By Merit Ibe
In commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child, the Women’s Network of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN) took proactive steps and initiatives to mentor, inspire and practicably guide young girls and special needs students in schools within its host communities.
Through a transformational campaign themed ‘Girls Pacing Onward’ a programme under the Girls in Action initiative, the Network orchestrated a visit to the State Junior and Senior Grammar School (Special) at 7 Itolo St, off Eric Moore Rd, Surulere.
The event which took place recently was marked with insightful sessions by the group’s trailblazing women on topics around ICT, career and leadership skills. Through the Women Network, the group was able to effectively guide the students on various viable ways of becoming more resilient, creative and proactive about their lives and careers, especially how to ensure that they are purpose-driven.
FMN, through the Women Network, has been at the forefront of driving gender parity and inclusivity within and outside the organisation. The Network over the years has been actively creating initiatives and programmes that transform the lives of girls and women by creating an enabling environment for women and girls to thrive through financial and non-financial investments.
Speaking on the network’s relentless commitment to propagating gender parity, the Chairperson of the network, who is also the Group’s Head, Talent Academy, Olubunmi Ebhomenye, stated that “the FMN Women Network over the years has been proactively championing gender parity and inclusivity across various touchpoints, and through the Girls in Action campaign we are deliberatively and effectively providing invaluable growth support resources for young girls in Nigeria.
We understand that education philosophies determine a nation’s leadership philosophies, thus we are imbibing practical career and leadership skills in the girls, and entrenching the inclusivity mandate by reaching special needs students to ensure that they can start early in life to build their leadership acumen and churn out viable solutions to Nigeria’s peculiar challenges.”
In her appreciation to FMN and the Women Network’s leadership for the invaluable initiative, the Principal of the State Senior Grammar School (Special), Surulere, Mr. Adebanjo, Gbogboade Adeyemi said “We are very appreciative of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN) and The FMN Women Network for their support in building the esteem and growth of young girls in Nigeria and for ensuring that our school is one of the benefitting schools. As a leader, I believe that if we all work together to train these children in the right direction, we will have better outcomes as a Nation regarding leadership and general economic growth.”
The Network also provided the school with a Projector and public address system based on the identified immediate needs of the school and to support the learning process. FMN for over six decades has been a source of livelihood for millions of Nigerian families and has consistently been making a significant investment in human capital development. Through the Network, the Group continues to propagate gender parity and equity across all its touch points.