08/09/2026
*Proximity to power does not guarantee access to it.*
Even within the Abuja Municipal Area Council, adolescent girls in communities like Jikwoyi face steep systemic barriers—from digital exclusion and period poverty to a lack of safe platforms to speak.
At the GS26 Academic Conference, organized by the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC) alongside Nile University, PIC Institute, Co-Impact, and NILDS to flag off the Gender and Inclusion Summit 2026, our Advocacy Officer and In-House Lawyer, Gladys Emmanuel, presented the empirical findings from our Girls Vanguard Project.
Over 12 intensive months, we embedded an integrated learning hub directly within Jikwoyi, equipping 30 adolescent girls with:
Digital literacy & storytelling tools
Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) education
Material dignity support to end period poverty
Direct policy exposure—taking them beyond the classroom into sovereign decision-making spaces like the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Embassy of Mexico
The data tells the story of what happens when we invest in the last mile:
* +167% in the capacity to engage authority (1.5 ➔ 4.0/5.0)
* +140% in public speaking self-efficacy (2.0 ➔ 4.8/5.0)
* +140% in rights and legal literacy (2.0 ➔ 4.8/5.0)
* +105% in policy advocacy competency (2.2 ➔ 4.5/5.0)
As our Founder, Christina Uzo-Okamgba, emphasizes: this work is about moving girls from silence to strength.
When girls are given the knowledge, tools, and platforms, they no longer need others to speak on their behalf—they become their own most powerful advocates.
