to inculcate Adolescents Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) education into religious sermons in churches and mosques.
Speaking at a two-day orientation and planning on outreaches with religious leaders in Kaduna yesterday, the Chairperson, HforCC, Hajiya Hadiza Umar, said the aim is to sensitize people at the grassroots level on SRH talks such as Gender-based violence (GBV) and others.
According to her, the partnership is in line with the objectives of the UNESCO 03 phase 2 program, which includes promoting the creation of safer, inclusive schools and Community environments with linkages to accessible SRH services.
“As an organization that is strongly into safeguarding and more particular about social norms, we seek to support enabling environments for school health programs even during religious gatherings.”
She explained that through agreed topics, religious leaders are to educate and sensitize their flocks on the various challenges faced by adolescents in homes, schools, and religious places.
These sermons, according to her, will create an enabling environment for school learners to thrive, shift negative social norms, and influence dropped-out girls to return to school.
Hajiya Hadiza revealed that Kaduna State is already a signatory to a lot of reforms that seek to make schools safer for learners.
“The State is working on an education law that if implemented, will prosecute parents or guardians for the absence of a child from school.”
“We are going to support Kaduna State to scale up and strengthen the delivery of accurate, rights-based, gender transformative, and good quality teaching and learning on school violence prevention.”
She appealed to the religious stakeholders to give their best and ensure that parents, adolescents, and youths under their wings are educated and sensitized on pressing health issues that have stagnated the growth of many in society.
“This partnership will cause a reduction in new HIV infections, early and unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence, and child-marmarriaged increased school completion rate at all levels.”
“It will also reduce gender-based violence, eliminate female genital mutilation, and increase support for parent-child communication. I appeal that will all work together to build a safer, enabling environment for our young ones.”
In response to the call, the Chairperson of the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) Kaduna State, Bishop Esther Yahweh, applauded the partnership, describing it as a move in the right direction for the good of all.
She disclosed that WOWICAN had been in collaboration with the inter-faith for a long, working on several projects and programs to better the lives of the people.
The Bishop opined that without Christianity or Islam, the lives of men and women cannot be the same because religion does a lot in the lives of mankind, to put people on the right path.
“It is a good move by this organization because what is happening right now in the world is so threatening that even the children from religious homes are no more on the right path.
“But with an NGO like this, helping to bring Religious leaders together, to sensitize them to go back to the church, the mosques to make sure their People understand what is going on in the world and also make the right choices.
“So I want to thank them for having a burden in a time like this when many have derailed from the right path and forgotten what right or wrong means.
The Chairperson also encouraged leaders and elders in churches and mosques in communities to engage the youths and the young ones in security and health education talks so that they can protect themselves and the society at large.
