Ripple Effects of Poverty: Child Marriage

Photo by Dick Scholten on Pexels

by Grace Anaja

Child marriage is a plague that affects millions of girls all around the world. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) describes child marriage as 'any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult or another child.' In developing countries like Niger, Nigeria, and Central African Republic, 36% of girls are married before age 18, and 10% are married before age 15. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also states that marriage must be entered by individuals who are fully consenting and at full age.

Changing 'Narratives' at the Borno Book and Arts Festival

Book Chat with Isa Umar Tela

by Adetayo Adetokun

The Borno Book and Arts Festival is the State's first arts and creativity festival, celebrating arts, culture, storytelling, and creativity. The festival featured panel discussions, workshops, poetry and local musical performances, art exhibitions, cultural displays, and book drives. 

Walk 4 Education: Taking Steps to Advocate for Quality Education in Nigeria

Cynthia Umeh, our Audio and Video Editor, at the Walk4Education event in Abuja, Nigeria

by Cynthia Umeh

Another fun-filled event!

Shades of Us Storytelling Initiative for African People ('Shades of Us') was invited for Walk4Education, a fitness and advocacy walk organized by FlexiSAF Foundation to commemorate World Human Rights Day on December 10, 2022, at the International Conference Center. Nothing was better than exercising while advocating for the rights of out-of-school children and wrapping up the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign, which began on November 25, 2022.

Killing Me Softly...With Your Words

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels

by Grace Anaja

Verbal abuse is one of the major forms of abuse that is less spoken about or addressed. It is pretty detrimental because it usually affects individuals emotionally and psychologically.

Cheating (vrb). Women (n).

Photo by Ogo on Pexels

By Grace Anaja

Men cheat. 

And yes, women also cheat. 

The Future of Health Conference: Investing in Nigeria's Future

Group photo after the second-panel session at the Future of Health Conference in Abuja.
Image Credit: Nigeria Health Watch

by Adetayo Adetokun

The Future of Health Conference is an annual conference hosted by Nigeria Health Watch. The conference aims to provide a visible platform for critical stakeholders in healthcare, finance, politics, and other allied sectors to discuss the factors that influence Nigeria’s health policies; how political, social, and economic factors shape individual and population health outcomes; health service development within the economic and political context; and how to create a national health service that meets the needs of all Nigerians.

Lessons from the 2022 World Health Summit

General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director, World Health Organization

by Adetayo Adetokun

We attended the World Health Summit from October 16 - 18, 2022, and had insightful takeaways, especially from the sessions curated for African healthcare and food systems.

'Rape for Grades'

Photo by Charlotte May on Pexels

by Grace Anaja

Rape for grades is a well-known phenomenon. It involves dangling academic grades in exchange for sexual favors.  Even if one party – in this case, the students – consents to trade sexual favors for improved grades, the power dynamics between the school’s employee and the student means that one cannot consent without the niggling fear that their refusal may mean failure. Thus, it is considered rape.

Red Card to 'Sextortion'

By Grace Anaja

We attended the RedCard2Sextortion Campaign launch and panel discussion organized by Devatop Centre for Africa Development and supported by the United States Embassy in Nigeria on December 9, 2022, at the Raw Materials and Research and Development Council, Abuja. The discussions aimed to highlight and address sexual violence to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).