No fewer than 250 female technology experts, who were trained under the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAMinists project), have embarked on a three-day hackathon to develop projects targeting the reduction of gender-based violence in a digital space.
 
The beneficiaries were trained between June and December 2025 by the Girl Child Values Support Initiative (GCVSI) to acquire tech skills and raise awareness on digital space, using web design, painting, 3D graphics, app development, 3D animation, 3D modelling, soldering and electronics, photography and videography, digital storytelling and podcasting, drama and theatre.
 
Senior Programme Officer at GCVSI, Owa Oluwatosin Zuriel, while speaking at the contest, explained that the hackathon is aimed at harvesting the creative and collaborative abilities of the beneficiaries to brainstorm on solutions tailored to tackling gender-based violence in their communities. 

Also, the organisation had held a high-level advocacy and partnership forum themed “Institutionalising STEAM for GBV Prevention, Disability Inclusion and Women’s Economic Empowerment.”

The forum was organised by the Girl Child Values Support Initiative (GCVSI) with support from the French Embassy Fund (FEF) and CSOs Progress Partners.
 
The Bauchi government has also vowed to institutionalise STEAM education, which it said remained critical to building safer, more inclusive and economically empowered communities in the state.
 
A gender desk officer, Mary Ishaya, stressed the need for deliberate policy implementation to strengthen STEAM education in schools.
 
She called for the provision of well-equipped science facilities, integration of GBV education into school curricula, participatory budgeting and empowerment programmes that would enable girls and women to thrive economically.
 
On his part, Director of Science, Technical and Vocational Education, Bashir Aliyu, expressed the ministry’s support for the initiative, describing the project as a significant step towards reducing GBV and promoting skills development among young people in the state.