UNICEF And Sightsavers Partner To Bridge Economic Gaps For Nigerian Girls Living With Disabilities

UNICEF and Sightsavers launch the GESP initiative to empower Nigerian girls with disabilities through digital literacy and entrepreneurship for sustainable jobs.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 27, 2026, 4:36 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from GUARDIAN Newspapers

A Strategic Alliance For Inclusive Economic Empowerment

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has formally thrown its weight behind the Girls Education Skills Partnership, GESP, an initiative spearheaded by the non governmental organization Sightsavers. This collaborative effort is designed to address the systemic exclusion of girls and young women with disabilities from the mainstream workforce. By focusing on practical interventions, the program aims to equip participants with the technical and soft skills necessary to secure dignified employment or launch independent business ventures. Celine Lafourriere, Chief of UNICEF’s Lagos Office, emphasized that the initiative is a critical component of the global mandate to ensure no demographic is left behind in the pursuit of sustainable development.

Overcoming The Compound Barriers Of Visual Impairment

For many young women in Nigeria, the challenge of living with a disability is often exacerbated by a lack of foundational literacy and numeracy. Lafourriere noted that girls with sight impairments face unique hurdles that make traditional educational pathways difficult to navigate. The GESP framework specifically targets these vulnerabilities by offering tailored instructional methods that accommodate various levels of ability. By centering the curriculum on real world practice, the partnership seeks to bypass the limitations of formal schooling, allowing women to become successful market traders or transition into roles within the professional private sector.

Multidimensional Training From Mentorship To Digital Literacy

The program is structured around three primary pillars intended to foster long term independence. According to Professor Joy Shuaibu, Country Director of Sightsavers Nigeria, the first phase involves intensive coaching and mentorship for younger adolescents to bolster their self esteem and broaden their career aspirations. This is followed by entrepreneurship development, where participants work with the Industrial Training Fund to master business management, bookkeeping, and profit optimization. This comprehensive approach ensures that the beneficiaries are not merely receiving aid but are being cultivated as savvy economic actors capable of supporting their families.