By Joseph Edegbo
In line with the theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, which is “Digital Generation, Our Generation”, the Africa Media Development Foundation, AMDF on Thursday trained some girls on the Use of Digital and Social Media, under the Rise Up project.
Drawn from various parts of Kaduna, the State capital, the girls were exposed to the social and economic opportunities derivable from the knowledge of information and communication technology, ICT by a Resource Person and Project Officer of Rise Up Project, Joy Gadani.
Gadani taught the girls on how they could utilize the social media to create wealth and become self-independent through marketing, information sharing, networking, communication, digital advocacy and campaign mobilization among others.
Speaking on the theme, another Resource Person, Rebecca Bilai expressed concern that 2.2 people below the age of 25 have no access to internet with girls likely to be cut off, quoting the UN Reports.
This, she said, calls for collective efforts to ensure that girls are empowered to embark on the journey to digital transformation to close the gap and accelerate opportunities for girls as a step to achieve the sustainable development goals.
“Let’s simultaneously work together to ensure that girls are connected, supported and empowered.
“We must continue to insist that girls’ rights to education including ICT and other subjects are not negotiable, she said.
Rebecca Bilai was of the strong opinion that girls who are digitally excluded, do not have enough access to information and Communication, thereby limiting their access to source of knowledge, professional and educational opportunities.
According to the Resource person, girls are disadvantaged and are not enjoying their fundamental rights, noting that gender and discrimination are at the heart of the violation of girls’ rights.
On her part, Communication Officer of the Project, Hannatu Mato told the participants that the Declaration of the Day by the UN provides them the opportunity to speak out their minds and awareness on gender equality.
She stressed the need to disabuse the notion by parents who prefer sending males to school pointing out that most jobs felt to be carried out by males are now actively participated by females.
The Project Manager and Rise Up Fellow, Mr Benjamin Maigari emphasized that the Project would continue to preach that every girl child should be given equal opportunity to Excel in all fields of human endeavours.
“No job is limited to males” he remarked
Earlier, the Executive Director, Africa Media Development Foundation, Mr. Iliya Kure had given an overview of the specialized NGO which engages in media training, health, education, environment and human rights.
The NGO, he emphasized, had also trained a number of Journalists on issues of gender, Communication and others relating to development in the society.
Mr. Kure told the participants that AMDF was very much interested in the youths saying that they are the future generation.
“The future belongs to you. Not people of old that do not belong to the computer age, he remarked.
The AMDF Executive Director who tasked the participants to key into the computer age to know where the world is heading to, restated the willingness of the NGO to help the girls grow to help their communities.