The BEMORE Empowered Girls Foundation has called on governments, parents, community leaders and development partners to increase investment in girls’ education, rights and economic empowerment to end child marriage and secure their future.

The foundation also urged the private sector to support initiatives that equip girls with digital skills, science and technology education, and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The founder of the foundation, Dr Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, made the call in a statement issued to commemorate the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, marked on October 11.

With the theme, “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights,” Anyanwu-Akeredolu said girls could not achieve their full potential when denied education, subjected to harmful practices or forced into early marriages.

“Every girl deserves the chance to learn, nurture her talents, make informed choices about her future, and contribute meaningfully to society,” she said.

The former First Lady of Ondo State said the Bemore foundation, established in 2017, had continued to equip girls with practical skills, knowledge and opportunities to prepare them for a rapidly evolving world through its flagship BEMORE Girls Empowerment Programme.

According to her, the initiative goes beyond conventional education by providing girls with the skills needed to become confident, independent and economically empowered women.

She disclosed that the foundation had trained more than 3,000 girls through its two-week residential University of Life programme, which focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Entrepreneurship (STEM+E).

“Our guiding aspiration is clear: ‘Raising Future Female Technology Leaders’,” she said.

The founder explained that the programme exposed participants to technology and innovation, encouraging them to become creators, innovators, entrepreneurs and future leaders rather than merely consumers of technology.

She identified poverty, harmful social norms, gender discrimination and limited educational opportunities as factors that worsened the challenges confronting girls.

According to her, ending child marriage requires sustained action, including keeping girls in school, strengthening child protection systems, supporting vulnerable families, enforcing laws that protect children and creating opportunities for girls to achieve financial independence.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu, however, cautioned that skills training alone could not eliminate child marriage, although investment in girls’ education, decision-making capacity and economic potential remained an important part of the solution.
She called on governments at all levels to prioritise girls’ education, expand access to digital skills and STEM programmes, strengthen protection against child marriage and gender-based violence, and increase funding for initiatives that prepare girls for careers and entrepreneurship.
She also urged parents and guardians to regard their daughters as valuable assets whose potential should be nurtured rather than viewing them as burdens to be transferred through early marriage.
Community and traditional leaders, she said, should advocate practices that protect girls, while the private sector and development partners should invest more deliberately in initiatives that expand their opportunities.
The BEMORE founder emphasised that investing in girls was not merely an act of goodwill but a contribution to national development.
“Investing in girls isn’t just an act of kindness; it’s a smart investment in human capital, innovation, public health, and the overall development of our nation,” she said.
Reaffirming her commitment to the foundation’s mission, Anyanwu-Akeredolu said she remained dedicated to raising a generation of educated, technology-savvy and economically empowered girls who could confidently claim their place in society.
She added that the foundation would continue its interventions at individual and community levels to ensure that more girls had the opportunity to realise their potential.

“Every girl deserves a future she can choose, the skills to create it, and the freedom to chase it,” she said.