There is no doubting the fact that the girl child is disadvantaged in several spheres within the context of the Nigerian Society. PEG-C is designed to address the imbalance so created and build a platform for the full potential of the girl child in such a way that she can contribute reasonably to the evolution of a better society, PEG-C seeks to:

  • Encourage female enrollment in school particularly in the sciences
  • Create a platform for the discovery and the development of talents amongst our girls through the establishment of a separate Science Fair Program (PEG-C Science Fair) solely for female students
  • Expose promising female students to international challenges in a bid to grow their confidence.
  • Source for sponsorship and scholarship for intelligent but indigent female students
  • Create a platform for the rehabilitation and reorientation of young females hitherto involved in vices such as prostitution and drug abuse.
  • Establish a link between the female students and accomplished female scientists through our network system and thus guarantee a mentorship base for would-be female scientists.
  • Assist in the training and returning of female teachers especially those in the sciences with a view to building their capacity.
  • Provide proper counseling against the ills of exam malpractice, teenage pregnancy and child marriage.

Educating a girl is one of the best investments her family, community, and country can make. We know that a good quality education can be life-changing for girls, boys, young women, and men, helping them develop to their full potential and putting them on a path for success in their life. We also know that educating a girl in particular can kick-start a virtuous circle of development. More educated girls, for example, marry later, have healthier children, earn more money that they invest back into their families and communities, and play more active roles in leading their communities and countries.

THE girl-child is bedevilled with many challenges in Nigeria and Africa at large as a result of the undeflated balloons of misogyny and sexism hovering over their sky. From families who see them as liabilities instead of assets to societies which neither appreciate nor develop their talents and abilities because of their gender, it is as if it is all about woes for them.. They have over the years been ridiculed as feeble and most vulnerable to societal ills ranging from rape, child labour, female genital mutilation, early marriage, trafficking, and are as well, denied full formal education— as many girls of school age do not have adequate access to education. In Nigeria, for instance, women and girls constitute 60 per cent of the illiterate population and their literacy rate remains around eight points lower than that of the male.

The benefits of education in the life of a girl-child can never be overemphasised as it undoubtedly has many personal benefits for girls themselves and the society at large, as it is often said that, when you educate a woman you educate a nation. Education is the process of impacting, learning and gaining skills, knowledge, morals and behaviour based on preventive and palliative measures. It enables the child to realize his or her full potential to think, ask questions and judge independently. Receiving an education empowers girls to take control of their lives, their families, and their future. Besides, the higher the level of a female’s education, the more likely she would shun early marriage, bear her first child older and the less likely she would contract HIV or experience maternal death.

Most important, however, is that, empowering the girl-child through education and vital skill acquisition plays a positive role in breaking the cycle of poverty being perpetuated in the society. This is because, an educated woman ensures that her children experience better health, better education, and as a result, have improved employment opportunities. To put it differently, education narrows pay gaps and increases a woman’s chance of entering the workforce and functioning well there..  According to United Nations reports, out of  a billion young people globally, 60% adolescent girls will be ready to embark on careers and join the workforce in the next 10 years. However, a whopping 90% of these children living in developing countries will have to work in the informal sector due to lack of education and employability in the technologically advanced future. Simply put, the lack of education denies the girl-child knowledge and skills needed to advance her status in the nearest future.

In line with making the world for the girl child, Genius Illumina has put together wonderful programmes and schemes in conjunction also with ministries for women affairs and education to empower girl children nationwide.