In the dusty outskirts of Abuja’s Karonmajigi community, 13-year-old Maimuna used to start her mornings not with a backpack and books, but with a tray of groundnuts balanced on her head. School was a distant dream. Her parents could barely afford food, let alone tuition. “I watched other children my age carrying their bags and running to school,” she recalled. “I wanted to follow them, but instead, I would carry my tray of groundnuts and pure water to sell in the market.”
For years, Maimuna believed education was not meant for her, until a local woman introduced her to the re-ignite project by Beyond the Classroom Foundation, a community-based initiative helping out-of-school girls regain confidence and return to learning. “When I joined the programme, everything started to change. I met other girls like me, I started to believe that maybe I could still go back to school.”
Another girl, from Guzape village, Bamisaye, said, “I have always loved school. I like reading and learning new things, but one day my father said I would not go anymore. He told my mother that school was for boys, not girls. He said, “Why should I waste money on her? She will marry and go to another man’s house.” Those words really hurt me. I cried a lot, but there was nothing I could do. Every morning, I watched my brothers dress for school while I stayed home to help with house chores.”
But hope came when the re-ignite project reached her community. “The programme helped me so much. I learned about confidence, leadership, and how to speak up for myself.” Now back in school, she dreams of becoming a lawyer so she could help other girls who are told they can’t go to school.
The stories of Maimuna and Bamisaye are relatable to millions of other girls in Nigeria, who have been denied the right to education due to diverse reasons not limited to poverty, gender bias, and cultural barriers. They also embody the spirit of this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, themed “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead.”
At the heart of the movement for girls’ education in Nigeria is founder of Beyond the Classroom Foundation, Raquel Daniel, the organisation behind Maimuna and Bamisaye’s transformation. “I’ve seen what happens when a girl gets the chance to learn, honestly, everything changes.
“Education gives her power. The power to make choices, to earn an income, to delay marriage, and to raise healthier children. It doesn’t just transform her life; it transforms her entire family. When a girl is educated, she lifts her siblings, influences her parents, and contributes to her community’s growth.”
She warns, however, that poverty, stigma, and cultural bias continue to keep millions of girls out of school. “When a girl becomes pregnant, society is quick to judge. Schools don’t want to take her back, and instead of supporting her, we shame her. Add to that the economic reality, uniforms, books, transportation, even when education is ‘free,’ families often can’t afford it. And when resources are scarce, boys get priority.”
Through re-ignite, Daniel’s foundation addresses these barriers by working with both the girls and their communities. “We help them rebuild emotionally and mentally through confidence-building and mentorship sessions. We also engage their families and communities because we have learned that bringing a girl back to school means bringing everyone around her on board too. We sit with parents, have open conversations, and show them that educating their daughters benefits the whole family.
“Over the years, we have helped hundreds of girls, some in displaced communities and others from families struggling with poverty, find their way back into classrooms. And when I see them walk into school again, shoulders high and eyes bright, I know this is exactly why I do what I do.”
Daniel stressed that education matters most for girls especially in times of crisis. “In crisis situations, whether it is conflict, displacement, or economic hardship, girls are the first to be pulled out of school and the last to return. And when that happens, they become more vulnerable to child marriage, exploitation, and abuse. But when a girl stays in school, even in a crisis, she is safer. She is surrounded by people who look out for her. She is learning about her rights, her body, and her worth. Education gives her a sense of normalcy when everything else around her feels unstable.
“It’s not just about academics; it’s about protection, empowerment, and survival. I have seen girls in IDP camps light up just because they have a place to learn again. It gives them something to hold on to, a reason to believe that the crisis will not define them forever.”
For Chief Executive at Malala Fund, Nigeria, Nabila Aguele, girl-centered policy reforms must move from rhetoric to routine. “My message to that girl child is that she is powerful beyond belief. She is not alone, we see her, we know her potential. We know that despite prevailing narratives, she does want to go to school. Even where she is married and has children, it’s just that she wants to be in environments that are safe, where she’s learning, where she has dignity.”
Aguele emphasised that sustainable progress lies in embedding girls’ voices into the policymaking process, not just spotlighting them once a year. “We tend to bring them out on International Day of the Girl parade them around, let them perform or recite poems. But beyond the day, we must have them at the table when it’s time to understand their needs, design solutions, and evaluate initiatives.”
Through Malala Fund, Aguele and her team are investing in young women-led organisations driving education reform in Nigeria’s six focus states. “We see ourselves as one piece of a bigger pie. We’re helping larger actors understand that local-led solutions are the most sustainable, the most cost-effective, and the most likely to improve things in Nigeria.”
Women empowerment advocate and founder, Prudent Women Organisation, Msurshima Comfort Chenge, stressed that ensuring girls’ voices are heard begins with intentional inclusion. We must move from talking about girls to talking with them creating safe and responsive platforms where they can speak, be genuinely heard, and see their ideas reflected in tangible action.
As a publisher and an advocate for women and girls, I have learnt that listening is the first step towards transformation. Through the Prudent Women Advancement and Advocacy Foundation, which I founded, we organise mentorship forums and empowerment initiatives that allow girls to express their challenges, ideas, and aspirations. Their insights directly shape the educational and social solutions we develop.
“Girls already have voices; what they often lack is the microphone. Our duty as leaders, educators, and policymakers is to amplify those voices until they shape decisions that affect their lives and their future.”
She further noted, “Education is unlocking a new generation of fearless female leaders. Across Nigeria, I see girls transforming their learning into leadership. Through our company’s school outreaches, many girls have emerged as peer educators, hygiene ambassadors, and youth advocates for digital and social change. They are not waiting to be led they are leading through service, empathy, and innovation.
“Having authored over twenty educational books used in schools across Nigeria, I have witnessed how access to education builds self-worth and vision. Education transforms a girl from a silent observer into an active participant in shaping her world. It teaches her not only what to think but how to lead.”
Chenge further noted that true education extends beyond the classroom. To prepare girls for future leadership, we must focus on life skills, digital competence, financial intelligence, and emotional resilience.
“Life skills enable effective communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution. Digital competence ensures they can thrive in a technology-driven world. Financial intelligence empowers independence and confidence, while emotional resilience helps them navigate setbacks with strength and grace.
“In my years of mentoring young women, I have seen that combining knowledge with these core competencies produces balanced leaders confident, ethical, and adaptable. These are the women who will build a better world.”
On her message to the girl child, she said, “invest deliberately in the girl child as the foundation for national development. Every policy, budget, and programme must ask one key question: How does this improve the life of a girl child? Because when a girl is educated, an entire nation rises. She nurtures informed families, builds stronger economies, and contributes to a more equitable society.
“A girl soon becomes a woman and a woman is a bearer, nurturer, builder, repairer, and restorer. The progress of any country is measured by how it treats its girls. To build a thriving future, we must prioritise their education, protection, and empowerment not as charity, but as a national strategy for sustainable growth.”
