The International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated every year on October 11, and this year it was commemorated under the theme “Girls’ Vision for the Future”.
Sisterspeak237 founded by Comfort Mussa, recently had an outreach to 312 girls from Christian Comprehensive Secondary School (CCSS) Nkolmbong a boarding and day institution in Yaounde.
According to Comfort, the International Day of the Girl Child is a powerful reminder of the unique challenges and opportunities that girls face worldwide.
“For us at Sisterspeak237, it symbolizes our commitment to advocating for girls’ rights and empowerment. It’s a day to celebrate the potential of girls and raise awareness about the barriers they encounter, particularly in education and leadership” she said.
On October 10, 2024, Comfort Mussa, Wanchia Cynthia, and Bizel-Bi Mafor from Sisterspeak237 had the opportunity of empowering 312 girls from CCSS Nkolmbong.
They aimed to inspire and empower them by emphasizing the power of their voices and the importance of their vision for the future.
“Our goal was to encourage these young women to dream big and understand that they can achieve their aspirations. We want them to leave with a renewed sense of self-worth, confidence in their abilities, and a commitment to education as the foundation for a successful future. By fostering a belief in their potential, we hope to cultivate a generation of women who are not only dreamers but also doers” they highlighted.
The principal of CCSS Nkolmbong, Keyaka Edward expressed his gratitude to the Sisterspeak237 team for coming to rekindle and empower the girls of the school to know that “their visions for the future start now”.
“I want to thank them immensely for making the girl child know that they must be disciplined, obedient, and they must dream big dreams and make sure that they fulfill those dreams,” Keyaka said.
The principal highlighted that it was a wake-up call as dynamics in the world are changing with the focus of life being on the girl child because they are more accountable, responsible, and empowered in society than the boy child.
In a society where children always run to their mothers for refuge, Keyaka pointed out that there was a need to start empowerment from an early stage as “whatever a boy can do, a girl is also gifted with the same capability to do so and even better”.
While encouraging girls to be celebrated every day and not only on the International Day of the Girl Child, “the worth of a girl is determined in her attitude and aptitude to touch the sky and let it be their limit”.
“I am going to learn how to become more serious about my visions and learn to put them down so that in every activity I am doing, I make sure that I am in line with the visions I have for myself as a girl. Today I learnt that girls like me with dreams grow up to become women with big visions. I am going to learn how to be more disciplined and serious about my visions and goals” shared Kongyu Precious, an Upper sixth Science student after the exchange.
“It is all about your dream, when you have a dream, you put yourself together you will become a woman with great achievements. Like other successful women who focused on their goals and tasks, when you do so you will be able to achieve anything” Siadi Ezra Vassilisa, a Form 5 Science student told the press after the session.
To young people and young girls, Siadi encouraged “I want to tell you not to limit yourselves, focus on your dreams and you will have what you want in life”.
What’s next?
Sisterspeak237 plans to continue its outreach efforts by organizing regular workshops and mentorship programs that focus on skill-building, education, and leadership development.
“We want to create a supportive community where girls can share their experiences, gain knowledge, and connect with role models,” Comfort said.