Girl Child Empowerment Programmes
Empowering the Girl-Child through innovative social Interventions
OUR FOCUS
We are focused on the girl child, empowering, educating, mentoring and equipping her to be the face of change in Africa.
1According to UNESCO estimates, 130 million girls between the age of 6 and 17 are out of school and 15 million girls of primary-school age—half of them in sub-Saharan Africa— will never enter a classroom. For example, in Nigeria, only 4 percent of poor young women in the North West zone can read, compared with 99 percent of rich young women in the South East. Studies consistently reinforce that girls who face multiple disadvantages — such as low family income, living in remote or underserved locations, disability or belonging to a minority ethno-linguistic group — are farthest behind in terms of access to and completion of education.
We realize the current approaches to curbing this imbroglio will not suffice. This is because the challenges faced by the girl child are numerous ranging from gender bias, lack of education, culturally imbibed malpractices, human trafficking, child marriage, poor health and sanitation amongst others.
Our Girl Child Empowerment and Development Programmes seeks to address these challenges through deploying various innovative efforts and by working with other partners who are passionate about these issues.Thus giving her an equal chance to compete and lead a fulfilled life.
1. UNESCO Report – https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/girlseducation
We tackle bold challenges headlong
AHDI in collaboration with other partners continue to run programs that bolster the opportunities of the girl child. Through advocating for policy changes towards education, greater protection of girls from violence & discrimination in school and at home. We involve men and boys as key players in acting as allies for girls’ rights by enhancing their capacity on the same.
It includes ensuring that girls do not suffer disproportionately in poor and vulnerable households especially during times of crisis, advancing skills & job opportunities for adolescent girls, educating them on their rights and providing quality education. In addition, it covers financing and analytical work in support of ending child marriage, removing financial barriers that keep girls out of school, improving access to reproductive health services, and preventing gender-based violence.
— Context & Strategy
Girls’ education and promoting gender equality is part of a broader, holistic effort by AHDI. It includes ensuring that girls do not suffer disproportionately in poor and vulnerable households, and advancing skills and job opportunities for girls.
Working together with girls, AHDI focuses on:
- Empowering the girl child with economic resources and education
- Ensuring that girls benefit from a full cycle of quality education
- Training of adolescents girls and young women on their reproductive healths and rights in order to prevent risk of adolescent pregnancy, reduce their vulnerability to HIV and school dropout.
- Providing conditional cash transfer, stipends or scholarships
- Strengthen legislation and policies to support girls
- Targeting boys and men to be a part of discussions about cultural and societal practices
- Ensuring gender-sensitive curricula and pedagogies
- Building safe and inclusive learning environments for girls