In continuation of its fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in Akwa Ibom State, Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Path Initiative (FEYReP), in collaboration with The Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) carried out a sensitisation exercise to Churches and Market Squares in the State with the first event holding at The United Evangelical Church Ituk Mbang, Uruan Local Government Area on Sunday 10th August, 2025.
The coordinator of FEYReP, Dr. Idorenyin Ekanem, who spoke at the event thanked the church leadership, the officiating ministers and the entire members of the church for welcoming the team as well as grabbing the opportunity to become partners in the fight against gender based violence, while stressing that the visit was to educate members of the church on ways of stamping out GBV not only in the State but in Nigeria and the world at large.
Dr Ekanem expressed the hope that with this awareness, the attendees would learn the ills of rape and other GBV. She charged them to -in line with the campaign’s theme “SPEAK OUT”- take the message back home to their different communities, businesses, schools and other groups in order to fight the menace to a standstill.
Dr Ekanem stressed that the fight against GBV does not end with listening to or hearing the message but it also requires spreading the message and taking the responsibility of reporting incidents of GBV whenever they occur to relevant authorities irrespective of who is involved.
“l feel very delighted in today’s service because we are taking the message to the religious leaders as well as members in the rural Church and we want them to also go back home and talk to their people that the Government, State, Nation and the whole world are against GBV and there is a law to prosecute the offenders.” Dr. Ekanem enthused.
She frowned at situations where community members and even some parents, especially mothers, refuse to expose perpetrators of evil for fear of intimidation and stigma, advising them to always report such cases to FEYReP who would take up the matter till the culprits are apprehended for prosecution and the survivors are given adequate treatment and attention for them to recover from the trauma.
She thanked the founder of the NGO, Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs) Martha Udom Emmanuel, for her foresight, determination and always being at the forefront to fight GBV in the society.
She also commended NWTF for sponsoring the sensitisation programme and promised to partner with them to fight this menace.
In the homily delivered by Rev Abraham Frick themed: “Jesus is love personified” with scriptural text Matthew 9:35-38, the preacher stressed that the Lord Jesus Christ lived an exemplary life of love and compassion towards all people adding that we as Christians, should at all times strive to follow the footsteps of Jesus by extending similar love and compassion to each other. Rev. Abraham urged Christians to live peacefully in their homes so that the society may be peaceful for development to thrive, adding that no development can thrive in a restive and chaotic communities.
The highlight of the event was sharing of the VAPP Law and flyers to the ministers and members in the Church.
