Commemoration of 2022 International Day of the Girl Child by FOMWAN Oyo State Chapter.

FOMWAN marked the Day at LGA branch levels where “adopted Schools” were visited.

Ibadan North LGA was at Ikolaba Grammar Schools 1 & 2, Agodi GRA and Islamic High School, Orita Bashorun, Ibadan awareness was created on

• being educationally focused
• nutrition,
• sexual abuse/molestation.
  4 packs of Big Notebooks,
  4packs of biro and biscuits were distributed to students in each School.

Ido FOMWAN LGA branch with 5 FOMWAN members present were able to reach
245 students and
10 teachers

Ibadan South West LGA branch celebrated the International Day of the Girl Child with pupils of UMCC Molete, Ibadan where
60 STUDENTS,
8 TEACHERS were reached.
At Ratibi Muslim School, Ibadan Ibadan South West reached
600 female pupils
35 teachers all of whom were sensitized on *CHILD LABOUR, *SEXUAL ABUSE, *DRUG ABUSE, *JOINING OF BAD GANGS, AND
*THE VALUE OF GOOD EDUCATION.
4 cartons of chalk and 100 FOMWAN Big Notebooks were donated to the school.

Egbeda LGA area was at Bishop Phillips Academy, Montana, Ibadan to Commemorate the International day of the Girl Child.
Students were made to know what special grace it is to be created as a Girl Child, their duties as girl child and what to expect from the public to enable them escape hurt in the Society and to be able to face life reliably. Hazards of female genital mutilation, FGM, was stressed and they were made to realise that they are now advocates for girl child anywhere they are.
Reached that day were
24 teaching Staff
3 Non teaching Staff,
2 Coroner’s and
342 Students

Lagelu LGA branch marked THE INTERNATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY at Estate High schools 1&2 Akobo, Ibadan where 1015 students and 35 teachers were reached in School.

In School 2
985 students and 26 teachers were reached.
Topics treated were:
*The importance of education
*Sexual abuse/molestation
*Drug related issues
*Keeping away from unnecessary relationships.

Oluyole LGA marked the International Day of Girl Child with the FOMWAN CPN Committee in attendance, at Pegba Community High School where 3450 students and 35 teachers were sensitized on the theme of the year: ‘Our Time is Now: Our Right, Our Future’
School Chalk was donated to the school.

Ido LGA marked the International Day of Girl Child at Methodist primary school, Oke Odana. Chalks and pencils were donated to the school

FOMWAN Ona Ara marked the day at Ibadan Divisional Council Basic School, Olunloyo where 2000 pupils were sensitized on Child Labor, Rape and sexual abuse.

FOMWAN Ogbomoso North LGA marked the day at Al-Awwal Group of Schools, Ogbomoso.

Collaborating with the Oyo State Child Protection Network, FOMWAN teamed up with other NGOs to visit Isabatudeen Girls Grammar Schools 1 & 2. Mrs Ogungbenro Airat of the FOMWAN CPN Committee was the team leader who anchored the events. She remarked that the purpose of the visit was to celebrate girls on that day.

Mr Yinka Olorunkosebi from PAPDWI spoke on the danger and effect of Female Genital Mutilation on the Girl Child.
Alhaja Surura Oyero, elaborated on Mr Yinka Olorunkosebi presentation on FGM with vivid life examples. She urged the students to join in the campaign to stop FGM, to be on look out for perpetrators of FGM in their neighborhood, to caution and report perpetrators.

Mr Timothy Oni from Youthcare enlightened the girls on their rights in relation to Gender Based Violence. He instructed the girls to report any act of sexual abuse or harassment – when they “see something they should say something”.

Representing Airat Ogungbenro Child Protection Initiative, ACPInitiative, Mrs. Oyedotun spoke on the effects of hawking in and out of School. She emphasized that girls need to focus on their education.

The program was rounded up with admonision to the girls to be well behaved and report any issue of abuse or child labor. Numbers to call in the case of any form of abuse was given – assuring the girls of their privacy.

A total of
620 girls,
54 teachers (males and females),
6 corps members and
2 student teachers were reached at Isabatudeen Girls Grammar 1.
At Isabatudeen Girls Grammar School 2, a total number of
834 girls,
56 teachers (males and females),
5 Corps members were reached.

During the course of celebration the, two orphan girls who are responsible for their own upkeep and education were rescued at Bishop Philips Academy, Montana, Ibadan. They were referred to the FOMWAN Counseling Committee.
The immediate needs of the children were met by the Committee and the Committee invited their father for follow up on the girls and their issues.

At Isabatudeen Girls Grammar School, FOMWAN is following up on the medical issue of a girl child with facial deformity by the Principal. FOMWAN Counseling Committee members present took up the issue; immediately got in touch with the girl’s mother through the Principal to give her treatment at the UCH.

From the foregoing we expect to receive clients at the Counseling sessions in due course as a result of the extensive tour of Schools in the State to mark the 2022 International day of the girl child.

Also worthy of note was the abysmal student/teacher ratio discovered in the rural Schools. Pegba Community High School in Ona-Ara LGA has a 3450/35 student/teacher ratio.
We noticed that the teachers had it tough controlling the large crowd of students.
At Pegba many of the students openly drank frozen “Fanta-like drinks” during the morning devotional period. Many students were seen roaming around the school compound, fewer students showed interest in the assembly.