In Nigeria, less than half of all school-age girls are enrolled in, and graduate, from school. At Give Girls A Chance (GGAC), we believe that educating girls is the single most powerful investment to shape a better future for Nigeria. We started in 2016 with the goal of increasing young girls’ access to quality education in Nigeria. Our team of dedicated mentors and volunteers work directly with girls in four secondary school in the Abuja area, providing scholarships, mentorships, and guidance. We aim to do this by addressing issues related to lack of access, low levels of awareness of the importance of education, and poor infrastructure of educational institutions.
In Nigeria, less than half of all school-age girls are enrolled in, and graduate, from school. At Give Girls A Chance (GGAC), we believe that educating girls is the single most powerful investment to shape a better future for Nigeria. We started in 2016 with the goal of increasing young girls’ access to quality education in Nigeria. Our team of dedicated mentors and volunteers work directly with girls in four secondary school in the Abuja area, providing scholarships, mentorships, and guidance.
EDUCATE
We partner with schools, sponsors, and local organizations to equip the girls with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed
MENTOR
We link the girls in our programs to qualified and capable mentors to improve their physical, mental, and social well-being
EMPOWER
We offer programs and scholarships to improve comprehension and literacy levels and emphasize the benefits of getting a quality education
Our approach is to provide comprehensive support to girls between the ages of 10 and 19 years from low-income families as well as to systematically develop the schools in the communities in which we work.
GGAC Essay Competition
2022 Contest Winners Are Announced
Congratulations to the winners of the sixth annual Give Girls A Chance Essay Competition! Last year, Nigerian girls between the ages of 13 and 19 were asked to submit an essay responding to the following prompt:
"In your own words, make a case for why Nigerians—including the government and policymakers, private sector and civil society—must take action now to increase investments in education and secure the rights of all Nigerian children to a quality education."
2022 Winners
First Place
Akinde Morayo (15 years old)
The Pillars Model College, Ifo, Ogun State
"In Nigeria, the major driving causes of poor children's education are two - inadequate funding and poverty. As regards funding, there is one breakdown that shows that the entire budgetary allocation for the Nigerian ministry of education has been below the recommended UNESCO 20% of the total annual budget for the past decade; and for poverty, there is another breakdown that shows that about 44.2% of Nigeria's population living below the country's poverty line talks of affording education."
Second Place
Peace Eze (18 years old)
Rivers State University
"Education fights poverty in the nation and society; therefore, as the country gives training to its needy citizens, the government will be significantly investing in its future economy and status. Since any nation that has a higher percentage of educated members or elites is considered rich, to eliminate poverty, the government has to eradicate illiteracy among its people."
Third Place
Testimony Odey (17 years old)
University of Benin, Edo State
"So many people carry flawed and distorted beliefs about the education of a girl child. For this belief to be capitulated, they need to be enlightened, as change starts from the mind. The Nigerian government, policy makers, private sectors and members of the civil society must take action now to improve the investment in child education."
About the Competition
The Give Girls A Chance Essay Competition was launched in 2017 as part of the Give Girls A Chance Foundation's efforts to increase access to quality education for the Nigerian girl child. The competition aims to give young Nigerian girls the opportunity to foster constructive and innovative ideas to address Nigeria's development challenges. Learn more about the 2022 competition.
2021 Essay Competition:
Meet the Winners
First Place
Chidinma Faith Onyenweaku, a 19-year-old girl from Abia State University Uturu, Abia State. In her Essay, she explained the causes of the gender disparity in the digital generation and how to address them. According to Chidinma:
“In many developing countries, Nigeria inclusive, the issue of gender divides in different aspects of the society such as politics, education, national economy, etc., is very evident. It is therefore no surprise that it is also seen in the digital generation and online platforms and spaces. The disparity between genders in the society, the inequality in the labour market, inequality of opportunities, pay, progression and benefits has also crept into the digital generation.”
