NGO expands school programme to protect girls from GBV in Oyo, Ogun

According to WARIF, the intervention also trained 5,500 girls, comprising 500 direct beneficiaries and 5,000 indirect beneficiaries.

It added that 500 parents and caregivers, as well as 20 members of school management teams, also benefited from the programme.

According to the organisation, the programme focused on strengthening girls’ knowledge and practical skills to prevent and respond effectively to sexual and gender-based violence.

It added that the initiative also sought to build peer-led protection and support systems within schools to encourage safe reporting and collective responsibility.

The foundation said the programme further aimed to increase the capacity of caregivers and school leadership to prevent and respond appropriately to abuse, while also equipping girls with leadership, decision-making and problem-solving skills.

WARIF noted that over the years, WESP had recorded measurable improvements in students’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to gender-based violence, as well as increased help-seeking behaviour and reduced cases of abuse in intervention schools across Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states.

The Director of International Programmes, Girls Opportunity Alliance, Mrs Tsehaitu Retta, said investing in girls meant investing in safer and stronger communities.

“At the Girls Opportunity Alliance, we believe that investing in girls means investing in safer, stronger communities.

“When girls feel safe, supported and informed, everything changes for them, their families and their communities.

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“WARIF’s work is a powerful example of what happens when girls are equipped with the confidence, skills and support systems to protect themselves and lead,” she said.

She assures the organisation’s committment to reducing the incidence of rape and sexual assault through advocacy, survivor-centred services and preventive interventions.

It said the Educational School Programme was a scalable and evidence-based model addressing gaps in life skills education, school safety and gender-sensitive mentorship.

The foundation added that through continued collaboration with partners, schools and communities, it would sustain efforts to ensure that adolescent girls were empowered, protected and able to achieve their full potential.

WARIF is a non-profit organisation founded in 2016 by Dr Kemi DaSilva Ibru in response to the high incidence of sexual violence, rape and human trafficking affecting girls and women in Nigeria.