By Godwin Ajom
Becheve Community in Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River, for years have been in the news for a “harmful practice” known as “money marriage or money wife”. This practice sees children given out to marriage at a tender age as collateral by their parents.
There have been calls from the national and international communities to halt the repressive practice but most times, falls on deaf ears. While there are calls for its abolition, there have also been town cries for support and empowerment of survivors and women in the community in general.
To this end, the Voice Foundation, a non profit organization dedicated to empowering the lives of teenage mothers and at-risk-girls in Cross River State, has launched an Empowering Survivors Through Transformative Education and Entrepreneurship project for survivors of money marriage.
The lunch ceremony which was held at the Scenic Games Center, Obudu Ranch Resort in the LGA, saw a gathering of stakeholders, including traditional leaders and expert trainers. The initiative, supported by Project Nightfall Philanthropy, aims to uplift 50 survivors of ‘money marriage’ through a rigorous four months entrepreneurship skill training program.
Upon completion, participants will receive essential start-up kits, paving the way for economic independence and self-reliance.
The Executive Director of Her Voice Foundation, Favour Abatang, underscores the importance of the initiative. She noted that “The empower project is a key initiative to address the resurgence of money marriage and empowering survivors. This project serves as a reminder that survivors of ‘Money Marriage’ are so valuable, and can stand on their own two feets and help themselves,” Abatang said.
In his remarks, the founder of Project Nightfall Philanthropy, Agon Hare, opines that “One of the most impactful things we can do for girls right now is to make sure that they are educated.” His sentiment was shared by the co-founder of Project Nightfall Philanthropy, Sonya Mulkeet.
The Clan Head of Becheve Community, HRH Sunday Ichille, thanked Her Voice Foundation for driving meaningful partnerships to support survivors of the ‘Money Marriage’ practice.
According to him, “You have kept your word to increase the learning timeline for survivors from 1 month to 4 months, and this shows you have great interest in the survivors.”