The Kwara State Government, through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project, in collaboration with Olive Community Development Initiative (OCDI), has organised a training programme for teachers and counsellors on life skills education.

The five-day intensive training, held in Ilorin, brought together mentors from Asa, Moro, Ilorin West, Ilorin South and Ilorin East local government areas of the state.

Speaking at the event, the Adolescent Girls Specialist of the Kwara AGILE Project, Abosede Adeleye, explained that the Safe Space initiative was designed to ensure that girls across the 16 local government areas of the state remain in school while acquiring essential life skills.

She noted that the programme aims to empower girls to become confident, self-reliant and capable of navigating life's challenges.

Adeleye observed that many girls who enrol in secondary school fail to complete their education up to the senior secondary level due to early marriage, teenage pregnancy or voluntary withdrawal.

According to her, inadequate education and empowerment of girls significantly contribute to rising poverty and social challenges, including crime and insurgency.

In his presentation, Senior Technical Adviser on Family Health, Bolaji Umar, stated that the trained mentors would establish safe spaces within their respective schools to provide ongoing guidance and counselling for adolescent girls.

He commended AGILE and OCDI for their sustained commitment to enhancing the quality of life for young girls.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of OCDI, Oluwatoni Adeleke, said the core objective of the programme is to create supportive environments that enable girls to stay in school and complete their education.

She warned that girls who drop out due to pregnancy often face poverty and heightened vulnerability to gender-based violence later in life, urging mentors to apply the knowledge gained to achieve lasting impact.