IFA Trains 20 Young Advocates/Leaders with Disabilities to Amplify Voices Against GBV in Gombe State

 

By Yusuf Mohammed Lawan, Gombe, 1st October, 2024

The Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) in collaboration with Amplifying Voices and Ford Foundation has conducted a 5-day intensive  capacity building workshop for twenty young advocates/leaders selected from various clusters of persons with disabilities community and other non-PWD persons within Gombe state metropolis. 

The training, Ability News Network understands is essentially aimed at equipping the trainees with  relevant skills and information needed to innovatively address the ever increasing incidences of gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities in Gombe state and beyond. 

The trainees  receives significant  training in a wide range of topics covering sensitive areas  such as legal tools for Gender and Disability-Based Violence (GDBV) advocacy tools, community organizing, situational analysis,  media activism, programme management and planning, method of monitoring and evaluation of GDBV, strategic communication, resources mobilization, psychsocial support, how to develop self-esteem, method of technical reporting,  among other important topics 

Through these topics, the trained young advocates/leaders with disabilities were effectively equipped  with vital tools to navigate the complexities of GDBV in their communities and act as  champion of change by means of  amplifying their voices to speak out against all forms of GDBV. 

According to the IFA's Director of Programme, Ms Sussan Ihuoma, the objective of the 5-day intensive  training "is to strengthen the capacity of young advocates/leaders with disabilities to spotlight and innovatively address incidences of gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities" 

The concluding session of the training, Ability News Network reports, witnessed the active participation of several dignitaries cutting across different NGOs, CBOs, MDAs etc which bring together representatives from Gombe state Ministry of Justice, Gombe state Ministry of Health, National Human Right Commission, Gombe state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Others include the Disability Desk Officer, Gombe state University,  chairman of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Gombe state chapter, media personels, among others.

The young trained advocates were the second cohorts trained by the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA) in Gombe state  having successfully trained the first cohorts in March 2024  who engaged from March to September this year.