Girls in Ntchisi have been asked to set realistic goals in order to succeed in all aspects of life.
Ladder for Rural Development Organisation project officer Angela Kakolo said this when opening a one–day girl’s conference at Makanda Teachers Development Centre in the district.
Kakolo said many girls fail to climb the ladder of success because they do not know what they want to achieve in life.
‘’Where there is no vision people perish. That is why we are encouraging these girls to know the importance of education and at the same time, discourage them from early marriages so that they can recognise their abilities and limitations at an early stage. This is important because they can set goals that will propel them to successful lives,” she said.
During the conference, 21 girls drawn from three traditional authorities in the district were taught life skills, including; sexual reproductive health issues, family planning, counseling and guidance, abstention, goal setting, self-awareness, self confidence and self reliance.
According to Kakolo, the conference was meant to equip girls with skills on how to overcome challenges that may ruin their lives, empowering them with knowledge in reproductive health rights and life skills on how to manage peer pressure, stress, among other problems, so that they continue with their education.
‘’Our organisation is youth-focused and we have formed girls clubs to report problems affecting them at school to authorities and to our organization,’’ she added.
One of the participants, Victoria Chatinkha from Gwangwa Community Day Secondary School, thanked Ladder for Rural Development Organisation for the training, saying it came at the right time when many girls in the area are engaging in early marriages.
‘’I am challenging other girls that everything is possible if they put a lot of effort in making it reality. You can achieve anything you want in life if you do it wholeheartedly. If you stumble, rise up and walk until you reach your destiny,’’ she said.
Ladder for Rural Development Organisation is implementing a one-year Women and Girls Future project in the areas of traditional authorities; Malenga, Chilooko, Vusojere and Kalumo in Ntchisi, with funding from Amplify Change.
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