In a bid to address the alarming rate of gender-based violence and adolescent naivety, a non-governmental organisation, the Human Social Sustainability Network Africa (HSSN) has collaborated with six partner organisations to implement the GirlPower programme.

The initiative brought together 300 students from Ideal Girls Junior High School and Obele Community High School, both in Lagos.
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The participants received guidance on coping with bodily changes during puberty, abstaining from pre-marital sex, and becoming valuable members of the society.

Tagged: “Closing the gender gap in poverty through early and gender-responsive education,” experts led sessions on self-care, breast cancer awareness, and menstrual health.

Executive Director, HSSNAfrica, Funmilayo Oyekanmi, stressed the importance of engaging and teaching young girls on academic excellence, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM), careers, financial literacy, and others, to position them for global relevance and prosperous future.

She said the initiative became necessary considering the need for increased sensitisation among young girls on the power of information, and desire to close the existing wide communication gaps between the young generation and older ones.

“The programme is focused on closing the gender gap in poverty through early and gender-responsive education.”

Oyekanmi encouraged the students to learn and ask questions, noting that it was important for them to be educated on financial literacy, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health and academic excellence.
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Programme Head of GirlPower, Sandra Nwafor, emphasised the initiative’s focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 4, 6, and 8.

“This initiative is one of our programmatic-focused areas aimed at empowering girls for the future through education, mindset shift, and skills development.

Nwafor pointed out that with the right mentorship, girls can dream big and be high achievers.

“Also speaking, Enitan Oluwa, a partner on the project, harped on genotype, blood group, breast examination, cervical cancer, among others.

“Period poverty, for me, is more of a lack of information. It’s not just about not having pads. There are a lot of myths that need to be debunked,” she said.

The programme’s long-term goals include enriching African girls with value, guiding them through life’s challenges, and promoting STEAM education.

The students praised the initiative, citing increased awareness and confidence.
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