By Lanre Oloyede
In celebration of the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child, Empower Her for Sustainable Development Initiative in Africa (a.k.a Empower Her for Africa), a non-governmental organization dedicated to the empowerment of women and girls, awarded scholarships to over 30 out-of-school girls in Abuja.
These scholarships were granted as part of the organization’s commitment to advancing education for disadvantaged girls, offering them a chance at a brighter future.
The ceremony took place in the Lugbe area of Abuja, where the girls were formally enrolled into Primary one, Junior Secondary School (JSS1) and Senior Secondary School (SS1) categories at Government Primary School, Gosa, Government Secondary School Gosa and Government Secondary School Sabon-Lugbe along Airport Road, Abuja.
The scholarships will cover the full range of school expenses, including tuition, uniforms, textbooks, and other essential fees until the girls complete their secondary education.
This is in continuation of the “Educate the Girl Child” project embarked upon by the NGO six years ago. In all, more 50 girls have been offered scholarships and enrolled in secondary schools in different parts of Abuja with many of them having graduated from secondary school and on their way to the University.
Mrs. Charlene Makai, the Founder and Executive Director of Empower Her for Africa, explained that the selected girls were identified in some of Abuja’s most hard-to-reach communities, where access to education is limited.
She added that the goal of the NGO is to give these less-privileged children the opportunity to realize their dreams of a promising future through education.
According to her, the Key areas of focus include education, child marriage, violence, and gender inequality.
Mrs. Makai urged development partners, government bodies, and international donors to support the organization in expanding its efforts to empower girls and amplify their voices.
The NGO is now calling on well-meaning Nigerians and international partners to support the initiative. The Donations will help cover the cost of sending these out-of-school girls to school, providing them with the tools they need to build a better future through education.
The theme for this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, “Girls’ Vision for the Future,” underscores the urgent need for action to secure a better future for girls, particularly through education.
Speaking on the theme, Mr Lanre Oloyede, the Program/Media Director of Empower Her for Africa, emphasized the vital role education plays in achieving this goal.
Mr Oloyede maintained that every girl has a dream and a vision of a future filled with hope and promise, stressing that education is the vehicle that will take them to that future.
He highlighted Nigeria’s pressing challenge with the large number of out-of-school children, estimating that nearly 20 million children in the country are not in school, a significant portion of them being girls.
In her remark, Mrs Emmanuella Daphey mentioned that that the NGO’s enrollment initiative was their way of marking the International Day of the Girl Child which is celebrated globally on October 11, and was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011 to recognize girls’ rights and the specific challenges they face around the world.
Mrs Daphey added that the day serves as a call to action, encouraging governments, organizations, and individuals to work toward creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for girls.
Empower Her for Africa’s scholarship program began with a pre-qualification assessment held on September 24 in the Sabon-Lugbe/ACO area. The assessment helped determine the eligibility of over 30 students for the scholarships, ensuring that the initiative reaches those in greatest need in time for the 2024/25 academic session.
