In celebration of International Women’s Day, an opportunity to recognise the achievements of women and the worldwide need for greater gender equity, Raquel Kasham Daniel, was recognised for her works in marginalised communities in Nigeria, with her focus on education for children and sexual and reproductive health for adolescent girls through her nonprofit, Beyond the Classroom Foundation.
Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma, stereotypes, and violence; a future that’s sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all.
To mark this global event, the Student Affairs Department of the Nile University of Nigeria organised the 2nd Annual International Women’s Day Conference at the school conference hall on March 10.
The event brought together female students from across the campus and also awarded four Nigerian women by celebrating their contributions to making a positive impact in their communities and advancing gender equity in the country.
The organisers of this prestigious event, led by the Director of Student Affairs Mrs. Modupe Fausat Aleshinloye, spoke of the need to highlight the outstanding contributions of women to nation-building and recognise them for the amazing work they do and choosing to challenge the status quo.
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One of the awardees, Raquel Kasham Daniel, was recognised for her works in marginalised communities in Nigeria focusing on education for children and sexual and reproductive health for adolescent girls through her nonprofit, Beyond the Classroom Foundation.
Through Beyond the Classroom Foundation, they supported over 300 families with food supplies during the COVID-19 lockdown and over 4000 girls with free sanitary pads as part of the Pads in a Pandemic Project.
In response to the pandemic, Raquel wrote “There is a New Virus in Town”, a coronavirus awareness book for children that has been distributed to over 5,000 children in Nigeria and currently translated in Hausa Language.
Other awardees include Hajara Kabeer Abdulfatah, Nnenna Obeka, and Ameena Danjuma.
The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge and the student present were charged by the awardees who were also guest speakers to “choose to challenge” all biases towards women, shatter any glass ceiling hindering them from pursuing their dreams and support each other.
Mrs. Aloytte Asari, Ambassador to Tunisia, who was present at the event, noted that this is a great opportunity to celebrate the contributions of these women who are shining a light on the people behind them and also inspire more women to rise.
Also present at the event is Lady Ofon Akpabio and Fatima Alkali, Associate Professor and Deputy Dean of the Law Faculty, Nile University of Nigeria.
This post first appeared on vanguardngr.com
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