ActionAid trains 50 youths as rural advocates

Fifty youths have been trained as rights advocates of the poor and the excluded in rural communities by ActionAid Nigeria in Kaduna State.

The training was held in collaboration with a Kadunabased NGO, Hope for the Village Child, and the Kaduna State government, where the trainees were inaugurated as an Inclusive Forum for Accountable Society (IFAS).

They were called to strive towards seeking and advocating for good governance in their rural communities and to bridge gaps between the rich and the poor in society.

Partnership and Local Rights Programme Manager for ActionAid Nigeria, Sani Ibrahim, said part of the reasons for creating the forum is to address some specific issues coming from rural communities like education and livelihood.

He said, “There are small grants which SMEDAN gives; most communities hear about it but don’t get access to it. But with this IPAS, I believe they will learn more and begin to access it.

“We are doing this so that when we have people of different capacities come together to chart the way forward on how to bridge these gaps and ensure that citizens enjoy adequate public services that will, to a very large extent, bridge gaps between the rich and the poor,” Ibrahim noted.

Chairman of the committee, Badamasi Yau said the forum will work hard in advocating for the rights of the poor and the excluded in the community across the state, particularly in rural areas.