As part of the requirements for the female leadership programme, a fellow of TuWezeshe Akina Dada has held a talk programme against gender-based violence.
The Fellow, Miss Mutiat Temitope Ibrahim said the programme was conceived as her Social Action Project.
The programme was titled “Domestic Violence’s Impacts On Marriage and Relationship With Suicide and Murder”, and held via Zoom on Saturday, October 29, 2022.
Miss Mutiat said the programme is a reinforcement of the TuWezeshe Akina Dada’s leadership programme for young women.
“It is their (TuWezeshe Akina Dada’s) social action project to address a societal problem.
“Take UK for instance, the police receive at least one call or more in a minute reporting a violent situation or abuse on a member of a family in a relationship/house. This is why I collaborated with one of my communities which is NASFAT.
“We aspire to create strong awareness on issues bordering on domestic violence, how to avoid being in such situations and how best to react when we found ourselves in such, speaking up and not just mere speaking but speaking to the right people who can render help to victims.”
Mutiat is a quality education and gender equality advocate as well as the founder of Reshaping, Enlightening, Accepting and Development the Young minds (R.E.A.D) Initiative.
Mrs Florence Emakpose, who is the guest speaker at the programme implored all victims of domestic violence to speak up and not wait till they are buried before they do so.
Emakpose, Founder of World of Hope, added that it is a common knowledge that cultural norms and religious institutions mostly come to play when talking about these abuses.
She subsequently urged all and sundry to create a support system for the victims.
Hajia Noyinmot Busari, the co-host of the programme added that “we can do more for ourselves by maintaining a stable mindset and mental health at all time. And it is very important to go for constant checkup as there might be another form of domestic, which is not physical but emotional. This also is capable of affecting either of the couple in marriages.”
Hajia Busari is the Zonal Women Affairs Secretary, NASFAT UK & Ireland and Founder of Nobu Foundation.
TuWezeshe Akina Dada collaborated with Nasrul-lahi-li Fathi Society (NASFAT), UK and Ireland Zone.
The programme was hosted by the Women’s Wing, NASFAT UK and Ireland Zone, ably led by the Zonal Hajia Noyinmot Olasunkanmi Busari.
TuWezeshe Akina Dada, Swahili for ‘empowering our sisters’, is a feminist leadership programme seeking to inspire a generation of young African women to engage in the civil and political spheres and galvanise collective action against all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG). It aims to increase their visibility and capacity to shape decisions about their rights and freedoms.
Through the one-year fellowship programme, the young women build core leadership skills, are mentored by established female leaders, and receive funding to initiate their own social action projects. Fellows learn how they can shape the agenda on VAWG, build networks, and voice themselves on a range of national and international platforms. Uniquely, this programme is also designed to build bridges between East Africa and the UK African Diaspora.
The TuWezeshe programme is led by FORWARD in partnership with implementing partners across the UK, Africa and Europe, including Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) in Uganda, Sub-Sahara Advisory Panel (SSAP) in Wales and Scotland, Children’s Dignity Forum (CDF) in Tanzania, Think Young Women in The Gambia, and End FGM European Network in Europe.
