The social media space has over the years been a veritable platform for strengthening advocacy on girl child education in Nigeria. Non-profits such as civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, independent development advocates, foundations and other non-government organisations continue to leverage the power of social media to amplify the voice and promote initiatives on girls’ awareness of their status and values in communities across Nigeria through strategic and community-based programmes.
In no particular order, we have highlighted some non-governmental organisations that interested persons can follow on Twitter to learn and possibly seek ways to actively contribute to the discussion on girl child education in Nigeria.
Dream Catchers Academy (@dreamcatchersDA)
Dream Catchers Academy is a subsidiary of The Dream Nurture Initiative for Girls and Women (A registered non-profit) committed to creating a sustainable future for orphaned and indigent girls through quality education, arts education, tech, leadership and life skills. The academy founded in 2014 seeks to transform the lives of less privileged girls who have experienced abuse, neglect, or economic hardship resulting in a lack of educational attainment by giving them a chance through quality education, arts education, shelter, welfare, arts and life skills.
The academy has rescued over 10 girls from child marriages – providing them with a safe home and has in the last ten years directly and indirectly impacted over 10,000 girls and their families.
Through its music and arts, it is constantly raising awareness for societal issues that affect girls and women like period poverty, child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), among others – and this initiative has gotten the attention of international celebrities like Beyonce, Naomi Campbell, Rihanna, Diddy, Cardi B, John Boyega, Viola Davis to mention a few. Additionally, Dream Catchers is also the pioneer of the first free formal Arts Academy in Nigeria – which caters to 100 talented girls from the slums and marginalized communities in Nigeria.
Girl Child Concerns (@GCCNigeria)
Girl Child Concerns was established 10 years ago to address the wide gender gap in girl’s enrollment in school, the nonprofit provides holistic interventions that meet the needs of vulnerable adolescent girls especially those from poor rural areas, disadvantaged and undeserved groups like married adolescent and girls in humanitarian settings. Specific interventions include Adolescents Reproductive Health & Rights, Female Students Scholarships for vulnerable girls, Advocacy and community mobilization and sensitization on civil rights and responsibilities as well as gender equity.
Through its Female Students Scholarships Scheme (FSSS), Safe Spaces, and life skills development programs, GCC has empowered and promoted girl child education and providing educational support to young people. Over 1000 girls in northern Nigeria have graduated from the scholarship schemes.
Centre for Girls Education (@centre4girlsed)
Centre for Girls Education is an NGO committed to educating girls in the classroom, community, and beyond. It seeks to reduce girl-child marriages in Nigeria by helping girls stay in school or acquire vocational skills.
The organisation has a variety of programs designed to sensitise, enlighten, train, and empower girls, particularly in northern Nigeria. Programmes include Adolescent Girl Initiative (AGI) an afterschool educational enrichment program that improves girls’ core academic performance and supports girls as they progress from primary to junior secondary school and from junior secondary to senior secondary school. Another programme is Bridge Schooling and Vocational Education targeted towards out-of-school-girls. Through its initiatives, CGE has enriched thousands of girls across northern Nigeria.
Pearls Africa (@Pearls_Africa)
Pearls Africa is a non-profit focused on promoting the cause and advancement of young girls and women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and other life skills including ethics, leadership skills, self-empowerment/development, confidence, public speaking, self-esteem which leads to economic independence.
The NGO based in Lagos Nigeria empowers vulnerable young girls living in under-served communities through training in technology, skill acquisitions, entrepreneurship, mentorship and Internship placements. Its projects Girls-Coding, Empowered Hands, GirlsInSTEM and GC Mentors, have served as veritable platforms for empowering young girls with functional skills, thereby achieving economic independence before the age of 18. No less than 10,000 girls have benefited from its coding programme.
Odyssey Educational Foundation (@eduodyssey)
Although not exclusively dedicated to girl child education, the Odyssey Foundation is one NGO that calls out investing in the education of the African girl child as one of its primary focus areas. The organisation was formed in 2013 to improve the living standard of Nigerians in general with a special interest in the educational sector through Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Application with a view to catalyzing industrialisation, Research and Development (R&D), and co-creating with nature in the African region.
One of its flagship initiatives is Technology Entrepreneurship program (Mobile Application Building) is a technology entrepreneurship programme for young women/girls. The programme is restricted to girls alone in a quest to reaching out to the girl-child in the field of STEAM and to bridge the gap for women in technology. We also use this platform to encourage rural girls too to take part in STEAM education.
The organisation has reached out to over 8,600 STEM-trained students with 80 per cent of this figure coming from the public schools in FCT-Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Niger, and Kogi states respectively.
Salma Attah Foundation for Women and Girls Support (@SAF_WGS)
Salma Attah Foundation for Women and Girls Support is committed to removing barriers and creating awareness around inclusivity, and gender-based violence, through Training, Advocacy, intervention, Policy and Governance.
Through their advocacy campaigns, they seek to bridge the gender gaps that exist in education, living conditions, economic empowerment, technology, and political participation of women. In line with its mission, the foundation provides free support and counseling service for survivors under the age of 18 who have been raped, sexually assaulted and/or sexually abused.
Stand With A Girl Initiative (@swag_initiative)
SWAG Initiative is youth-led organisation dedicated to ensuring that every girl in Nigeria, no matter where she is born or found is empowered to fulfill her maximum potential with the goal is to promote a safe and supportive environment for the social, economic, academic, and healthy development of girls in Nigeria
In 7 years of its existence, SWAG Initiative has implemented activities with rural and urban slum marginalised Adolescent Girls, Parents, Community Members, and Religious and Traditional Leaders promoting girls’ empowerment and gender equality through the fight against harmful cultural practices and gender norms, low level of education, poor sexual and reproductive health information and services.
The institution has engaged no less than 20 schools in northern Nigeria and trained over 5000 girls with basic and life skills. The organisation partners with individuals, corporations, international organisations and sister organisations to provide the fees and tools needed to keep girls in schools.
Africa Agility (@AfricaAgility)
Africa Agility is a non-profit social impact organisation that seeks to expand access to technology-based education for young Africans by creating a more diversified tech and Agile workplace. The organisation, since inception, has trained over 15,000 young people in digital skills. Through its programme, Girls in Tech it seeks to empower 500,000 young African girls by 2030 with high-demand tech skills that will enable them take on opportunities and position themselves as real changemakers.
