Day2@BeMoreOndo2021: First Lady restates initiative’s vision, introduces breast cancer advocacy to girls

The vision of Bemore Empowered Initiative for Girls Naija is to build future female technology leaders who will brigde the gender gap in ICT and Solar technology.

The First Lady of Ondo State and Founder of the initiative, Chief (Mrs) Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, restated this today while addressing the 2021 set of the Bemore Summer Bootcamp at the Public Service Training Institute, PSTI, Ilaramokin, Ifedore Local Government of Ondo State.

According to her, the only way to have more women in the digital space is by training girls to change archaic ideologies that limit female folks to certain professions and skills.

She said: “I have a vision, and that should form the vision statement of what we are doing here. The vision is to build future female technology leaders. And what is its mission? What are we going to do to attain building future female technology leaders? It is by organising training programmes like Bemore which will take us steps ahead in bridging gender gap in ICT and Solar technology; that’s our vision and in order to achieve this we have to bring you girls together.

“After two weeks you will become more knowledgeable; some of you will take up solar technology space and as the years go by we are bridging the gap”.

Educating them on common types of cancer that affect Women, the Ondo First Lady charged the Bemore girls to spread the breast cancer awareness advocacy and educate their mothers and sisters on the need to be self-aware as a means of reducing death, saying ‘early detection is the key to surviving cancer’.

“Being that you are girls, there are certain things that are peculiar to you, there are things women cherish and there are issues that affect women, that is what we want to introduce to you. And that bring me to cancer; most importantly breast and cervical cancer. These are two prevalent cancer types that affect women in Nigeria and worldwide.

“We want to introduce this to you and it will be an avenue to take the information to your mothers. Right now at your age, it’s not likely you have these cancer variants but it’s good that you are informed should it happens later in life. Cancer is a disease that affect all parts of the body but I want to restrict myself to the common one that affect Women, most especially breast.

“You saw a Bemore Ambassador yesterday who demonstrated how to check breast, we want you girls to be breast self-aware and know how to check your breast. So if you notice any change(s), we advise you go to hospital.

” This is the message I want everyone of you to take to your mother. And I want to get the report that you did it because the beauty of the Bemore Summer Bootcamp is that when we tell you all these things, you go home and practise them”, she asserted.

Day two activities at the Summer Bootcamp included introduction to ICT, Solar energy, and Sustainable Development Goals by a Team of World Largest Lesson.

Others were menstruation management, personal hygiene. The girls were also nudged by a medical personnel on self-assertiveness as a preventive measure against sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy.

Mary Agidi
Special Assitant on Media to the Governor
(Office of the First Lady)
Sept,.13th, 2021