By Gami Tadanyigbe
On International Day of the Girl Child, the Foundation urges stakeholders to make education accessible, inclusive and safe; and to ensure girls can stay, participate and shape their futures.
Enrolment matters. But a place in school that a girl cannot afford to keep, reach safely or access fully is not yet equal opportunity.
On International Day of the Girl Child, Daisy Oak Foundation is calling for investment that reaches beyond the classroom door. This year’s global call to end child marriage and invest in girls’ rights must be matched by practical action in the places where girls live, learn and grow.
In Toge, AMAC, the Foundation’s School Access Project enrolled 35 previously out-of-school children at LEA Primary School. Its Back-to-School support helps families meet education costs through school fees, bags and learning materials. These efforts respond to a basic but often overlooked reality: when a household cannot meet the cost of schooling, a child’s education can be put at risk.
Access must also mean inclusion. A girl with a disability has the same right to learn, participate and be protected. Daisy Oak Foundation’s wider work includes support for learners at the FCT School for the Blind, alongside programmes in adolescent wellbeing, health and nutrition, child protection and social protection. Girls’ needs cannot be addressed in isolation from the barriers facing their families and communities.
“Enrolling a child is an important beginning, but we have to follow through. Can she stay? Is she included in what the school provides? Is anyone listening when she speaks? For me, investing in girls’ rights means staying engaged beyond the first intervention and working together so that every girl has the opportunity to move forward,” said Dr. Kiema Ogunlana, Program Director of Daisy Oak Foundation.
Daisy Oak Foundation calls on government and school leaders to address the financial, accessibility and safety barriers that keep girls from learning. It urges community and faith leaders to help protect girls’ rights, and invites businesses, philanthropists and development partners to invest in school access, retention, disability inclusion, adolescent wellbeing and child protection. Girls themselves must have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect them.
The Foundation invites everyone marking the day to complete this sentence: “I will support a girl’s future by…” Then take that action and keep the commitment beyond the campaign.
This work aligns with SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being; SDG 4: Quality Education; SDG 5: Gender Equality; SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities; SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
Let her learn. Let her grow. Let her choose.
About Daisy Oak Foundation
Daisy Oak Foundation is a Nigerian nonprofit working with communities and partners across education, health and nutrition, adolescent wellbeing, child protection, disability inclusion, women’s empowerment, social protection and humanitarian support. Its guiding belief is simple: Giving is Everything.
