By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – IN a bid to ensure youth are climate resilient with adequate knowledge, a Civil Society Organization, CSO, SafeWorld Empowerment and Development Initiative, SWEDIWorld, in collaboration with Feminist Futures (Portugal), has concluded training with impactful on-ground activities tagged ‘Girls’ Voices for Climate Just Futures pilot programme’
at Apo Legislative Junior Secondary School, Apo Legislative Quarters, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

Led by SWEDIWorld Founder and Executive Director, Mrs Sewuese Asa, the initiative empowered adolescent girls through structured learning on climate justice, futures thinking, menstrual hygiene, and gender equality.

According to Asa, the programme ran for six weeks (September – October 2025), featuring virtual facilitation by Thays Prado (Feminist Futures Executive) alongside in-person support from the SWEDIWorld team.

She also explained that the Programme had a curriculum focused on strengthening girls’ knowledge, voices, and agency through progressive learning sessions; Season one: Introduction to climate change and climate justice, highlighting disproportionate impacts on women and girls, futures thinking, and “Signals of Change.” Participants shared associations and conducted interviews as homework to identify emerging signals.

Session two: Presentation and clustering of identified signals, followed by discussions on implications for Nigerian girls; Session three: Development of four alternative future scenarios addressing climate change and justice in Nigeria; Session four: Exploration of desirable futures through guided meditation, postcard creation from ideal futures, and collaborative world-building exercises.

Session five: Systems mapping and backcasting to identify actions, actors, and timelines required to realize desirable futures; and Session six: Digital safety and the power of social media for amplification, including crafting advocacy messages shared on the International Day of the Girl Child.

Meanwhile, she disclosed some of the achievements within the period of the training including; Integration of menstrual health education through SWEDI Care, addressing menstrual poverty and promoting menstrual dignity.

The closing ceremony had in attendance the Assistant Director, Dr Asmau Jibril, Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, represented by Ms. Elsie; and Assistant Director, Humanities, Universal Basic Education Board, UBEB, Mrs Ogunka Veronica; a Comptroller in the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Mimi Asa; and members of the school management.

Meanwhile, she (Asa), disclosed that over 40 female students were awarded scholarship by SWEDIWorld as a fulfilment of an earlier pledge made to place the students as a means of helping them to achieve their dreams and aspirations in the future, which done on February 17, 2026.

The CSO also donated sanitary pads, soap, and hygiene materials to the school library for discreet access by girls in need, complemented by hygiene and sanitation sessions, including practical handwashing demonstrations.

In an additional pledge, Mimi Asa, a Comptroller in the Nigerian Customs Service, further volunteered to support by sponsoring and providing school supplies to selected students whose work was exhibited.

SWEDIWorld Ambassadors Wuese-Ter and Anjola strengthened programme outcomes by mentoring participants and providing scholarships and school supplies to selected emerging school ambassadors.

Some of the students including Precious Gifts Emmanuel highlighted increased awareness of climate impacts, the importance of girls’ voices, and confidence in thriving within safe and empowered communities.

Also, a Junior Secondary School, JSS, 3 student, Comfort Danlami, described gaining transformative understanding of climate effects on all genders and expressed hope for global recognition and equal appreciation of girls and boys.

In her remarks, the Director of Programmes and Strategy, SWEDIWorld, Princess Adesola Daramola, expressed optimism that with the knowledge passed across on climate change to the students during the outreach and implementation as it concerns menstrual hygiene will go a long way to ensure the commitment of the girls issues about climate change.

Daramola also said with the fulfillment of commitments through scholarships, mentorship, and continued support many of the beneficiaries would fulfill their dreams and become national assets to nation building.

She also led hands-on hygiene and sanitation demonstrations, including practical sessions on proper handwashing practices to promote health and cleanliness among participants.

The school management was highly impressed as they expressed appreciation and commended SWEDIWorld and its partners for their dedication to empowering students through climate education, mentorship, and tangible support, noting the importance of continued collaboration and sustained engagement with the school.

SWEDIWorld also disclosed plans to scale the initiative by extending it to other public schools in the FCT and beyond to strengthen leadership, climate resilience, and menstrual dignity among girls nationwide in partnership with UBEB, the Department of Climate Change, and other institutions.