104 young people. Three training centres. Four practical skill areas. One bigger vision: building platforms of possibility.
Balm in Gilead Foundation for Sustainable Development (BIGIF), through its Women and Girls Empowerment Hub (WAGE-H), has successfully concluded the 2026 edition of SHE LEARNS, an intensive empowerment programme designed to equip adolescents and young people with practical skills, life skills, confidence and pathways to future opportunities.
The 2026 programme expanded across Ekiti and Ondo States, with training centres in Ado-Ekiti and Akure, making accessibility a key part of the intervention and bringing opportunities closer to young people within their communities.
A total of 104 participants took part in the programme, receiving hands-on training across four practical skill areas: Baking and Confectioneries, Sewing and Fashion Design, Arts and Crafts, and Photography. Participants also took part in life-skills sessions focused on personal development, confidence, communication, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving and other competencies needed to navigate life and future opportunities.
Speaking at the graduation and exhibition ceremony in Ekiti State on Friday, 4 September 2026, Ayomiposi Ogundipe, Project Coordinator, SHE LEARNS 2026, emphasised that the programme was intentionally designed to go beyond vocational skills.
“For us, vocational skills are important, but they are not the only pathway to empowerment. We must be careful not to tell every young person that the only way to succeed is to learn a trade. What we really want to do is help young people discover who they are, understand their strengths, build confidence, communicate effectively, make informed decisions and recognise the possibilities available to them.
“That is why the life-skills component of SHE LEARNS is just as important as the vocational training. A young person may learn how to bake, sew, make crafts or take photographs, but they also need the confidence to use that skill, the ability to communicate, work with others, solve problems and make good decisions. Those are skills they can carry with them regardless of the career or pathway they eventually choose.”
The programme was built around the understanding that young people have potential, but potential needs opportunity. For BIGIF, empowerment goes beyond encouraging young people to believe in themselves. It requires creating accessible platforms where they can discover their abilities, learn, create, express themselves, build confidence and begin to see different possibilities for their futures.
A defining feature of SHE LEARNS 2026 was its emphasis on learning by doing.
Participants did not simply receive classroom instruction. They practised, created and produced, culminating in exhibitions where they showcased their work to parents, stakeholders, potential customers and members of the community.
The exhibitions featured baked products, fashion pieces, handmade crafts and photography services, giving participants an opportunity to demonstrate their skills, explain their products, interact with potential buyers and experience the value of something they had created themselves.
For many participants, the experience went beyond acquiring a technical skill. It was about building the confidence to say:
“I can do this. I made this.”
And from that confidence comes an even bigger question:
“What can I do with this?”
While the graduation ceremonies marked the completion of the 2026 training cycle, BIGIF views SHE LEARNS as a starting point rather than an endpoint.
The organisation is committed to creating pathways for participants to progress into advanced training, mentorship, professional exposure, internships and placements, entrepreneurship, equipment and start-up support, market opportunities and other forms of support that can help them develop their skills further.
The goal is therefore not simply to graduate young people, but to ensure that the skills, confidence and possibilities they have gained can translate into meaningful next steps.
The SHE LEARNS exhibitions also created an opportunity for businesses, government institutions, development partners, professionals, parents and community stakeholders to see first-hand what young people can achieve when given access to the right opportunities.
BIGIF is calling on organisations and individuals who share this vision to support the next stage of the girls’ and young people’s journeys through advanced training, mentorship, internships and placements, equipment and start-up support, market access, professional exposure and strategic partnerships.
The organisation believes that the impact of SHE LEARNS should not be measured only by the 104 young people trained, but also by the opportunities that emerge for them afterwards.
As BIGIF looks towards future editions, it remains committed to expanding accessible opportunities for adolescents and strengthening WAGE-H as a platform through which young people can learn, create, lead and build possibilities for themselves.
Balm in Gilead Foundation for Sustainable Development (BIGIF) is committed to advancing sustainable development by creating opportunities that strengthen the wellbeing, capacity and resilience of vulnerable and underserved populations.
The Women and Girls Empowerment Hub (WAGE-H) was established by BIGIF as a platform for empowering adolescent girls and other vulnerable groups through practical skills, life skills, leadership, entrepreneurship, digital literacy, sexual and reproductive health education, mental wellbeing and confidence-building.
SHE LEARNS 2026 is one expression of that vision: creating platforms where potential can meet opportunity.