Women Aid Collective (WACOL) Tuesday Launched the Fifty-Fifty (50-50) Action Women Advocacy Group, in Abuja. 50/50 is part of WACOL programs aimed at expanding the activities of the group, beyond its seven projects states, namely, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Edo, and Delta States.Participants out of Abuja joined the program via Zoom to make their contributions.
Dame Pauline Tallen the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs Federal Republic of Nigeria, performed the official launching and decorated members of the group.
The minister charged women to raise for their destiny and seek better value in Nigerian projects by continuing advocacy for equal opportunity in governance and representation in decision-making structures.
She reeled out some of the gender-focused projects of her ministry and advised community women to key into them to improve their social and financial status. Prof Joy Ngozi Ezeilo the Founding Director of WACOL her remark said the objective of the project was to create awareness of the prevalence of harmful cultural practices in the communities.
She lauded the efforts of the groups in curtailing such practices through advocacy to community gatekeepers and relevant MDAs.She used the opportunity to highlight the achievements of the women group ( 50/50) since it was created two (2) years ago.
“These women have recorded unprecedented achievements in their advocacy engagement regardless of their meager resources, that was why we thought it wise to scale it up to the national level so that more women can replicate the strategy and also bring change across the nation”.
Prof Ezilo a known woman activist also promised to ensure that the group is planted and equipped with the necessary knowledge and tools even at the LGA as they are further closer to the vulnerable group who are most helpless to VAWG.Correspondent reports that the 50/50 Women action group is a gender justice women group trained and empowered by WACOL to drive the advocacy for the rights of women, towards the elimination of harmful cultural norms that reinforces violence against women and girls in society.
The project is an initiative of WACOL/Ford Foundation West Africa funded Project titled “Transformation, and Translation of Social Norms, that promotes Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), in Nigeria, through the engagement with women’s rights, traditional and judicial institutions to end VAWG.
The objective of the program is to share the knowledge and achievements of the group at the project in the southeast and South-South states of Nigeria.
The women organization expects that other CSO players will subsequently adapt, adopt, and replicate the approaches. And, it will envisage the growth of a community of practice for zero tolerance of violence against women and girls across the nation.In their contributions, Miriam Onuoha, a House of Rep Member-elect, in Imo State, who is currently seeking to become the speaker of the 10th Assembly, and Member-elect Enugu State House of Assembly Princess Obiajulu Ugwu representing Enugu South Constituency under the Labour Party promised to always represent the voice of women in the Parliament as their emergence as a parliamentarian is a result of gender advisory such from women groups like the 50-50 Action Women.
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