Lukman Abdulmalik
The Inclusive Community Education and Development Association (ICEADA), in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), held its monthly project implementation review and experience-sharing workshop in Kano State.
The monthly review meeting, which took place on Tuesday, had a non-governmental organization (NGO) that operates in six local government areas (LGAs), Kiru, Karaye, Rogo, Madobi, Bebeji, and Warawa, that aims to address emotional, behavioral, and social challenges affecting girls’ education.
Each LGA is represented by three trained community engagement mentors who serve as liaisons between ICEADA and the communities.
During the workshop, the Executive Director of ICEADA-AGILE, Professor Muhammad Bello Shitu, emphasized the importance of the monthly gatherings in reviewing project activities, sharing field experiences, and identifying challenges and opportunities for improvement.
“These workshops are crucial for our team of mentors to exchange insights from their community engagements.”
Our approach includes door-to-door outreach to identify and enroll out-of-school girls while also ensuring retention for those already in school,” Prof. Shitu added.
Ali Abdulrahman Sa’ad, ICEADA’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, highlighted the project’s goals.
According to him, our primary objective is to improve educational opportunities for adolescent girls through holistic interventions.
“This includes identifying at-risk children, engaging community stakeholders, and coordinating support services such as financial assistance and family counseling.”
He added that the initiative also promotes peer mentorship programs, where older girls support younger students, creating a sense of community and belonging.
“The project further advocates for school policies that protect girls from early marriage and discrimination,” he added.
One of the community engagement mentors, Sani Shuaibu from Rogo LGA, shared his experiences in mobilizing local support for girls’ education.
“In just two months, we have recorded over 50 re-enrollments per school in Rogo.
“The community is beginning to see the benefits of the AGILE-ICEADA partnership with the Kano State Government,” he noted.
However, Shuaibu also highlighted ongoing challenges, particularly the conditional cash transfer program.
He said many parents have expressed frustration over their inability to access the funds to support their children’s education.
The event featured the sharing of experience and success stories by mentors and a collaborative knowledge exchange session led by the ICEADA-AGILE technical team.
The workshop reaffirmed ICEADA-AGILE’s commitment to bridging educational gaps for adolescent girls and fostering community-driven solutions to keep them in school.
In his goodwill message on behalf of the AGILE Project Team in Kano, Aisha Umar Aliyu praised the dedication of community mentors.
“We understand that the work is challenging; it requires patience, trust-building, and continuous dialogue.
“However, each conversation with a parent, every door knocked on, and every girl encouraged to return to school brings us closer to a more inclusive and empowered society,” she said.
