Nigeria’s retail banking giant, Diamond Bank Plc, has thrown its weight behind Women at Risk International Foundation’s (WARIF) initiative to prevent gender-based violence and abuse against women in Nigeria.
The project which is aimed at educating secondary school girls between the ages of 13-16 years, will use specially designed curriculum that will be offered to students, parents and teachers from selected schools in Lagos. About 200 schoolgirls will participate in the pilot phase of the training programme.
In a release made available to media practitioners in Lagos, Chioma Afe, Head, Corporate Communications Division of the Bank, stated that women form a strong socioeconomic force in Nigeria, pointing that stemming the increasing rate of abuse and violence against women will help in building a better and peaceful society.
According to her, Diamond Bank is very passionate about helping women realize their dreams and live better lives, adding that “the partnership with WARIF is an important one, as it is an opportunity to re-orientate and educate women and young students on issues around gender-based violence.”
She further stated that “Women’s Wealth and Wellbeing form a core part of the bank’s approach towards corporate sustainability and WARIF’s efforts provide a good platform through which to empower not only Nigerian women but the younger generation.”
“We believe that educating women is a strong economic value addition to the society, this informs our decision to empower them through result-focused specially designed curriculum that will help equip these young girls with the required knowledge and tools to face the future and prevent gender violence”, she said..
Reiterating Afe, WARIF’s Founder, Dr Kemi DaSilva Ibru, expressed gratitude to the management of Diamond Bank, pointing that improving the well-being and financial stability of women and children are very important in building a healthy society.
Dr Ibru stated that although the initiative started last year, the knowledge gained has been very impactful, especially in helping to generate useful data critical to the successful reduction of gender-based violence in Nigeria, adding that going back to schools with more awareness of how to effectively tackle gender violence menace will yield even greater results.
She said: “We are extremely excited about our recent partnership with Diamond Bank. With their support and sponsorship, we are going back to schools in the Lagos State District and will expand the WARIF Educational School Program WESP to include an additional number of affected adolescent school and children.
This will provide the necessary tool-kit that is vital in educating and re-orienting the mindset of our future generation of young men and women and will put an end to gender-based violence in our society”
Diamond Bank Plc is Nigeria’s fastest growing retail bank, leveraging innovation and technology to enhance customer experiences and drive financial inclusion in what it terms Beyond Banking. Since incorporation in December 1990, Diamond Bank has challenged the market environment by introducing new products, innovative technology and setting new benchmarks using international standards. Today, Diamond Bank is best placed to respond to changing lifestyles and is leading the digital transformation in response to these societal shifts.
