Uchechukwu Nnaike
In line with its objective of educating females on various areas that will boost their confidence and self-esteem, the Gallant Graces Foundation recently organised a forum to educate female students of Kuramo Secondary School, Victoria Island, Lagos about personal hygiene, which is vital for building self-confidence.
According to the founder, Mrs. Janet Adetu, the event, with the theme ‘Living Your Dream’, was also meant to instil in the girls career talks, leadership skills, confidence skills, decorum skills, how to maintain themselves, their families, homes, communities and the entire environment that they live in.
She said the foundation is currently focussing on young girls from 10-18 years so as to catch them young and to raise a generation of youths that will impact the society positively; to increase opportunities for personal development through personal care advocacy, trainings and learning materials; as well as to engage, empower and elevate females to fulfil potential and positions of significance.
To have a lasting impact on girls, she said the foundation adopted the ‘GOLD Drive’, which comprise grooming, hygiene and personal care; opportunity, mentorship and scholarship; leadership, inspirational talks, seminars and motivational platforms; and decorum, lifestyle, interpersonal skills, etiquette, and deportment.
Adetu, who stressed the importance of giving back, said all staff of her organisation are involved in the empowerment programme and that the foundation hopes to touch 2,000 girls in the next two years.
She said during the one hour workshop, the students are taught leadership skills, confidence skills and inter-personal skills, as well as demonstrations on personal hygiene and a question and answer session, when they could ask any question on any issue of concern.
To help the girls to start their journey of cleanliness, hygiene and personal care, she said the foundation gives out a grooming kit to each girl for body care, mouth care, hair care, hand care and clothing care. This she said serves as a guide to keep them knowledgeable enough to make the right decisions as they mature in life.
“A successful woman, a successful leader is all about the confidence that she carries, and it has to do with personal hygiene, leadership skills, inter-personal skills, attitude to life and the way she communicates. The world is competitive so we want to build a new generation and prepare them for what life has out there. We want girls to be successful; not all of them may want to work in corporate organisations, even those that want to be entrepreneurs, it is about how they conduct themselves.â€
