WeCan Africa Launches the Skill-up to Stay Safe and Live Good Project #SUSSLGProject to Reduce the Vulnerability of Young Girls in Kano Rural Communities during #Covid-19

With the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lockdown measure and the hardship that is looming in across various parts of the world, we understand that this comes with a great threat to the lives and growth of many young girls across rural communities in Kano, Northern Nigeria, as this will further perpetuate their vulnerability to Harmful Traditional Practices such as child marriage, including gender-based violence.

To address this, we have just launched the "Skill-up to Stay Safe and Live Good" #SUSSLGProject in Kano state. Our aim with this project is to contribute to curtailing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on girls in the state.

Through the #SUSSLGProject, we will employ innovative approaches to reduce girls' vulnerability to Harmful Traditional Practices such as child marriage and GBV by using creative strategies to economically upskill and empower vulnerable young girls in the most underserved rural communities in the state and connecting them and their parents to resources for sustained income. Such training sessions will be followed up with sensitizations sessions to educate community-gatekeepers including (parents, community gatekeepers, women and young girls) on how conservative cultural practices endanger young people’s growth.

By employing this approach, we hope to build skills for many vulnerable girls, increase access to economic opportunities and livelihood development which from our experience, their lack are always some of the major reasons why girls become more vulnerable to Harmful Traditional Practices such especially child marriage and GBV.

Our goal is to reach over 2,000 young girls with skills training and reach many community members through our sensitization sessions on Harmful Traditional Practices and Covid-19 prevention.