|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Summary
Purple Ball 2025, organised by Strong Enough Girls Empowerment Initiative, brought together women and girls for a powerful virtual celebration focused on rights, equality, and empowerment. Through thought-provoking discussions, inspiring storytelling, and community building, the event reaffirmed the importance of inclusive advocacy and collective action in the fight for gender justice.
On Saturday, Apr. 5, 2025, the Strong Enough Girls Empowerment Initiative (SEGEI) hosted the 8th edition of its flagship event, Purple Ball 2025. The event, held via Zoom, brought together women leaders, activists, policymakers, and grassroots changemakers for an inspiring virtual celebration of International Women’s Day. It spotlighted this year’s global theme: “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”
The Strong Enough Girls Empowerment Initiative (SEGEI) is a nonprofit organisation that ignites, nurtures and harnesses the intellectual and social strengths of adolescent girls and young women through education and life skills development.
Timed to coincide with Women’s History Month, the Purple Ball served as a platform to honour the courage, resilience, and achievements of women who are breaking barriers and championing gender equality in their communities and beyond. With a programme designed to empower and connect women across sectors and generations, the event featured keynote speeches, storytelling sessions, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.
Onyinye Edeh-Vincent, founder of SEGEI and AYE Hub, delivered the keynote address, calling for intentional investment in mentorship, leadership, and economic empowerment for young women. “We must be deliberate about creating room for every girl, every woman—especially those whose voices are often excluded,” Onyinye said.
The panel session, a major highlight of the day, featured dynamic speakers, including Seyi Bolaji, Communications Coordinator at SWAG; Hon. Kehinde Awujoola, Special Assistant on Gender Matters at the Ministry of Youth Development; and Barr: Fatima Ibrahim Musa, founder of Refined Hearts for Northern Women and Girls Development Foundation. The panellists discussed the barriers women continue to face in education, governance, and entrepreneurship and emphasised the need for inclusive and intersectional approaches to gender advocacy.
“This isn’t just about visibility, it’s about access to power and resources,” Seyi said. “We cannot speak of empowerment if women still have to fight to be heard.”
In addition to the panel, attendees engaged in a storytelling session spotlighting the contributions of grassroots women leaders, a speed networking segment, trivia, and music. The atmosphere—though virtual—was rich with energy, sisterhood, and solidarity, with many participants showing up in glamorous attire with a touch of purple, symbolising justice and dignity.
As part of its ongoing mission, SEGEI aims to use platforms like the Purple Ball to create safe, vibrant spaces where young women are supported through leadership development, mentorship, and career-building opportunities. Executive Director Queen Ugwoeru emphasised the importance of such gatherings in sustaining the momentum for gender equality. “Purple Ball 2025 was not just a celebration—it was a call to action,” she said. “We will continue to create space, amplify women’s voices, and ensure no one is left behind.”
