WHO WE ARE

Girls’ Power Initiative (GPI) is a Nigerian non-governmental, not-for-profit youth development organization founded in 1993 by Bene Madunagu and Grace Osakue to address the challenges facing girls in the Nigerian society and equip them with information, skills and opportunities for action to grow into self actualised young women.

THE CONTENT AND MEANING OF THE

ACRONYM – GPI

G = Girls

A girl is a female child between the ages of 6-18 years after which she becomes a young woman of 0 – 29 years.

P = Power

Inner strength and capability to make things happen, as appropriate acting from an informed position, and conviction of what is right to overcome prejudices.

I = Initiative

As contained in the organization’s name, it carries its literary meaning, which is:

The act of taking the first step to do something that must be done without being told. It is also the ability to identify what is right and just. It enables one to recognize injustice and take action without waiting to be told what to do. It means setting one’s goal in life, having a vision and aspiring to reach one’s goal, taking practical and positive actions.

GPI aims at being at the forefront of the struggle to raise womanhood from its age-long powerlessness in the family and society – From Vulnerability to Empowerment = Activism for social Transformation

EMPOWERMENT

Empowerment is feeling safe and comfortable in expressing what one thinks; in feeling happy, angry, sad, and asking for what one needs, knowing that one has the right to choice, privacy and respect. It is saying, NO, when you mean NO. It is acknowledging your inner strength and capabilities. It involves appreciating and admiring yourself and being sure of yourself. It is processes by which girls and women receive information that enables them recognize and be conscious of their rights and hence act to defend and protect such rights. It involves courage, strength and conviction based on accurate information and analysis of life realities. GPI empowerment program is aimed at making girls active participants in social action for the general good.