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.
International Day of the Girl
2020 Campaign
On the International Day of the Girl (11 October), join Give Girls A Chance to celebrate girls everywhere as they inspire, break boundaries and take charge of their own future.
In 1995, the fourth World Conference on Women made history for the women’s rights agenda with the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted, the most visionary blueprint for the empowerment of women and girls.
For this year’s International Day of the Girl, we’re coming together under the theme “My Voice, Our Equal Future,” to celebrate all of the achievements by, with and for girls since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the passage of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990.
But many of the commitments made to girls are left unfulfilled. Each year, 12 million girls under 18 are married; approximately 15 million adolescent girls aged 15-19 have experience forced sex; And 130 million girls worldwide are still out of school. In Nigeria alone, close to 8 million girls are currently out of school.
And then the Covid-19 pandemic hit! Over the past few months, families across Nigeria have had to come to terms with a life without school. For some, this disruption will only be temporary. But for millions of Nigerian girls, this disruption might prove to be permanent and have long-lasting negative impacts.
In Her Voice
This year, to mark International Day of the Girl, Give Girls A Chance is launching a new campaign, “In her voice”. The goal of the campaign is to amplify the voices of girls and stand up for their rights. In doing so, we hope to contribute to securing the future of the Nigerian girl child and ensuring that the recent gains in girl-child education that the country has been making steadily over the past few years are not completely eroded as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Every year on 11 October, the International Day of the Girl, UNICEF launches an annual campaign with girls to amplify their voices and stand up for their rights. This year, under the theme, “My voice, our equal future”, let’s seize the opportunity to reimagine a better world inspired by adolescent girls – energized and recognized, counted and invested in.
As adolescent girls in Nigeria assert their power as change-makers, Give Girls A Chance’s “In Her Voice” campaign will focus on their demands to:
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Live free from gender-based violence, harmful practices, and child trafficking
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Access digital technologies to continue learning and acquire new skills towards the futures they choose
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Have access to low-cost sanitary products and proper sanitation facilities to reduce incidences of period poverty
Ways to Get Involved
Working together, let’s seize the opportunity to reimagine a better world inspired by and for our girls.