By Justina Auta
President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter, Hanan Buhari, and the Smart Parenting Coaching Academy, have embarked on sensitising Apo-Dutse community in the FCT on appropriate parenting and ending all forms of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the society.
The exercise was the first phase of the smart community outreach organised by the Smart Parenting Academy to support residents in some communitities in the FCT.
Hanan Buhari said her foundation, Hanan Buhari Foundation supported the academy to sensitise parents on the need to inculcate good moral values in their children, in view of the high recorded cases of SGBV and misconduct in the society.
“We are here to support them in advocating against sexual and gender based violence.
”Parenting goes along way and it is very important for parents and guardian to protect their children and teach them how to protect themselves.
“We can’t do everything by ourselves, the community also has to support in parenting our children,” she said.
She also stressed the need to stop all forms of stigmatisation and abuse against survivors of SGBV, rather they should be supported and encouraged to seek assistance.
Also, Mrs Oluwatoyin Ogunkanmi, Founder, Smart Parenting Coaching Academy said the outreach was necessitated by the need to reduce the increasing number of GBV, rape , kidnapping cases in the community.
Ogunkanmi, who is also a psychologist, said the exercise would enable community members to speak with experts and be educated on SGBV, it’s effects, how to stop it, as well as measures to ensure justice to curb the trend.
”The outreach is to help parents raise their children into becoming a well balanced and responsible individuals.
“We want to reach out to people in the suburbs and everywhere on how to teach them how to raise their children to be well balanced individual and how to protect them from sexual molesters and predators.
”As parents, go out there today, take care of your children, be deliberate in raising them, right discipline, build the right character and values in them so that at the end of the day, they end up becoming responsible citizens in the society,” she said.
According to her, over 250 women and girls will benefits from food items, sanitary pads, therapeutic session, counselling amongst others in the community.
Mrs Irene Ugbah, an educationist and gender advocate, encouraged parents to ensure their children, especially the girl child access education to enable them have a source of livelihood, curb SGBV and contribute to national development.
She said: “We have a good number of out of school children in Nigeria, out of which 60 per cent are girls.
” So, all hands need to be on deck to reduce it and ensure girls gets educated so that there is a future for them and for national nation.”
Ms Halima Abubakar, family parenting coach and counsellor, said: ”’Parenting in Nigeria used to be community based, not one parents, we all joined hands together to raise the children. Unfortunately this is not what we see today.
” We are trying to change the narrative of what we see today to say that parenting is something that we all in the community need to put hands together to raise responsible and successful children.”
Speaking on behalf of the community, Mrs Omolara Olagbedo, Women Leader, expressed appreciation to the organisations for their support, enlightenment on education and parenting.
”We are happy with this organisation because they have enlightened us on the appropriate way of parenting our children and the value of education,” she said.
(NAN)
