By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The ATLAS (Access to Learning and School) Initiative, in collaboration with Irish Aid, which provided funding, has successfully trained 20 community women, called “champions” across Lagos and Ogun States to boost prevention and response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, SGBV.

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‎The training was implemented under ATLAS Initiative’s ongoing Enriching Lives Through Empowerment (ELiTE) Project, which focuses on protecting vulnerable adolescent girls and young women in underserved communities.
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‎Speaking on the importance of the training, Co-founder and Executive Director of ATLAS Initiative, Habeeb Balogun, said the capacity-building training which took place at the Ikeja Youth Centre, Lagos, brought together 20 community champions drawn from four communities across Lagos and Ogun States: Ikorodu, Ojora, Ojodu Abiodun, and Ogijo.
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‎Balogun, stressed that the training represents a significant step toward strengthening community-based support systems and ensuring timely responses to SGBV cases within these communities.

While emphasizing the strategic role of the trained champions, he explained that the champions will serve as key intermediaries between community members and established referral pathways.
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‎ According to Balogun, “This activity is strategic to the overall objective of the ELiTE Project, as it equips community members who can respond immediately to emergency cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence within their communities.”
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‎He added that participants were trained to identify various forms of SGBV and provide appropriate first-line responses.Participants were equipped with practical knowledge and skills across key thematic areas, including the Ecological Model of Violence, Power and Ethics, Survivor-Centered Practice, Psychological First Aid, and Referral Pathway Navigation.
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‎ELiTE is a four-month humanitarian protection project targeting 200 vulnerable adolescent girls and young women aged 15–25 living in urban slum communities in Lagos and Ogun States.
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“‎The project adopts a holistic approach to SGBV prevention and response through the establishment of four safe spaces, training of community champions, provision of psychosocial support, mobile counselling services, legal aid referrals, dignity kit distribution, and community awareness campaigns incorporating climate-resilient messaging,” Balogun stated.

Olatunji Bushroh, Programmes Head at ATLAS Initiative, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to sustained support for the champions.
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‎She stated that participants will continue to receive the necessary information, tools, and resources to ensure that SGBV cases in their respective communities are properly identified, referred to, and addressed.
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‎They were also introduced to Nigeria’s legal and policy frameworks guiding the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence response.

The training featured expert facilitators from the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), Sagamu Branch, Ogun State, and the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Lagos State.
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‎Sharing her experience, one of the participants, Damilola Ojelade, stated, “This training has equipped me with practical skills and knowledge to handle cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. I now understand that SGBV affects not only women but men as well, and I feel more confident responding to cases in my community.”

‎Another participant, Dunmoye Ayomide, noted that she would be leading advocacy visits in her community of Ogijo, engaging schools, Community Development Committees (CDC) meetings, and traditional leaders to raise awareness and sensitize them on SGBV.
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‎The ELiTE Project forms part of ATLAS Initiative’s broader commitment to empowering communities through capacity building, strengthening local protection systems for vulnerable girls and women, and contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—particularly Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
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