Young Women Come Together at the YWCA of Nigeria
“The coming together of young women in a gathering like this is always richly rewarding”. These were the words of one of the participants at the recently concluded Triennial Youth Retreat of the YWCA of Nigeria, which took place in Akure, Ondo state with the theme ‘Empowering Young Women to A Change in the Society’.
The three-day event brought together young women from all over the country. It was organised with the aim of awakening in the young women members a sense of social responsibility that will result in the advancement of their communities as well as meet their needs and make them better representatives of the YWCA anywhere they may find themselves.
At the official opening of the programme, which also had the first lady of Ondo state, Mrs. Olukemi Mimiko in attendance, the National President of the YWCA of Nigeria, Hwongchung Majak, in her welcome speech, challenged the young women present to avail themselves of the opportunities offered by attending all activities of the YWCA, reiterating that, “the YWCA truly provides a platform for young women to build their capacity in response to the changing times”.
Speaking on behalf of young women, Joy Yakubu, Regional Youth Coordinator (northern zone), thanked the YWCA for providing a safe space for young women to interact with one another, share experiences and develop ways to break new frontiers on issues that concern them as young women.
Highlights of the event included: a lecture delivered by Mrs Lucy Ranti-Akerele which examined the constraints and the prospects of the empowerment of women in society, the implications for non-empowerment and what is needed to support young women to realise their potentials. A session on raising tomorrow’s women in the face of information technology, explored the advantages and challenges faced by young women in accessing and disseminating information as well as pointing out the dangers of negatively using some information technology tools like the internet. Participants also forfeited their breakfast the second day to support a prayer session offered to invoke God’s intervention and blessings upon the YWCA movement.
A session tagged ‘YWCA youths - the way forward’ which was moderated by the National General Secretary Sussie Metu, provided a platform for the young women in attendance to work in groups, present their ideas and suggest ways to improve programmes and services carried out by the YWCA of Nigeria.
“I am glad that I got a chance to learn to also work with my hands,” says Bola, who participated in a bead-making training, which was part of a session dedicated to skill acquisition. Other training activities carried out included: hat making, baking and catering services, phone repairs and many more. A tutorial on small businesses and how to access loans also formed a significant part of the programme of which many young women in attendance found valuable. The programme culminated with a visit to the beautiful Idanre hills.
