Three years after the Chibok school girls kidnap that shook the entire world, some members of the Chibok community in Borno state have not returned to the state which is still being ravaged by Boko Haram insurgents. In commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child, TechCity brings the story of how displaced girls from the crisis in Northern Nigeria are being given a second chance at a future.
Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
According to the UN, this year’s International Day of the Girl (IDG) on October 11 marks the beginning of a year-long effort to spur global attention and action to the challenges and opportunities girls face before, during, and after crises.
IDP Camps in Lagos are home to a number of Chibok natives and by a stroke of divine providence, the most revolutionary thing in the world right now is being given these IDP families- their daughters are being taught to code!
GirlsCoding is empowering Chibok girls in Lagos IDP camps, giving them more than food, clothing, and shelter through free coding courses and a YALI program, transforming them into female tech gurus, or at least potential ones. The program was organized through a partnership between Pearls Africa and Union Bank.
The Girls Coding academy is run by Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin
Speaking on how GirlsCoding has impacted their lives; one of the girls, Sarah Garba said she learned web development and how to build a website using HTML and CSS. Miss Garba also revealed that after the course, she and her team members were able to create an Agriculture based website that highlights the challenges of rural farmers and partners with relevant organisations to help reduce their plights.
Another student, Priscilla Peter Jacob, said together with her team, they helped build a website to raise awareness on Child Abuse expressing her intentions to pass on the knowledge that she has been able to gather so far.
In an exclusive interview with TechCity, the girls shared with glee their new found ability to code, build websites and even more, a confidence they have which allows them stand for their rights as girls in Nigeria.
