Stakeholders from Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe state have concluded plans to sustain the achievements of Reaching and Empowering Adolescents to make Informed Choices for their Health (REACH) project of Save the Children International.
The Chairman, Technical Working Group and Primary Health Care Coordinator of the Local
Government Area, Musa Yusuf stated this while speaking during the midterm review of the
project in Talassse on Tuesday.
Reaching and Empowering Adolescents to make Informed Choices for their Health Project
(REACH) is a funding project by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) implemented by the Save the
Children International Nigeria in Gombe, Katsina and the Zamfara States.
He said that the local government’s in collaboration with the Ward Development Committee
would continue with the project in all the 11 wards of the local government area.
“REACH project is running some safe space centres in Dukku and Balanga local government
areas, where children and adolescents are being taught, trained and counselled on health and
carrier choices, as well as discourage early marriage and child abuse across the state.Sustaining
the project will positively impact more children and adolescents in the state,” said.
The stakeholders which include traditional and political leaders, religious leaders from the
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria
(FOMWAN), Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah wa Ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), Civil Society
Organization, opinion leaders and individuals, said the REACH Project has done more than 80%
in the journey, expressing commitments of taking the goals of the project forward.
Speaking at the meeting the Councillor representing Balanga/Reme Ward in the Local
Government Council, Malam Isa Musa, assured of creating more safe spaces in his area to reach
more unreached children and adolescents.
“Already being one of the facilitators in the safe spaces here in Balanga, I witnessed tremendous
contributions.
Save the Children International Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Coordinator, Ifeka
Cletus, said the Project targets rural hard to reach communities where high rates of child early
and forced marriage, early childbearing, lack of access to education and discriminatory social
and gender norms and other social vices were prevalent.
“REACH is utilizing a social-ecological model to address deep-rooted gender inequalities and
improve equitable access of 100,000 married and unmarried adolescents to high-quality gender-
responsive and adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health services.
Mr Cletus said that the survey of the project shown that before the project started in 2018
married adolescent girls who were married before the age of 15 are 54 per cent and now has
reduced to 41 per cent, unmarried adolescent girls who felt confident to insist on delaying
married till age of 18 has increased from 69 to 85 percent.
