The Axis of Hope Initiative (AXHOI), a not-for-profit organisation, has deepened its commitment and support for advancing the girl child in Nigeria.
As part of activities marking the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, 2024, the organisation held a one-day event at the Government Secondary School Kubwa. The AXHOI provided the girls with the correct information on menstrual hygiene, created awareness of sexual abuse, molestation, and violence, and distributed dignity kits to girls of menstrual age.
As part of advancing children’s rights to access education, the AXHOI elected to cover the expenses for registering WAEC and NECO examinations for selected disadvantaged girls in the Government Secondary School, Kubwa, in the current academic year.
The founder of the Axis of Hope Initiative, Barr. Maxwell Mgbudem said the organisation aims to transform vulnerabilities into strengths and that, as an initiative, they believe in the future of the girl child.
“We are in Government Secondary School Kubwa, Abuja to celebrate with the girls and to educate them on their rights and to help them understand critically what it means to be a girl child because we discovered that a girl child has a lot of issues like molestation, rape and so forth.
“As an NGO, we decided to come here to educate them on their rights and give them a platform to speak up and find solutions to whatever challenges come their way.
“That is why we decided to cover the WAEC expenses of all disadvantaged students in this school. We discovered that to achieve their aims and aspirations, they have to go through the education process.
“When you educate a girl child, you educate the nation. We believe that no girl child should be left behind, and that is our way of contributing to their future.
“We have been doing this around the nation, but today, we decided to come to Kubwa to demonstrate our commitment and show them they are not left behind. Today, we rejoice with them, and we are happy that we are here and part of whatever they are going through in their lives.”
Established in 2018 to inspire campaigns and galvanise actions that highlight and address key vulnerability issues, especially for women and children across vulnerable communities in Nigeria, it has continued to empower vulnerable communities and individuals to access and control resources through involvement in sustainable, locally driven programmes.
“We envision a peacefully healthy and economically reliant society where everyone, irrespective of gender and other considerations, attains their full potentials – amid opportunities and contributes their quota to nation building,” the founder said.
“The six years of our existence has witnessed significant contributions in the a) promoting hygiene and healthy living for women, children and aged persons in rural communities; b) the economic empowerment of women who in turn support their family’s nutrition and children’s health; c) enhancing access to education for school-age children and vocational skills acquisition for out-of-school youths; d) distribution of food and other relief items to vulnerable households during crises; e) sensitisation and engagement of electorates (women, men, youth) during electioneering campaigns for non-violent elections; f) institutionalising effective dialogue processes for community peace-building and social cohesion,” Barrister Maxwell Mgbudem.
