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Safe Click Project

OVERVIEW The Safe Click Project is an 18-month initiative by ASVIOL Support Initiative, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, designed to understand how young people in Nigerian universities perceive and experience Online Gender-Based Violence (OGBV) and to translate that understanding into safer, violence-free digital campus environments. The project bridges research and action, working across three institutions: Baze University, Nasarawa State University (Keffi), and the University of Abuja, and engaging undergraduate students, university management, student leaders, and academic staff alike.  Real engagement meant sustained dialogue with Vice Chancellors’ offices, Student Affairs Divisions, academic leadership, and student leaders  building a shared understanding of OGBV as a safeguarding issue that universities could no longer treat as peripheral.    Our Work So Far Secured institutional partnerships with three universities — University of Abuja, Baze University, and Nasarawa State University (Keffi)  through Vice Chancellors’ offices, Student Affairs Divisions, and academic leadership, laying groundwork for research, policy engagement, and future programming. Engaged 10+ university management and student affairs officials through advocacy meetings and technical consultations, building ownership for the project from the top down. Trained and confirmed 15 student leaders (five per university) as the inaugural cohort of SafeSquad Campus Ambassadors, positioning them to lead peer education on their campuses. Ran a two-day SafeSquad Campus Bootcamp with digital safety and SGBV experts, assessed through student presentations and structured discussion. Developed a digital rights and safety toolkit, equipping students and partner institutions with practical resources to identify, prevent, and respond to OGBV. Hosted a national webinar, “Threats in the Digital World,” expanding the conversation on OGBV to participants across Nigeria. Sustained a digital advocacy campaign producing evidence-informed content on OGBV, digital safety, and reporting pathways. Results at a Glance 3 universities formally partnered — Abuja, Baze, and Nasarawa State (Keffi) 15 student ambassadors trained as the first SafeSquad cohort 10+ officials engaged across university leadership and student affairs 65,500+ social media accounts reached, generating approximately 198,000 content views 2-day bootcamp delivered by digital safety and SGBV experts 1 national webinar connecting participants across Nigeria

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Flow with Dignity Project

OVERVIEW In many workplaces, menstruation is treated as invisible  and the everyday realities of menstruating employees are largely ignored. This neglect often forces them to navigate pain, discomfort, and stigma quietly, affecting wellbeing, productivity, and dignity at work. Flow with Dignity was created to confront this gap by placing menstrual dignity firmly within the workplace conversation, engaging private sector organizations to examine how internal practices and policies either support or undermine menstruating employees.  By combining advocacy, sensitization, and practical guidance, Flow with Dignity is proving that when workplaces acknowledge menstruation, dignity follows and when dignity is built into work, everyone benefits. WHAT WE DID RESULTS AT A GLANCE  

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Mai Shayi Movement

The Mai Shayi Movement The Mai Shayi spot, a place many Nigerian men visit daily, naturally emerged as a strategic point of engagement for the Mai Shayi Movement. Not because it is formal or structured, but precisely because it isn’t. It has become a third space: where Nigerian men gather after work, talk freely, negotiate ideas, and shape each other’s understanding of the world. We saw an opportunity hidden in plain sight: What if the same spaces that shaped harmful norms could become the very places where change begins? With support from the Embassy of Sweden, the Mai Shayi Movement brought together 15 tea sellers to become allies against GBV WHAT WE DID RESULTS AT A GLANCE Bello’s Story of Change  “This movement gave me the courage to speak up. I now understand that silence can make the problem worse. I will continue to be an ally against SGBV.”Those were Mallam Bello’s words at an event commemorating the progress of the movement As of 2025, Mallam Bello shared how the movement reshaped not only his understanding of SGBV, but also his sense of responsibility within his community. Mallam Bello was troubled by the violence he heard in his neighborhood. The man beating his wife was also a regular customer he served at his Mai Shayi spot. Although the situation disturbed him, he never realized that this everyday relationship gave him the influence to speak up. The Mai Shayi Movement Capacity Building Workshop changed that. After the sessions, he felt equipped with the right  information and confidence. One day, he approached his neighbor. Speaking calmly and respectfully, he explained the harm being caused and why things needed to change. To his surprise, the man listened.He acknowledged his wrongdoing and promised to do better.

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Seeds of Hope Project

OVERVIEW When we first entered Tudun Biri, the community was still carrying the weight of the December 2023 drone tragedy. Many women had lost income, land, and the sense of stability that farming once gave them. What they hadn’t lost was will and Seeds of Hope supported by the French Embassy in Nigeria was created to meet that will with opportunity. The project brought together 50 women ready to start again, and 50 men willing to be allies in that journey. Over nine months, Seeds of Hope became more than an agricultural program; it became a space where women rediscovered their capabilities, moved from only victims of tragedy to budding entrepreneurs and symbols of what is possible when women are   empowered. What We Did Results at a Glance Asabe’s Story of Change Meet Asabe Ayuba, a farmer from Tudun Biri, Kaduna State, who this year has been able to rebuild her farm, expanding from one crop to several crops like cucumber, tomato, and okra. In December 2023, an accidental drone strike hit the Tudun Biri community, destroying lives, homes, and the farmland that was her only source of income. She lost almost everything and didn’t know how to start again. But in September 2025 with the climate-smart farm training and quality seedlings received from the Seeds of Hope project, supported by The French Embassy in Nigeria. Asabe can now provide for her family again and has future aspirations to dream even bigger and help other women in Tududn Biri Community learn the same skills and be empowered.

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Hassana Maina Brings Nigerian Feminist Perspectives to Women Deliver 2026

Conversations on the future of gender equality took centre stage at the Women Deliver 2026 Conference in Melbourne, Australia, where ASVIOL Support Initiative’s Executive Director, Hassana Maina, joined global advocates, youth leaders, and human rights defenders as a speaker. Across two sessions, Hassana contributed insights from Nigeria’s feminist movements and ASVIOL’s work supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. She participated in the Global Voices: Storytelling Circle and Youth Panel, where young leaders from different regions shared how their communities are responding to growing economic uncertainty, shrinking civic space, and increasing resistance to human rights. Drawing on movements such as #ArewaMeToo and #EndSARS, Hassana highlighted the determination of young Nigerians who continue to organise, speak out, and demand accountability despite difficult circumstances. She also joined the Reimagining Strategies for Multilateralism Advocacy strategy lab, where participants explored how multilateral systems can better respond to today’s global challenges. During the session, she shared perspectives on democratic decline and rising militarisation in West Africa, and the urgent need to protect existing rights while advancing gender justice. Reflecting on the conference, Hassana said: “Young people are being asked to defend rights within systems that are themselves becoming increasingly unstable. Yet despite all this, young people continue to organize, document, resist, imagine, and insist on accountability. Perhaps that is the real story of this generation—not that we are fearless, but that we continue anyway.” Women Deliver 2026 provided an important platform to exchange ideas, strengthen global partnerships, and ensure that the experiences of Nigerian women, young people, and grassroots movements remain part of conversations shaping the future of gender equality and human rights.

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ASVIOL Support Initiative Executive Director, Hassana Maina, Named to the World Bank’s Inaugural IDA Youth Champions Circle

Executive Director, Hassana Maina, has been selected as a member of the World Bank’s inaugural IDA Youth Champions Circle. The IDA Youth Champions Circle brings together young leaders from across Africa and Asia who are driving positive change in their communities. As part of the inaugural cohort, Hassana will join other youth champions in advocating for inclusive and sustainable development while amplifying the voices and priorities of young people across their regions. Through ASVIOL Support Initiative, she has led efforts to strengthen survivor-centred support, influence policy, and mobilise communities to address sexual and gender-based violence and the inequalities that enable it. Speaking on her selection, Hassana Maina said: “I’m excited to be part of the inaugural World Bank IDA Youth Champions Circle, a space for bold, young voices shaping real change. I come into this with years of work on gender justice, survivor support, and unapologetically centring those often left out of the room.” Her appointment reflects the growing recognition of the role young leaders and grassroots organisations play in advancing sustainable development and creating more inclusive societies.

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Advancing Girls’ School Re-Entry Efforts in Kaduna Through the Aminiya Initiative

The Anti Sexual Violence Lead (ASVIOL) Support Initiative has recorded a significant milestone in its efforts to strengthen access to education for vulnerable girls in Kaduna State through the implementation of the Aminiya Initiative, a school-based intervention designed to support adolescent mothers and married girls whose education has been interrupted to successfully return to and remain in school under the leadership or it’s Executive Director and Education Champion of Malala Fund Education Champion Network Cohort 8, Hassana Maina Implemented with support from the Malala Fund, the Aminiya Initiative introduces a structured mentorship model that trains and certifies selected teachers as Aminiya Mentors, trusted adults equipped with skills in trauma-informed mentorship, psychosocial support, safeguarding, inclusive pedagogy, and referral pathways. As implementation of the Aminiya Initiative progresses, the organisation recently convened a two-day Stakeholder Engagement and Validation Workshop in Kaduna State, bringing together key education stakeholders, government representatives, school leaders, teachers, development partners, civil society actors, and community representatives to strengthen collective action around girls’ school re-entry and retention. The workshop provided an opportunity to examine the barriers that continue to limit educational access for many Adolescent Married girls and mothers,discussions throughout the engagement highlighted the need for stronger policy implementation, expanded teacher capacity building, improved psychosocial support services, community sensitisation, and safeguarding mechanisms that enable Adolescent married girls and mothers to return to learning without stigma or discrimination. As Kaduna State continues efforts to improve educational outcomes for girls, the Aminiya Initiative represents an important step toward ensuring that school re-entry policies translate into meaningful support for the girls they are intended to serve.

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Founder and Executive Director, Hassana Maina Announced as Ford Global Fellow

We are proud to announce that our Founder and Executive Director, Hassana Maina, has been selected as one of 32 leaders worldwide for the prestigious 2026 Ford Global Fellowship, a flagship leadership initiative of the Ford Foundation. Chosen from across Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East, the 2026 cohort joins a growing global community of more than 150 social justice leaders working to address some of the world’s most pressing inequalities. Since its launch in 2020, the Ford Global Fellowship has invested in visionary leaders driving systemic change by strengthening leadership, fostering collaboration, and building a global network committed to advancing justice and democracy. Hassana’s selection is a recognition of years of bold leadership and unwavering commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls through survivor-centered advocacy, legal support, research, policy reform, and community organizing. Through ASVIOL Support Initiative, she has championed a feminist approach to addressing sexual and gender-based violence, challenging the structural inequalities that enable violence to persist while working alongside survivors to pursue justice, healing, and lasting systemic change. Reacting to the announcement, Hassana Maina said: “It still feels surreal, but I am deeply humbled and excited to share that I have been selected as one of the 32 Ford Global Fellows 2026. Through ASVIOL Support Initiative, my work has focused on interrogating shame and silence, and how they sustain sexual violence and deepen inequality for women and girls.” She added that the fellowship represents an opportunity to deepen collaboration with changemakers across the globe and strengthen efforts to dismantle systems that perpetuate inequality. As Hassana joins this distinguished network of global leaders, ASVIOL remains committed to advancing justice, influencing policy, generating evidence, and building movements that ensure every survivor can access support, dignity, and accountability.                

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