As Deborah wrote her address to Nigerian officials demanding safe and quality education for girls and young women like her, she didn’t know they would later invite her to be a part of a group of girls to take over the National Assembly for International Day of the Girl.
When 22-year-old Deborah Evbotokhai began writing her address for an International Day of the Girl event hosted by Malala Fund in Abuja, she had no idea it would lead her to Nigeria’s National Assembly.
“As I was writing my address, I was thinking about the many opportunities young girls forfeit daily due to issues around accessing quality education, which could be avoided if only girls were listened to,” she said.
Deborah’s journey as a girls’ education advocate began during primary school. She noticed families keeping girls out of school for different cultural, financial and safety reasons — all of which concerned her. Poverty, increased costs of living, lack of safe transportation to and from school, early marriage and pregnancy, inadequate menstrual hygiene stations and limited school accessibility for girls with disabilities all impact girls’ access to education.
Girls make up nearly 38% of Nigeria’s 20 million out-of-school children and face unique challenges and barriers to accessing and completing their education.
Bringing attention to these issues was top of mind for Deborah as she stepped into the National Assembly. “I felt a sense of pride walking into the House of Representatives during the girl takeover. It felt powerful and dreamy,” she said. “It motivated me to envision a future where I was powerful enough to sign into law the change I want to see and swing into action.”
At the National Assembly, just before the session, Deborah participated in a brainstorming session to support the speaker, 16-year-old Isabel, in drafting her speech as a member of the delegation of Madam Speaker.
Deborah wanted to ensure a focus on school accessibility for students with disabilities and policies that support pregnant and new mothers who want to return to school.
For Deborah, this was a step in the right direction in including girls and young women in decision-making spaces. “Without our voices, our interests will not be captured,” she said. “[Including] our voices ensures future impact, unique perspective, representation and engagement and above all sustainability [in policies].”
We know that when girls are excluded from decision-making spaces, we all pay the price. We miss out on diverse voices and the chance to tackle global issues collaboratively and creatively. Having girls physically present in spaces where decisions are being made about their future is not an ask but a demand from Nigerian girls and women.
“This was a glimpse of girls’ vision for the future and a reminder that we — as young women — have the power to shape our country's future,” Deborah said.
