‘Girl Rising’ Premieres Celebrates the Nigerian Girl Child
In order to shine
the spotlight on the transformative power of girls’ education across Africa and
the world, the ground breaking feature, ‘Girl Rising’ was screened for the first
time in Nigeria at the Silverbird Cinema, Victoria Island, Lagos as part of the
celebration to mark the International Day of The Girl Child. The Nigerian
Premiere was co-hosted by the United Nations Information Centre, Lagos (UNIC),
Zonta International Clubs in Nigeria, Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND),
and Nigerians Report Online.
The event brought
together 350 girls, boys and young women from primary, secondary and tertiary
institutions, members of the press, civil society and representatives of the
Deputy Governor, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Education. Also present
were several partners and sponsors of the event including The United Nations
Information Centre (UNIC), Zonta International Clubs in Nigeria, The Kudirat
initiative for Democracy (KIND), Nigerians Report Online, Kiddies & Brands
Company, and Cool FM. The Girl Rising Nigerian Premiere was also proudly
supported by the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos; Silverbird; MTN
Foundation; Educare Trust; Queens College Old Girls Association; Peter Zion
Nigeria Ltd; and Rite Foods.
The partnership is
part of a global movement to educate girls and empower them to be world
changers and to believe in their dreams.
‘Girl Rising’,
apart from being a ground-breaking feature, is a movement dedicated to
empowering and achieving educational equity for Girls around the world. The
film spotlights the stories of nine unforgettable girls born into unforgiving
circumstances; the film captures their dreams, their voices and their
remarkable lives.
The event brought
together members of the Private sector, Government dignitaries and members
of Civil society, to raise global visibility about the importance of
educating girls.
In her welcome
address, the President of Zonta International Club of Lagos 1, Ms. Shade
Bembatoum-Young, restated the commitment of the organizers to empowering the
girl child in Nigeria.
“We, the co-hosts
of the Nigerian Premiere of Girl Rising, believe in the power of education to
change not only a girl, but the world.” she said.
She further stated
that the event was not just to celebrate the International Day of The Girl
Child, but to focus on the need to break down barriers that limit girls and
women. “By hosting an International Day of The Girl Child Event in Lagos, we
are demonstrating our commitment to breaking down the barriers that prevent
girls around the world from going to school – barriers like child marriage, sex
trafficking, gender violence and discrimination.” she added.
The Secretary
General of The United Nations, represented by Mr. Oluseyi Soremekun,
Officer-in-Charge, United Nations Information Centre in Lagos, reiterated the
commitment of the United Nations system in Nigeria to the promotion of the girl
child education in the country. He conveyed the warm wishes of the Resident
Coordinator of the UN system in Nigeria, Mr. Daouda Toure on the occasion and
noted that the UN, through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is
collaborating with the government of Nigeria to improve children’s access to education and revitalize Adult and Youth literacy in the country.
collaborating with the government of Nigeria to improve children’s access to education and revitalize Adult and Youth literacy in the country.
The Secretary
General also called for fresh solutions to girls’ education challenges and
enjoined all to heed the voices of young people. “On this International Day of
The Girl Child, let us work together to invest in education so that girls can
advance in their personal development and contribute to our common future.” He
added.
In her goodwill
message, President, Women ARISE for Change Initiative, Dr. Joe Odumakin
observed that the future of any nation depends on the girl child. “Parents
should know that the girl child is their present as well as their future and
therefore should not jeopardize it.” She said.
Intel, a founding
partner of ‘Girl Rising’,
donated four classmate PC’s to four of the girls who spoke about the issues
raised in the film during the
interactive session held immediately after the screening.
Intel has also set
out a grand design to work with a diverse set of partners including global and
local NGOs, corporations and governments to achieve its goal of educating as
many girls as possible starting from Africa.
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