The STEM Hub for Empowerment of Young Girls program facilitated by the Centre for Integrated Health Programs in Lagos has graduated 60 girls in coding and advanced technology courses in its third training cohort.
Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the SHE program offers coding and advanced technology digital skills such as Coding, digital technology, Technology Engineering.
They were also trained in social media marketing,life skills, mental health support, and financial literacy to girls who otherwise wouldn’t have access to such resources.
So far, the program has graduated 180 girls over three cohorts, with 60 graduating in the latest batch.
The program is free for participants, selected through a national vulnerability index in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.
CEO of CIHP in Lagos, Dr Bola Oyeledun, said, “We focus on very vulnerable girls, using a national index that measures their level of vulnerability.
“The goal is to lift these girls out of their circumstances and provide them with the skills and confidence to succeed.”
She added that beyond STEM education, the SHE program included life skills training, mentorship, and wellness programs.
Oyeledun explained that many girls, for example, have never had access to dignity kits with basic hygiene supplies like sanitary towels.
She revealed that as the girls graduated, the program placed them in internships and connected them with mentors, ensuring they had the support they needed to succeed in their careers.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the third cohort of the SHE program, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos State on Basic and Secondary Education, Opeyemi Eniola, reiterated “My assessment of today’s program is that they have done a lot, not just in training the students but also in transforming lives. This aligns with Mr. Governor’s same-sex agenda of leaving no one behind and ensuring that everybody is carried along.”
“We are doing a lot as a government, and I know this is a plus to what we have been doing in the educational sector,” Eniola added.
A board member of the CIHP, Emmanuel Eneh, advised them to seize the opportunities ahead, particularly in the rapidly growing IT industry.
Eneh stated, “This is an opportunity. You have acquired a lot of skills in engineering, technology, and science. My advice is to make use of these skills moving forward. There are a lot of opportunities now, mainly in the IT industry, and as an IT professional myself, if any of them meet my skill level, I would be happy to take them under my wings.”
When asked if there are plans for a similar program for boys, Eneh confirmed that the CIHP was considering expanding its efforts to support boys in the future.
One of the graduates of the STEM Hub for Empowerment of Young Girls (S.H.E) program, Oghini Oluwatunmininu, shared her inspiring experience at the graduation ceremony, “My experience at the hub was fun. I went through mental health classes, which helped me speak up and balance my mental health. The life skills class taught me when to be assertive when to say yes, and when to say no,” she explained.