Some 15 adolescent girls and young women have been drilled on using their voices to advocate for the inclusion of Adolescent Girls and Young Women AGYW in decision making processes especially within The Global Fund Processes for HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights SRHR services provision.
This was during a workshop within the 'Her Voice Matters: Give Her the Space to Fight Project', executed by COMAGEND Cameroon which is funded by Her Voice Fund and its partners that took place on November 26th 2020 in Bamenda.
The Strategic Planning Workshop, was declared open by the Country lead for the 'Her Voice Funds' Mme Waah Clotilda the founder/CEO of the Center for Advocacy in Gender and Development CAGEAD.
Speaking during the event she notes that, "many adolescent girls and young women live through very hard situations because of the decisions taken on their behalf, and so it is very important that these girls understand what happens to them and be part of the decision making".
The workshop had as facilitators Mme Awah Francisca the founding director of Survivor's Network and a human trafficking advocate, who drilled the participants on Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization, along side Dr Enow Awah Georges, a Y+ Global board member, who after his words 'nothing for us without us', drilled the participants on The Global Fund processes, and encouraged them to continue to participate in issues that concerns them.
"Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization module, sets the tone for participants to push ahead and use the opportunity therein to suit whatever main advocacy objective they want to pick up for their humanitarian venture." Says Mme Awah Francisca.
On his part, Dr. Enow Awah noted that Participants should be actively involved in making their decisions because they are the vulnerable group and more proned to HIV/AIDS.
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Liz Lum, the Project Lead for the Her Voice Matters added that "We are training these adolescent girls and young women on various advocacy and communication skills amidst other programs, and we expect that they should be able to monitor policy processes in Cameroon, and ensure that they occupy the places and spaces where decisions are being made about them.
In a nutshell, the thrilling and educative program was termed timely, as young women were encouraged to use their voices to advocate for adolescent girls and young women's inclusion in decision making processes especially within the framework of HIV/AIDS as well as Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights service provision within their communities.
In response to the lessons received, satisfactory expressions were evident from participants. "Today I came expecting to learn how to use my voice as a medium to advocate for other girls and how to use my voice to serve my community. So far my expectations have been met because I can now use my voice as a communication tool, better mobilize and integrate my voice with other voices to make a change."
Participants explains
"Coming in here my mindset was focused on seeing how the workshop can help me improve on the quality of advocacy we do for adolescent girls and young women to be heard, how we can change the philosophy of AGYW being passive recipients of actions to initiators and executors of actions so that their needs are adequately addressed in policy matters."
"My expectations have been met and I have also been challenged to create, claim and influence spaces that decide my fate as adolescent girls and young women AGYW". Another adds.
It should be recalled that this workshop is coming at a time when countless number of rape cases have been recorded in the country as well as sexual harassments.
This situation continues to increase the number of AGYW infected by HIV/AIDS. However, it is hoped that such an initiative, will go a long way to school young girls to have a voice in order to shun any abuse on their sexuality, sexual harassment as well as early Marriages.
By Nai Vonna.
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