IWD: Pressing For Progress with Ijegun Girls

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Amid the intense wave of solidarity for women across the globe, Girls Arise Initiative joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2018 International Women’s Day by engaging young girls with the positive and inspiring #SheCANLead Campaign of the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria.

The program, which held on Saturday 17th March 2018 at the annex of our community office in Lagos had in attendance a total of 85 schoolgirls drawn from 10 schools, who were accompanied by 8 teachers, 5 adolescent mothers, 2 pregnant teenagers, and 4 female professionals drawn from the medical, legal, banking and marketing field who shared their experiences on how they surmounted obstacles to achieve success in life and career.

The purpose of the summit was to inspire the girls to break the glass ceiling and crush every form of fear and inhibition standing on their way to achieving greatness in a male-dominated society, especially in the area of career.

The facilitators-Mrs. Abimbola Ogedengbe, Barrister Bisi Oladele, Miss Seun Ajibola and Mrs. Temitope Adetola took their turn to share their stories of struggle, defeat, determination and success. They also spoke on key factors to consider in choosing a career path, how to overcome peer pressure/distractions and how to build leadership skills. The exciting interactive session was spiced with lots of fun, real life examples, question and answers and practical discussion.

We also had a skill acquisition session where Mrs. Omotola Bisuga took the girls (especially teenage mothers) through practical steps on how make Perfume, Air-freshner and Disinfectant for home use and for small scale businesses.

And to save the day, one of the leading Food & Beverage Companies in Lagos, UAC Foods supported us with the donation of snacks and drinks, thus making the event very colourful and exciting.

As part of our efforts to heal hurts and restore hope, the program ended with our girls feeling celebrated and greatly empowered to live a purpose-driven life and with the resolve to excel in spite of all odds.
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Yes, we are pressing for progress! We are investing in the Amazons of tomorrow! We are nurturing a new generation of responsible and successful leaders who would take the world by storm and secure the future of our nation.

#IWD 2018
#PressForProgress


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