By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

United Nations Children?s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with the Eleva Foundation has rescued no fewer than 20 adolescent girls from early marriages in Sokoto State in the last two months.

Nenman Calvin, a Counselor with Child Friendly Space Centre, disclosed this while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during a field trip to the centre in Dange Shuni LGA, Sokoto state.

According to her, the organisations have succeeded in rescuing these girls through the Almajiri and Out-of-School Adolescent Girls Project initiative in some Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

NAN reports that the initiative is aimed to provide education to vulnerable children and tackle the issue of child marriage in the region.

Calvin said her centre had been addressing at least five to ten cases of child marriage every month aged 13 to 15 years.

According to her, many of the girls desired to return to school to become nurses so that they could be change agents in rescuing their community.

She also said the counsellors were doing great jobs by working closely with families of the girls to encourage them to allow their daughters to continue their education.

She emphasised the importance of government support, particularly on financial assistance, to ensure that the adolescent girls receive quality education.

Also speaking, the UNICEF Child Protection Specialist in Sokoto, Pius Uwamanua, said that the centre was put in place as a comprehensive facility offering mentorship, life skills training, and vocational programmes.

The vocational programmes, according to him, include knitting, cosmetology, tailoring, and shoe making.

Uwamanua said the centre also provided essential services such as mentorship for children facing early marriage pressures and gender-based violence.

?The initiative has created a space where children can build trust and receive the necessary support, including legal services and psychosocial assistance.

?The centre provided a multi-sectoral support in different services for children such as vocational, digital, and mentorship training among others to the children,? he said.

One of the rescued girls commended the initiative, pledging to be a change agent to rescue many girls from early marriage through her continued counselling of girls.

?My parent had already pressurised me into early marriage but I had to come here through the help of a friend.

?The mentorship sessions I gained from this centre had helped me and I am able to convince my mother on the implications.

?I thank God that my mother listened to me and was able to tell my father to stop this idea of early marriage plans for me and my sister.

?Now we are learning here and I will make sure I tell other girls in my community on the dangers of early marriage, ? she said.

Also, the District Head of Gagi Area in Sokoto South LGA, Alhaji Muhammad Jabbi, praised UNICEF for supporting the Sokoto State Government in addressing the issue of out-of-school children.

Jabbi urged the government to take full ownership of the initiative and expand its reach to benefit more children.

He added that with continued support from UNICEF and other partners, Sokoto State could significantly reduce the number of out-of-school children and improve educational outcomes. (NAN)

?PHOTO: Adolescent girls receiving lectures during a mentorship session at the Dange-Shuni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, during UNICEF?s field trip visit to a Child Friendly Space centre for Almajiri and out-of-school adolescent girls.

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