Global Girl Project: The Making of Change makers

For six weeks, some girls in Ijegun Community had been given a life-long opportunity to learn from home and abroad, being part of the Global Girl Project, a partnership with Bestspring Foundation. The girls took part in the Blended Learning Leadership Initiative having gone through different stages of training on topics such as:

1. Who Is A Leader
2. Roles of Leaders
3. Women who have made an impact and changes within their community.
4. Mastering the Art of Listening, Speaking & Writing.  
5. Online Research on a Movements in Nigeria e.g. Occupy Nigeria.
6. Knowing your Environment and all that it entails, asking parents, leaders all around and brainstorming on the Project of Change they intend to work on.

After months of lockdown due to the pandemic, the last session and graduation party of the girls finally took place on 18th July 2020 with strict adherence with the laid down social distancing guidelines.

With many months of planning towards their final project, the girls led an Environmental Sanitation and Waste Management Movement going around on Saturday morning, from street to street, to clean the community and educate the residents and market women on the importance of hygiene and good sanitation.

The girls also educated the market women on the importance of waste management and recycle and how they can make money from plastic waste. The market women were eager to take part in the initiative and they have secured a partnership to keep their plastic waste for recycling, a move that will improve the sanitation of markets and community while getting financial benefits.

The final session had Mrs Tosin Adebowale talk to the girls on waste management with the exhibition of artwork she made with clothing waste. The girls put up a great show of confidence showing how much they have developed leading every minute of the program.

The girls also donated two waste drum to the community to further improve the sanitation of the community.

The girls gave feedback and talked about how much they have developed through the training. Some of the feedbacks are:

“Global Girl Project ha amazingly transformed my social life. I now feel comfortable talking with people. It has also created the awareness in me to become more concerned about my community and not to look away but correct any flaws I see” – Christopher Favourmary

“I’m amazed to know a girl child can be a leader. All thanks to global girls project. This program has taught me how to use my voice, to prepare leaders for tomorrow, create positive changes around and most importantly, how to be the voice to the voiceless” – Yusuf Zainab Oriyomi

Tobiloba Olowogaba said Global Girl has deepened her knowledge on relevance and the value of a Girl Child

These are some of the comments from the wonderful girls who had the opportunity to take part in this training.

The Global Girl Project continues and many of the girls in Ijegun are looking forward to being selected for the next cohort seeing how much impact the first cohort had.