Women always help women. Perhaps it was contained in the small print of the ten commandments, or as part of some sacred hadith, but it is essentially law at this point.

From seemingly mundane situations like strangers helping to check if a sister is stained, or randomly hyping strangers in the girl’s bathroom to more dire situations, like women faking whole relationships with another in public, at the slightest chance that there might be a danger of assault.

In Nigeria, there is no better example of this solidarity than women-focused groups, looking to make Nigeria and the world a safer place for women everywhere.

Among said groups are the following, whose work has been incredibly instrumental in changing the lives of women in Nigeria:

Stand To End Rape

After surviving rape in 2011, Ayodeji Oswobi founded the Stand To End Rape initiative, to support victims of sexual assault, advocate against the practice and prevent it.

The initiative has been invaluable to curbing the evil of rape, training healthcare providers on sexual violence response mechanisms, donating HIV tests to community health centers and even partnering with Google Maps to map out hospitals, police stations and family healthcare centres in Lagos state so survivors in need can find care centres nearest to them in the state to receive aid and treatment.

Currently in development is the STER project to curate a Nigerian sexual offenders register. A necessity in Nigeria to prevent citizens from being exposed to the dangers of proximity to a known predator, equally important to enable the perpetrators of rape to be held accountable.

Their aim is a time in Nigeria where rape is a thing of the past and not a part of everyday life.

Sanitary Aid For Nigerian Girls.

The essential big sister to many, many Nigerian women, SANG has so far provided over 11 000 pads to girls and women across the states of Nigeria.

Looking to close the gap of the 65% of Nigerian women who do not have access to sanitary wares, Karo Omu, SANG’s founder, and her team of hundreds of volunteers, have reached women in IDP Camps, orphanages and schools; going beyond giving out free pads, to educating women on sanitary hygiene and possible prospects of re-useable pads, which can be used for at least four years.

Women At Risk International Foundation.

Founded in 2016 by Dr. Kemi Da-Silva Ibru, WARIF is a truly ambitious group, looking to address the problems of rape, sexual assault, gender based violence, the human trafficking of women and girls across Nigeria.

One remarkable initiative of the cause is the WARIF Centre, located at 6 Turton Street, off Thorborn Avenue, Yaba Lagos, which is a fully equipped facility with qualified staff serving as first responders for affected women. Also serving as a safe haven for survivors to overcome the initial stages of the trauma of their assault.

She Leads Africa.

Created by Yasmin Belo-Osagie and Afua Osie, She Leads Africa has the ambitious goal to be the number one destination for smart and ambitious women.

Through the She Leads community, women in Africa are given first hand leads on networking events across the continent, specially designed tools and courses to help the community, direct advice and stories to motivate women across the world to live their absolute best lives.

Wimbiz

Women in Business has been around for the past 18 years, with a primary focus on advocating for and empowering women everywhere to have better representation in leadership positions across various sectors.

Impacting over 9000 women across the country, Wimbiz, through its numerous projects – an annual conference, Big Sister Program, Winning Without Compromise etc, is more than living up to its objecives.

>

OUR MISSION

Zikoko amplifies African youth culture by curating and creating smart and joyful content for young Africans and the world.