The Mother of Good Counsel Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has opened a girl centre in Port Harcourt to cement the work of the organisation in rehabilitating the street girls.
The centre which has hosted facilities would also empower the girls in different skills to give them a good sense of direction.
Dedicating the Mater Dei Girls Centre in Port Harcourt, recently, the Assistant Cathedral Administrator, Corpus Christi, Rev Father Casmir Ohaji commended the gesture by the NGO and said that the venture is a good example of charity work.
The Chief Executive of the NGO, Lady Doris Onyeneke told The Tide that the centre was “a dream come true,” adding that, “not having a centre in the past made my work frustrating when the need arise to move a girl out of the harsh street environment.”
Lady Onyeneke said the centre runs the skill acquisition for the girls free of charge under the sponsorship of philanthropists and well meaning individuals in the society.
She said so far, 100 students have applied for the skill acquisition but only 20 students are in the hostel, adding that the girls would be trained on such areas as computer, catering, fashion and designing, hair dressing and others.
The NGO Chief Executive said that the skill acquisition would last for two years for each of the set, adding that some sponsors may also empower those that are serious in what they are doing.
“I tell the girls to dream again. They should know that life has not ended because it is not over yet for any abused girl,” she said.
In her contribution, a board member, Dr Vetty Agala said that the centre was “an answer to the challenge we have had over the years in the country.”
Dr Agala who is also the secretary to the Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Rivers State branch, noted that the move by Mother of Good Counsel is a step in the right direction which restores hope to the hopeless and vulnerable girls in society.
She noted that the Medical Women Association would also be there for the medical needs of the centre, adding that the NGO would work with NGOs to give the girls a sense of direction.
Also, the executive director and business development consultant of Keldam Technologies Limited, Mr Damingo Levi noted that there has been a divide between development and empowering which has frustrated the results in the past, adding that the move by the NGO stands to bridge the gap between the two.
Levi said that his organisation empowers the girls with sustainable development base on the country’s goals.
He noted that “it is the inability to manage our oil wells that is causing our problem in the Niger Delta,” adding that business development can help us overcome the mess.
One of the teachers, Mr Edwin Godspower said that the girls would be trained professionally.
A student, Mrs Chinwe Ngehwe commended the NGO for giving them a sense of belonging.