Country of Residence
Nigeria
Age
20
Project title
Guard the girl child
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Guard the Girl Child exists to break the cycle of child marriage and its devastating consequences for girls in underserved communities across Northern Nigeria. We champion every girl’s right to safety, education, healthcare, and a future beyond the limitations imposed on her. Through community engagement, advocacy, and support for affected girls, we turn awareness into action and vulnerability into opportunity. Because no girl should have to lose her childhood to survive, or surrender her dreams
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.instagram.com/queeneth_nwankwo?dlrf=YnIzMGZmbGppZzVx&utm_source=qr
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
Hafsatu was my neighbour. She was only 13 when she became a mother and developed vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) following childbirth. What made her story heartbreaking was that I knew her beyond her circumstances. Through our conversations, I could see how intelligent she was and how much potential she had. I often wondered what she could become if given the opportunity to learn, grow, and pursue her dreams. It was painful to see a girl with so much promise face such life-altering consequences so early. Hafsatu changed how I understood child marriage. It was no longer just a social issue; it was a child’s health, dignity, and future at stake. I realized that girls needed more than awareness campaigns. They needed protection before it happened and compassionate support when it already had. That realization inspired Guard the Girl Child. I saw an opportunity to turn my concern into action through community education, advocacy, access to healthcare, and support for affected girls to rebuild their lives and return to education. I believe this work is worth pursuing because every girl deserves not only protection from harm but also a genuine chance to recover, thrive, and shape her own future.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Child marriage remains a serious challenge in many underserved communities across Northern Nigeria, where poverty, harmful social norms, and limited access to education can leave girls vulnerable to being married before they are physically and emotionally ready. The consequences can be devastating, including interrupted education, early pregnancy, childbirth complications such as obstetric fistula, and reduced opportunities for independence and personal development. This problem matters to me because I have seen its consequences close to home. My neighbour, Hafsatu, became a mother at just 13 and developed vesicovaginal fistula following childbirth. Knowing her personally and seeing her intelligence made me reflect on how many girls are denied the opportunity to fulfil their potential because of circumstances beyond their control. The impact extends beyond individual girls. Families and communities lose the contributions, talents, and possibilities these girls could bring, while affected girls may struggle to access healthcare, return to education, or rebuild their lives. Through Guard the Girl Child, I want to address both the causes and consequences of child marriage. This means raising awareness, engaging families and communities, advocating for girls’ rights, and supporting affected girls through access to healthcare and educational opportunities.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Guard the Girl Child will address child marriage through a community-based approach that combines prevention, advocacy, and practical support for girls already affected. Our focus is underserved communities in Northern Nigeria, where social and economic pressures can limit girls’ choices and threaten their education and wellbeing. First, we will organise school outreaches and community awareness sessions for girls, parents, and community members. Through interactive discussions, storytelling, and question-and-answer sessions, girls will learn about their rights, the importance of education, and the health and social consequences of child marriage. For example, girls will be encouraged to discuss their aspirations and identify trusted adults or services they can approach when facing pressure to marry early. Parent and community sessions will address harmful beliefs and promote keeping girls in school. Second, we will support girls already affected by child marriage. We aim to connect girls experiencing early pregnancy or childbirth-related complications with appropriate healthcare services and help those whose education has been interrupted explore pathways back to school or other learning opportunities. For instance, a girl who has left school after marriage could be referred to relevant educational support and local organisations that can help her continue learning. Third, we will build partnerships with schools, healthcare providers, and community organisations to create referral pathways and make support more accessible to vulnerable girls. Guard the Girl Child is still at an early stage, so these are planned activities rather than completed project outcomes. We intend to measure progress through the number of girls and families reached.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Guard the Girl Child is at an early stage, inspired by my neighbour, Hafsatu, who became a mother at 13 and developed vesicovaginal fistula following childbirth. Knowing her intelligence and potential made me realise how child marriage can rob girls of their health, education, and future. My commitment has inspired action through my broader advocacy work. In connection with this year’s International Day of the Girl Child and its theme on ending child marriage, I led an outreach that reached 200 girls. Although this was not conducted under Guard the Girl Child, it strengthened my experience in raising awareness about issues affecting girls. Through Guard the Girl Child, I hope to reach more girls and families in underserved communities across Northern Nigeria through school outreaches, community education, and advocacy. I also aim to connect affected girls with healthcare services and opportunities to continue their education. I will measure impact through the number of people reached, awareness sessions held, and girls connected to support services. I believe this approach can make a difference because it combines prevention with practical support. My vision is for fewer girls to lose their opportunities to child marriage and more girls to grow up safely, continue learning, and pursue their dreams.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Guard the Girl Child aims to address a critical gap in the response to child marriage: the need to connect prevention efforts with practical support for girls already affected. While awareness and advocacy are essential, girls who have experienced early marriage may also need healthcare, opportunities to return to education, and support to rebuild their lives. Our approach is different because we do not see prevention and recovery as separate issues. We aim to educate girls, parents, and community members about the dangers of child marriage while also helping affected girls identify pathways to healthcare and educational support. For example, our school and community outreach programmes will create opportunities for girls to learn about their rights, understand the consequences of early marriage, and explore their future aspirations. At the same time, we aim to work with schools, healthcare providers, and community organisations to connect girls who have already experienced early marriage, early pregnancy or complications with relevant health care services. Our focus on underserved communities in Northern Nigeria also recognises that girls may face social and economic barriers that make it difficult to seek help or continue their education. By engaging families and communities alongside girls themselves, we hope to encourage lasting changes in attitudes while making support more accessible. Guard the Girl Child is still at an early stage, but its distinguishing feature is this combined approach: preventing harm while helping affected girls regain opportunities. Inspired by my neighbour Hafsatu’s experience of motherhood at 13 and the complications she faced following childbirth, I believe no girl should be defined by circumstances that interrupted her future
How many people are on your team?
1
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Guard the Girl Child is currently led by me as its founder. I oversee the vision, planning, advocacy, and development of the initiative. As we grow, I hope to bring in passionate volunteers and collaborate with healthcare professionals, educators, and community leaders. My goal is to build a team that shares responsibility, contributes diverse expertise, and works together to prevent child marriage and support affected girls.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next three months, my priority is to move Guard the Girl Child from an idea to an actionable initiative. First, I will identify underserved communities where girls are vulnerable to child marriage and engage community members to better understand their needs. I will use these insights to develop relevant awareness activities for girls, parents, and families. Second, I plan to organise an initial school or community outreach focused on girls’ rights, the consequences of child marriage, and the importance of education. I will establish clear goals and track the number of people reached and their feedback to assess the programme’s effectiveness. Third, I will seek partnerships with healthcare professionals, schools, community leaders, and organisations working in child protection and girls’ education. These partnerships will help us provide reliable information and explore referral pathways for girls who need healthcare or educational support. Finally, I will develop a simple monitoring plan to document activities, identify challenges, and measure progress. As the initiative grows, I hope to recruit committed volunteers who share its vision and can help expand its reach. My immediate goal is to establish a practical foundation for Guard the Girl Child, test our approach through an initial outreach, and build relationships that will support sustainable growth.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I encourage people to care about child marriage by sharing real stories that show its consequences and helping them understand how it affects girls’ health, education, and future opportunities. My neighbour Hafsatu’s experience of becoming a mother at 13 and developing complications following childbirth made this issue personal to me and strengthened my commitment to advocacy. Through my broader girl-child advocacy work, I led an outreach connected to this year’s International Day of the Girl Child and its theme on ending child marriage, reaching 200 girls. Although this outreach was not conducted under Guard the Girl Child, it gave me an opportunity to raise awareness and engage girls on issues affecting their rights and futures. Guard the Girl Child currently has one team member, me, and is still at the idea stage. As I develop it, I plan to encourage participation through school outreaches, interactive discussions, and community awareness sessions that involve girls, parents, and community leaders. I also hope to collaborate with healthcare professionals, educators, and child-protection organisations to share knowledge and identify practical ways to support vulnerable girls. Rather than simply telling people that child marriage is harmful, I want to show them how they can help protect girls, keep them in school, and support those already affected.
