Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative Community Links and Human Empowerment initiative is a non-governmental organization established to bring smiles and plant hope in communities .

Every girl child deserves a future, not an early marriage! 💜International Day of the Girl Child, let’s protect her ri...
11/10/2026





Every girl child deserves a future, not an early marriage! đź’ś

International Day of the Girl Child, let’s protect her rights, empower her dreams, and give her the opportunity to learn, lead, and thrive! 🌍💪🏽.
ActionAid Nigeria
Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada
Bureau for International Cooperation and Development
Benue State Government
Civil Society Organizations, Benue State

Balaraba Ramat Yakubu is, perhaps, Nigeria’s most famous child bride. She was taken out of school at the age of 12 t...
08/10/2026






Balaraba Ramat Yakubu is, perhaps, Nigeria’s most famous child bride. She was taken out of school at the age of 12 to enter into a marriage with a 40-year-old man, but the man later changed his mind, saying she wasn’t a good wife and that she was too young, according to Al Jazeera. "He said I was too young. Didn't he know that when he married a child?" she said.

Now, Yakubu is a famous novelist in her country, the first female author of the Hausa language to be translated into English. Her book, “Who Would Marry an Ignorant Woman” is about the failure of child marriage and the value in girls receiving an education.

Nujood Ali was only 9 years old when she pulled out of school and married to an older man in her native Yemen. And t...
07/10/2026






Nujood Ali was only 9 years old when she pulled out of school and married to an older man in her native Yemen. And though the man promised her father that he would not have s*x with her until a year after she got her period, Ali was instead immediately subjected to physical and s*xual abuse. One day at the age of 10, she fled her home, hailed a cab to a courthouse in Yemen, and told the judge she wanted a divorce, according to CNN

Ali was granted a divorce, and her tale of courage earned her worldwide recognition, including as one of Glamour’s Women of the Year honorees in 2008, it was there that she met Hillary Clinton, and published a memoir.

As a teenager, Mercy Akuot was informed by her Father that her schooling days were over. While her siblings and cous...
06/10/2026






As a teenager, Mercy Akuot was informed by her Father that her schooling days were over. While her siblings and cousins were returning to school after the holidays, she was to get married to a 56-year-old man she knew as uncle. This tradition was wrong for Mercy, and she was determined to fight back.

On their way to Uganda to drop her siblings off at school with her supposed uncle, they stopped at a hotel where the 15-year-old was set up.

“He called me to the other room after my mother had left and told me my mother had given him the right to do whatever he wanted with me. Then he hit my head with a gun. After that, I was s*xually assaulted. I endured the pain for three days and had to pretend I had accepted. But deep down, I knew I had accepted nothing!” she narrated.

Akout narrated this incident to her mother’s friend across the street, who had hidden her for a month. She called a friend who sent her some money, which she used to cross the border. The teenager, scared and alone, left South Sudan in 2008 and initially got asylum in Uganda, where she stayed first in an orphanage and then with a loving family where she was able to continue her Education.

After her parents discovered her whereabouts in 2015, she moved to Kenya for fear of being taken back by her uncle. There, she was admitted as an immigrant to the Kakuma Refugee camp.

After successfully escaping her forced marriage, Akout feared no one. She became a dedicated activist, using her story to empower young girls and advocate against child marriage. She engages with grassroots organisations to educate communities on the physical and emotional harm of child marriage. So far, her work has reached refugee camps and community centres where she directly engages with at-risk young girls.

Memory was 18 when she was inspired to fight against child marriage in Malawi, after her sister was forced to become...
05/10/2026






Memory was 18 when she was inspired to fight against child marriage in Malawi, after her sister was forced to become a child bride when she was just 11 years old. In an interview she had with The World, she explained how abusive her sister's marriage was.

“In the marriage she experienced so much tragedy, she got beaten up, experienced s*xual violence, and I wasn’t surprised when later on the husband kicked her out of the house.”

Banda works with the Girls Empowerment Network Malawi, Let Girls Lead, and other girls in her community to raise awareness of the issues girls face in Malawi.

Banda founded Foundation for Girls Leadership to empower girls with leadership skills. She believes that it is wise to empower girls with skills that enable them to defend and protect their rights.

When Sonita Alizadeh was 15 her parents were getting ready to sell her to a man for marriage in her country of Afgha...
04/10/2026






When Sonita Alizadeh was 15 her parents were getting ready to sell her to a man for marriage in her country of Afghanistan. In response, Sonita channeled her despair into a rap video that brought her worldwide fame and a reprieve from marriage.

In Alizadeh’s rap video, she has a barcode painted on her forehead to show the transactional nature of child marriage, as well as fake bruises and blood showing the violence of the marriage. She raps about traditions that make it acceptable, as well as the economic circumstances that lead families to choose child marriage.

Her parents saw the video and revoked the marriage sale and instead, encouraged her to keep rapping. A prep school in the US saw Alizadeh’s rap video on YouTube and offered her a full scholarship. This year, she performed at the Women in the World Summit in New York City. She is still single.

Rukhmabai is one of India’s most famous feminists. Born in 1864, she was married off at 11 to a 19-year-old, but acco...
03/10/2026





Rukhmabai is one of India’s most famous feminists. Born in 1864, she was married off at 11 to a 19-year-old, but according to The Better India, she remained in her parents’ home for three years and continued her education.

When her husband finally sent word that he wanted her to come live with him, she refused, and he took her to court to try to force her to join him in marriage. Rukhmabai was threatened with imprisonment, but the pair eventually settled out of court, with the husband receiving money for the divorce.

Rukhmabai turned her attention back to education, pursued her medical degree in London, and became India’s first practising female doctor.

9 Girls. 9 Impossible choices. 9 Futures reclaimed.Globally, 1 in 5 girls are still married before their 18th birthd...
02/10/2026






9 Girls. 9 Impossible choices. 9 Futures reclaimed.

Globally, 1 in 5 girls are still married before their 18th birthday. That is one girl every three seconds stripped of her childhood, her choices, and her right to learn.
But history is full of fighters.

For the International Day of the Girl Child 2026, we are honouring 9 extraordinary women and girls from different eras, countries, and cultures who looked at the threat of early forced marriage and boldly said: “No. My place is in the classroom.” ✊🏾

From 19th-century India to modern-day Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, these girls survived displacement, resisted community pressure, and even challenged national laws just to hold a pencil. They didn't just save themselves, they turned around, built schools, changed constitutions, and paved the way for millions of girls who came after them.

This year’s global UN theme is loud and clear: “End child marriage and invest in girls' rights!”
Because when you educate a girl, you don't just change her life; you transform an entire generation.

Follow our countdown to meet these icons and discover how they broke the cycle.

👉 Come back tomorrow for Day 1 as we kick off with the incredible story of Dr Rukhmabai, India’s first practising female doctor!

This question pooped up: how can a wounded person help another wounded person before experiencing healing? Where was G...
02/10/2026

This question pooped up: how can a wounded person help another wounded person before experiencing healing? Where was God in the midst of their suffering—and does He still care?

These were among the difficult questions explored during a three-day Psycho-Spiritual Trauma Healing Training organised by Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative (CLHEI).
The training brought together displaced pastors and pastors serving in internally displaced persons (IDP) communities, creating space to reflect on trauma, faith, healing, and the challenges of shepherding others while carrying personal pain.

Through shared learning and discussion, participants began exploring ways to support the mental health of their church members and communities while recognizing the importance of their own healing journey. USAID Global Health Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigeria Society(CWEENS)Christian Aid in Nigeria,The Winners Church Family World Wide, World Bank Nigeria

🇳🇬 Nigeria at 66: Our Hope, Our ResponsibilitySixty-six years after independence, Nigeria’s story remains a journey of c...
01/10/2026

🇳🇬 Nigeria at 66: Our Hope, Our Responsibility

Sixty-six years after independence, Nigeria’s story remains a journey of challenges, resilience and possibilities.

AT Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative (CLHEI), we believe that a better Nigeria is built when communities are empowered, citizens are heard, and people work together to create lasting change.

As we celebrate 66 years of independence, let us renew our commitment to a Nigeria where every person has the opportunity to live with dignity, participate meaningfully and thrive.

Happy 66th Independence Anniversary, Nigeria! 🇳🇬


Address

No 15, Amakough Odunsi Street, , , Off Ankpa Quarters
Makurdi
970261

Telephone

+2347037724378

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative:

Shortcuts

Share

Category