In a significant step towards accelerating the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Oyo State, Trailblazer Initiative Nigeria (TBI), with support from UNICEF Nigeria through the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, successfully conducted a 1-Day Capacity-Building Training for 40 selected Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) on Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC), Gender-Transformative Programming, Reflective Dialogue, and House-to-House (H2H) Mobilization strategies.
The training brought together representatives of community-based organizations from intervention communities to strengthen their capacity to design and implement culturally appropriate community engagement strategies aimed at ending FGM.
In his welcome remarks, the Executive Director of Trailblazer Initiative Nigeria, Dr. Dare Olagoke-Adaramoye, appreciated UNICEF Nigeria, the Oyo State Government, and participating organizations for their commitment to protecting girls and women from harmful traditional practices. He emphasized that the training was designed to equip participants with practical skills to facilitate behavior change, mobilize communities, challenge harmful social norms, and strengthen grassroots advocacy against FGM.
Representing the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Adediran Oluwawemimo described FGM as a harmful social practice that violates the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of girls and women. She called on participants to become community champions who will promote positive social norms and support collective action towards ending the practice.
Also speaking at the event, Mrs. Ayanniyi, representing the Director of Health Services, Egbeda Local Government, highlighted the severe health consequences of FGM, including excessive bleeding, infections, childbirth complications, emotional trauma, and long-term reproductive health challenges. She stressed the need for intensified community awareness and prevention efforts.
During the first technical session, Dr. Dare Olagoke-Adaramoye provided an overview of the prevalence of FGM, gender norms, and community-level barriers sustaining the practice. He stated, “FGM persists because it is deeply rooted in social expectations and harmful gender norms. To eliminate it, communities must collectively challenge the beliefs that sustain it.”
Facilitating the second session on Social and Behaviour Change Communication, Ambassador Akintayo emphasized the importance of evidence-based communication strategies. According to him, “People rarely change behaviour because of information alone; they change when messages are relevant, trusted, and consistently reinforced within their social environment.”
In the third session, Mrs. Aderike Oyekola examined gender-transformative programming approaches for FGM prevention. She noted that, “Ending FGM requires transforming unequal gender norms and empowering women, girls, men, and boys to become agents of positive change within their communities.”
Returning for the fourth session, Dr. Dare Olagoke-Adaramoye introduced participants to Reflective Dialogue methodology and House-to-House mobilization strategies. He stressed that, “Sustainable change happens when communities are given safe spaces to reflect on their values, discuss the consequences of harmful practices, and collectively identify solutions.”
Participants later worked in groups to develop community engagement action plans tailored to their local contexts. The exercise produced practical strategies for conducting reflective dialogue sessions, community outreach activities, and household-level sensitization campaigns.
The training concluded with sessions on monitoring, documentation, reporting requirements, and post-training evaluation. Participants expressed appreciation to UNICEF, the Oyo State Government, and Trailblazer Initiative Nigeria for the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge and skills.
The capacity-building programme represents a major milestone in strengthening grassroots advocacy and community ownership of efforts to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation in Oyo State, while laying the foundation for sustained social and behavioural change at the community level.
