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Nigeria has 774 local government areas in its six geopolitical zones. Low-level income earners in each of these local governments have faced challenges that affect their livelihoods. As such, some phenomenal Nigerian women influence change in their respective communities, particularly for girls. Here are four of them.
Gloria Ayodeji, Founder Girl Child Innovative Hub
Ms Ayodeji is an advocate from Ibadan. Her goal is to be the voice of girls who are finding it difficult to navigate their adolescent lives. Her initiative, ‘Girl Child Innovative Hub,’ equips girls with the skills necessary to become independent society members by connecting them with mentors and trainers who will teach them how to achieve their goals.
Her inspiration stems from a seminar she attended in 2017. The seminar’s topic on impacting their communities resonated with her, and she decided she would be the change she wanted to see in her environment. Ms Ayodeji and her team have connected several girls to entrepreneurial mentors, and these girls have learned a wide range of skills. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Ms Ayodeji created online training sessions for girls to learn design.
Karimot Odebode, Founder Girl Child Advocate
Karimot Odebode is also an from Ibadan. She is the founder and project lead of the ‘Black Girl’s Dream Initiative (BGDI)’ – a youth-led organisation that works to end Female Genital Mutilation; and promotes Education and leadership through Arts, Advocacy, and Technology.
Over the years, the Black Girl’s Dream Initiative has mentored hundreds of teenagers in the art of public speaking, debate, and self-confidence. Ms Odebode says she was inspired by the opportunities she had to speak in front of dignitaries as a child. She believes that creating similar opportunities for girls would give them the confidence to stand up for themselves in whatever situations they face.
Eseni Deborah Peace, Founder Gift a Child Initiative
Eseni Peace Deborah is a recent graduate of the University of Benin. Ms Deborah is aware of the importance of education and has invested her time in teaching children in local communities around her. She founded the Gift a Child Initiative in 2020 and has assisted over 2,000 children since then. The Gift a Child initiative, with activities in local communities in Benin, Edo State, and Kwara State, is centred on helping underprivileged children face inadequate economic support and emotional care.
Ms Deborah draws her inspiration from the desire to provide quality education. Recently, Gift A Child Initiative assisted a young girl and her three siblings who just lost their mother. These girls and their brother were out of school, with their older sister fending for them. Ms Deborah and her team placed the children under the tutelage of a lesson teacher, and the second girl from this family is back in school.
Kawthar Omisore, Girl Child Advocate at One Africa Child
Kawthar Omisore believes in a world where every child, regardless of their background, is given access to quality education and necessary skills fundamental to them thriving as an individual, especially in the 21st century. Ms Kawthar is a part of One Africa Child and Sharing Life Africa, platforms dedicated to providing quality education for children in low-income communities. During the pandemic, Ms Kawthar gathered girls from her neighbourhood using what she called ‘The No Gate Principle.’ She approached houses without a fence and families where parents struggled to keep their children up to date with school activities during the lockdown. Ms Kawthar provided a safe place for these children to learn, teaching them how to read fluently and develop digital skills. These people look to help them get back on their feet.
This story is a part of the Keeping Girls in the Picture Campaign Project for UNESCO
