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The workshop, organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), brought together representatives from Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Sokoto and Gombe States. The initiative aims to build a pool of trained facilitators who will drive conversations and interventions around positive masculinity within their communities.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Hajiya Bahijja Bello Garko, who represented Ms Muriel Mafico UNFPA country representative, urged participants to approach the training with a sense of responsibility. She noted that the programme is designed to equip them to become a vanguard for promoting positive masculinity and challenging harmful gender norms.
According to her, UNFPA’s core mandate includes reducing maternal deaths, improving access to quality maternal healthcare, and combating practices that negatively affect women and girls, such as child marriage. She stressed that promoting healthy and positive masculinity is critical to achieving these goals.
The workshop is expected to cover key thematic areas including gender equality, male engagement in reproductive health, prevention of gender-based violence, and community leadership.
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