By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
Spring of Hope for the Girl Child Development Initiative (SHoGDI), a youth-led nonprofit in Benue State, has intensified efforts to advance sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), prevent gender-based violence (GBV), and promote dignity for vulnerable groups, including internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The organisation through its Community-Led Action for Advancing Participation for SRHR (CLAP4SRHR) project, supported by Plan International Nigeria, SHoGDI has trained adolescent peer educators, engaged faith and traditional leaders, and established referral pathways for survivors of abuse in two local government areas of the state.
SHoGDI Executive Director, Mimidoo Mirabelle Uhundu, said on Monday that, “Young people are not just beneficiaries, we are drivers of sustainable change. By equipping adolescent girls with knowledge, mobilising communities, and strengthening accountability systems, SHoGDI is ensuring that no one is left behind in the fight against GBV and SRHR barriers.”
Uhundu noted that the organization is also addressing urgent public health needs through its Hygiene for Hope initiative, which improves sanitation facilities in IDP camps, while restoring dignity to displaced women, girls, and families.
She also said that SHoGDI further advocates for gender-responsive HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) policies in Benue, pushing for equitable access to services for vulnerable groups free from stigma and discrimination.
The organisation called on government, international partners, and communities to scale up investment in SRHR services, prioritise youth inclusion in humanitarian response, and break the silence on violence.
Uhundu stressed that “durable solutions in Benue are impossible without tackling insecurity, restoring dignity to displaced populations, and ensuring young people are meaningfully included in shaping their future.”
