WARIF Partners with the ACT Foundation for the Launch of Gatekeepers Project 

In a society where gender based violence is spoken about in hushed tones, it is always commendable to see individuals and groups taking action and putting up a fight against this menace.

One of such organizations is the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF). The organization launched the Gatekeepers Project in conjunction with the ACT Foundation, where they converged to train over 500 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) from across Lagos state LGAs.

On the 25th of October 2017 the foundation marked a major milestone in the fight against gender based violence; as their most recent initiative tackled the problem at the heart of the matter. The Gatekeepers project provides an avenue for TBAs to help women who are disposed to abuse in the peri-rural areas, as they are more inclined to gaining their trust.

Having set a major target of reaching a 30% minimum reduction in gender based violence; the foundation has been extremely pro-active in reaching this goal through training programs such as this.

Facilitated by members of the WARIF team such as head of psychology at WARIF, Dr. Ruth Goma the session highlighted the signs to look out for in abused women, the acts that fall under sexual harassment/assault and more.

Furthermore, the TBA’s were equipped with a detailed handbook containing extensive information on how to handle incidents of abuse from identification to counseling the survivor. In addition, they were given logbooks to record incidents of GBV.

The program impacted the TBA’s with helpful knowledge while also equipping them with resources to enable them make a positive difference in their communities and the world at large.

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BellaNaija is media partners with WARIF