GIRLS VOICES
Building a girls’ rights movement by educating girls and women on their rights
October 11, 2013
Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders
Established in October 2013, in honor of the International Day of the Girl, Girls Voices Initiative was founded with the core mission of advancing girls' rights through education and the strategic empowerment of adolescent girls across Nigeria.
Since our formal registration as an Incorporated Trustee in February 2016, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to systemic change. Today, Girls Voices Initiative stands as a cornerstone of the Girls' Rights Movement in Nigeria, bridging the gap between advocacy and action. The Movement continues to grow across the West and Central African region, positioning adolescent girls for global impact.
We invite you to partner with us as we continue to build a future where every girl has the agency to lead. Join the Movement! Take Action!
Our Mission
We are catalysts for a systemic girls' rights movement. By equipping girls and women with comprehensive rights education and advanced advocacy skills, we provide the ultimate platform for them to claim their agency and champion their collective welfare.
Building Safe, Vocal Communities
At our core, we cultivate inclusive physical and virtual sanctuaries where girls and women connect. By leveraging the power of storytelling and shared lived experiences, we turn individual voices into a powerful chorus of change, inspiring every girl to make her voice count.
Innovation Through Collaboration
We design and execute forward-thinking, girl-centered programs that harness the power of digital technology and media production. Through strategic partnerships with global and local stakeholders, we amplify the reach of girls' issues, ensuring their stories resonate across every digital frontier.
Girls’ Rights Movement
Our Focus Areas
- Ending Gender-Based Violence: Breaking the silence and building systems of protection.
- Ending Child Marriage: Protecting the childhood and potential of every girl.
- Promoting Girls' Education: Ensuring the classroom is a gateway to opportunity.
- Advancing Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR): Securing the right to bodily autonomy and informed health choices.
The Power of Authentic Stories
This movement is fueled by the authentic stories and collective voices of adolescent girls. We don't just speak for girls; we provide the platform for them to leverage their own lived experiences to influence the systemic change they desire. By owning their narratives, these young leaders are redefining what is possible, shifting cultural norms, influencing policy, and demanding a world where their rights are protected, respected, and celebrated.
Join us in positioning the next generation to lead. Their voices are the catalyst; their agency is the goal.
Our Awards
Girls Voices Initiative won the 2019 With and For Girls Award for the Most Disruptive Girl-Led NonProfit Organization in Sub Saharan Africa.
Girls Voices Initiative won the 2020 BPeace Women Forward Global Award for the Next Generation Workplace naming our organization as one of the Best Place for Women to work.
Culled from the Business Council for Peace (BPeace) Website:
Girls Voices Initiative educates and empowers girl-leaders in Nigeria to use their voices to amplify issues in society. As part of their internal operations, they created the Adolescent Girls Advisory Board, comprised of young, mentored girls, to help validate, design, co-create and inspire new GVI Programs. The Monday Mentoring Meetings for staff mirrors the mentoring provided to the girls in the program. The Experimental Learning effort identifies opportunities for staff to learn new skills and try on new roles.
Carolyn Seaman, GVI Founder, commented, “Our workplace is the model for the empowerment we want to bring to Nigerian women and young girls”.
How We Drive Impact
Girls' Rights: The Foundation of Agency
We believe that knowledge of one's rights is the first step toward freedom. Our work in this stream focuses on dismantling the structures of marginalization from the ground up.
- Rights Education: Providing the fundamental knowledge girls need to navigate and claim their legal and social protections.
- Rights Advocacy: Equipping girls to move from understanding their rights to actively defending them in public and private spaces.
- Movement Building: Cultivating a national and regional network of advocates to ensure the fight for equality is collective and enduring.
Technology: The Tool for Future-Proofing
In an increasingly digital world, technology is the ultimate equalizer. We bridge the gender digital divide by positioning girls as creators, not just consumers, of technology.
- STEAM Programs: Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics to foster critical thinking and problem-solving.
- Coding Hackathons: Hosting high-energy TechTackle coding bootcamps and pitch competition events where girls build digital solutions to real-world social challenges.
- Tech Advocacy: Empowering girls to influence digital policy and demand inclusive access to the tools of the future.
Media: The Platform for Amplification
Voice is power. We leverage the reach of modern media to ensure that the stories of adolescent girls bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach the global stage.
- Citizen Journalism: We train girls in investigative reporting to document community realities and ensure their issues are reported with accuracy and urgency.
- Social Media Advocacy: We harness digital landscapes to lead targeted campaigns that shift cultural norms and mobilize global support for girls' rights.
- Social Impact Filmmaking: We teach girls to use the lens as a tool for revolution, translating complex social issues into compelling visual stories that demand action.
Meet
the Team
It is an absolute honour to lead a remarkable team of girl development donors, partners, girl experts, advisors, staff, volunteers, girl leaders, and beneficiaries in the vibrant community of Girls Voices Initiative.
The extraordinary achievements and impact that our work inspires can only be driven by a passionate and remarkable team with a compelling goal to educate adolescent girls and women about their rights and empower them with technology and digital media skills to amplify their advocacy to stakeholders, particularly policymakers. This fuels the vibrant Girls' Rights Movement that we are building with and for adolescent girls in Nigeria, and across West and Central Africa. And together, we can grow the Movement!
Titilope
Fakoya
Board Chair
Barbara
Maigari
Board Member
Carolyn
Seaman
Board Secretary
Laban
Onisimus
Board Member
Thomas-Jeffery
Seaman
Board Member
Favour
Chukwugolum
Adolescent Girls Advisory Board Chair
Peace Iyabo
Garba
Secretary, Adolescent Girls Advisory Board Member
Deborah
Olumayowa
Adolescent Girls Advisory Board Member
Aminat
Berje
Adolescent Girls Advisory Board Member
Boluwaji
Adebayo
Adolescent Girls Advisory Board Member
Esther
Amasianya
Girl Leader
Ummi
Musa
Girl Leader
Aisha
Faruk
Girl Leader
Patience
Victor
Girl Leader
The Force Behind the Movement: Our Leadership & Team
At Girls Voices Initiative, our impact is driven by a powerful synergy of seasoned expertise and youthful vision. We have built a multidisciplinary team of women, men, and adolescent girls who are not just participants but active leaders in our mission to advance girls' rights, education, and empowerment.
Strategic Governance: Our Board of Trustees
Our organization is anchored by a distinguished Board of Trustees, a powerhouse of gender specialists, media experts, and activists. With a rich history of leading high-impact programs for local and international development organizations, our Board provides the strategic oversight and institutional memory required to drive systemic change. Their collective experience ensures that our interventions are both evidence-based and culturally transformative.
Innovation at the Center: Our Advisory Boards
We believe that those closest to the challenge are closest to the solution. To ensure our work remains truly girl-centered, we have integrated unique leadership tiers:
- Adolescent Girls Advisory Board: This critical body serves as our North Star. These young leaders ensure our programs remain innovative, creative, and relevant to the evolving needs of adolescent girls. This is how we keep girls at the centre of our work.
- Fiscal Accountability & Growth: Beyond program design, our Advisory Board plays a vital role in reviewing financial strategies, ensuring that every investment is optimized to expand our reach and sustain our core mission.
- A Collaborative Ecosystem: Our staff of young women and professionals work hand-in-hand with our girl advisors, bridging the gap between professional expertise and lived experience.
A Connected Community
Our movement thrives on transparency and constant dialogue. We keep our global network of members and partners informed through high-impact newsletters, digital platforms, and social media. More importantly, we provide the space for our members to articulate their thoughts, share "change stories," and offer real-time advice, ensuring our growth is always informed by our community.
Partners we've been working with
