With funding support from Philantify, Omidan Health and Empowerment Initiative has launched Girls Thrive, a community-based Family Life and Health Education (FLHE) and empowerment programme for adolescent girls in Gbazango community. The initiative will run from January to February 2026 and is being implemented in close collaboration with community leaders and the local Primary Health Care Centre (PHC).
Girls Thrive is designed to improve the family life and health outcomes of 40 adolescent girls aged 15–19, equipping them with accurate and age-appropriate health information, essential life skills, leadership capacity, and vocational competencies that promote wellbeing, dignity, and long-term economic resilience. The programme directly responds to pressing challenges identified within the Gbazango community, including teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, drug abuse, limited access to reproductive health information, mental health concerns, and economic vulnerability among adolescent girls.
The programme was formally introduced to the community during a stakeholders’ consultation meeting held at the Palace of the Community Chief of Gbazango. The meeting convened traditional leaders, women leaders, health workers, community representatives, and local government officials for open dialogue and collective problem-solving around the realities facing girls and young women in the community.
Speaking during the engagement, Aderonke Olisa, Executive Director of Omidan Health and Empowerment Initiative and Programme Lead, highlighted the importance of community ownership and culturally grounded interventions.
“Girls Thrive is not a programme we brought to the community; it is one we are building with the community,” Olisa said. “By listening to parents, leaders, health workers, and the girls themselves, we are creating safe spaces where girls can learn, heal, and grow into confident young women.”
In his remarks, Mr. Jibrin Mohammed, the Community Chief of Gbazango, welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed the community’s commitment to supporting its successful implementation.
“Our daughters deserve access to education, health information, and opportunities that help them reach their full potential,” he said. “Girls Thrive aligns with our values and priorities as a community, and we fully support its goals.”
Under Omidan Health and Empowerment Initiative’s leadership, Girls Thrive will deliver interactive FLHE sessions covering menstrual health management, gender-based violence prevention, mental health education, values clarification, self-esteem building, communication skills, and leadership development. Participants will also be trained as peer educators and community health champions, enabling sustained knowledge-sharing and advocacy beyond the programme’s two-month duration.
A key component of Girls Thrive is the Safe Space Initiative, which strengthens access to counselling, referral pathways, and confidential reporting of gender-based violence through collaboration with the community Primary Health Care Centre. In addition, vocational and entrepreneurship training will equip girls with practical skills to support economic independence and reduce vulnerability to exploitation and harmful social practices.
Community stakeholders at the consultation meeting noted that initiatives such as Girls Thrive have the potential to significantly reduce teenage pregnancy, improve health-seeking behaviour, and strengthen confidence and decision-making among adolescent girls. The strong endorsement from traditional leaders, women leaders, and health workers reflects trust in Omidan Health and Empowerment Initiative’s track record in adolescent health and community empowerment.
Philantify’s funding of Girls Thrive underscores its commitment to community-driven development and girls’ empowerment as a pathway to sustainable social change. As implementation begins in early 2026, Girls Thrive stands as a collaborative effort to nurture informed, resilient, and empowered girls who can contribute meaningfully to the future of Gbazango community.
