ECCAI COMMEMORATES INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD
Environment and Climate Change Amelioration Initiative, ECCAI, and Education As A Vaccine in partnership with Climate Justice Club commemorated International Day of the Girl Child with symposium on Amplifying The Voices Of the Girl Child In Climate Justice.
The occasion which was held at Government Girls’ College Makurdi. brought together schools with Climate justice Club set up by ECCAI and students passionate about the environment and planetary health change.
Executive Director, ECCAI, Mrs Victoria Esa explained that climate change is an all encompassing crisis which impacts negatively on the environment, health, safety, and education of vulnerable communities, especially girls and women who end up not reaching their full potentials.
Mrs.Esa lamented that due to gender inequalities occasioned by climate change, harmful practices such as early marriage, rape, gender based violence among others have persisted adding that the forum is intended to enlighten and equip them to be agents of change in mitigating the causes of global warming.
During a panel of discussion, a student from Unique Secondary School Makurdi, Tobia Ogbada, observed that poor access to water and proper sanitary facilities has made some menstruating learners to miss school, contract infection which may lead to infertility in future if untreated, and rape in the process of searching for water.
Doris Terkula from Government Girls’ College Makurdi noted that during food shortages, their counterpart in vulnerable households eat less, become malnourished, and are forced to get married early which heightens the risk of sex for food as well as HIV infection.
Esther Akor from Government Model Makurdi maintained that a girl’s right to education is the first thing families sacrifice when faced with the impacts of t
climate crisis because they are pulled out of school to help their families find food and water or take care of siblings without relevant authorities stopping it.
They appealed to ECCAI to facilitate the drilling of more motorized boreholes in communities and called on the Benue State government to hasten the reticulation of Greater Makurdi Water Works and make agriculture more attractive for young people while pledging to be in the fore of the campaign for establishment of Climate Justice Club across schools to put a spotlight on the urgency of climate crisis for the sake of future generations.
Highpoint of the occasion was the donation of various tree seedlings to participating schools as well as planting of trees at Government Girls’ College Makurdi to inspire not only the students but the wider community to take action in the fight against global warming.#
Report Ene Ohaba
