SID Initiative Holds 3-Day Capacity Building, Leadership Devt Workshop for Adolescent Girls, Young Women in Lagos

The Sustainable Impact and Development (SID) Initiative has successfully concluded a three-day Capacity Building and Leadership Development Workshop for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) in Lagos State.

The workshop, held from June 25 to 27, 2025, was implemented under the Gender Equality Fund (GEF) and supported by Y+ Global.

It brought together 26 young women from diverse communities across Lagos to strengthen their leadership skills, amplify their voices, and deepen their knowledge of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), and Malaria.

The workshop featured a series of interactive, reflective, and skill-building sessions delivered in a safe and empowering space.

The topics covered included Introduction to SRHR; Understanding HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; Storytelling and Media Engagement; Personal Leadership and Public Speaking; and Advocacy and Stakeholder Mapping.

All sessions were facilitated by experienced professionals dedicated to youth development, gender equality, and inclusive health advocacy.

One of the most powerful moments of the training was an exercise titled “If You Had the Microphone and the World Was Listening, What Would You Say?”.

During this session, participants had the opportunity to speak their truths, express their hopes, and affirm their self-worth.

For many of them, it was the first time they had ever been asked what they wanted the world to hear.

In addition to the thematic sessions, participants were divided into small groups where they co-developed advocacy askstargeting key government stakeholders and designed a social media campaign to highlight their SRHR priorities.

These hands-on activities enabled participants to apply what they learned, blending policy engagement with digital storytelling to ensure their messages reach broader audiences.

Speaking at the close of the workshop, Ms. Elizabeth Talatu Williams, Executive Director of SID Initiative, emphasized the barriers faced by adolescent girls and young women, especially those living with HIV and disabilities, in accessing quality SRHR services. These include stigma and discrimination, lack of youth-friendly health services, and inadequate SRHR information.

She stressed that SRHR is about dignity, autonomy, and the right to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

Ms. Williams encouraged participants to remain confident, prepared, and committed to their advocacy journey beyond the training.
 
SID Initiative is a youth-led, non-governmental organization that works to advance the SRHR of adolescents and young people in urban and rural communities across Nigeria.

Through capacity-building, digital innovation, advocacy, and comprehensive sexuality education, SID empowers young people to become change agents and champions for gender equality and youth development.

The Gender Equality Fund (GEF) is a three-year initiative led by Y+ Global, with funding support from the Global Fund, GSK, and ViiV Healthcare.

The GEF works with women and girls aged 15 to 29, in all their diversity, and their organizations to design, deliver, and advocate for gender-transformative and gender-affirmative approaches to health.

The project aims to reduce HIV and TB incidence among AGYW and contribute to the global goal of ending both epidemics by 2030.

In Nigeria, the GEF is being implemented across six states, including Lagos.