The Ashake Foundation has officially launched the Ashake Skill and Knowledge Acquisition Project (ASKAP), a transformative empowerment program designed to equip young mothers in Abuja with practical skills, business knowledge, and mentorship to help them build sustainable livelihoods and improve their families’ well-being.

The initiative, supported by the Ishk Tolaram Foundation, focuses on young mothers who are eager to work and create a better future but face challenges such as limited access to training, financial resources, and business guidance. Through ASKAP, participants will gain hands-on vocational skills, financial literacy education, and entrepreneurship mentorship that will enable them to transition confidently from training to income generation.

Building on Ashake Foundation’s Nwa-Girl Apprenticeship Model, ASKAP integrates practical learning with mentorship and community support, ensuring participants are not only skilled but also empowered with the confidence, discipline, and guidance needed for long-term growth.

The project was launched on November 5, 2025, with an orientation session for the first cohort of beneficiaries held in Durumi, Abuja. The orientation marked the beginning of a transformative journey for the selected participants, setting the tone for weeks of intensive learning and personal development.

Speaking at the launch, Mrs. Mayowa Adegbile, Founder of Ashake Foundation, emphasized the vision behind the project:

“We created ASKAP because we see the resilience of young mothers every day, women who are determined to provide for their families but lack access to opportunities. ASKAP bridges that gap by giving them not just skills, but also knowledge, mentorship, and a supportive community that will help them succeed.”

Mrs. Adegbile expressed deep gratitude to the Ishk Toleram Foundation for its generous support and partnership.

“Our work is made stronger through collaborations like this. Ishk Toleram Foundation’s commitment to empowerment and sustainable development mirrors our own mission. Together, we are giving women the tools to break cycles of poverty and build brighter futures for themselves and their children.”

The Ishk Tolaram Foundation’s support for ASKAP reinforces its dedication to empowering women, promoting inclusive growth, and improving livelihoods across Nigerian communities. Through this collaboration, Ashake Foundation is able to expand its reach and deepen its impact among vulnerable women who need it most.

ASKAP represents another milestone in Ashake Foundation’s mission to reduce poverty, promote gender equality, and create pathways for women to thrive. By investing in young mothers and equipping them with employable skills and entrepreneurial know-how, the foundation continues to strengthen families, communities, and the broader economy.

About Ashake Foundation
Ashake Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to empowering women and girls across Nigeria through education, skill acquisition, mentorship, and community development programs. The Foundation focuses on sustainable empowerment—ensuring that women are not only supported but equipped to thrive independently.

About Ishk Tolaram Foundation
The Ishk Tolaram Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving lives and promoting sustainable development through education, skills training, and community-based initiatives. Its programs focus on empowering vulnerable groups, supporting entrepreneurship, and driving social change across Nigeria and beyond.

Media Enquiries:
Email: ashakefdn@gmail.com
Phone: +234 913 473 7314
Website: www.ashakefoundation.com

The Teenage Network has successfully concluded its two-year project on Strengthening Sexual Violence Responses in FCT Schools, introducing a groundbreaking Sexual Violence Reporting and Management Framework aimed at standardising how cases of school-related sexual violence are prevented, reported, and managed across both public and private institutions in the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking at the project’s close-out event in Abuja, Executive Director, Olanike Timipa-Uge, described the initiative as a major milestone in safeguarding learners and strengthening institutional accountability within the education system. She noted that the project, which began two years ago, was developed in response to alarming gaps that had allowed incidents of sexual violence in schools to go unnoticed or unaddressed.

“We found that about 65 percent of school-related sexual violence cases were never reported,” Timipa-Uge revealed. “There was no clear pathway for survivors or witnesses to safely report incidents. This new framework changes that. It introduces multiple reporting channels, including anonymous options, suggestion boxes, and hotlines—ensuring that no voice goes unheard.”

The new framework, now adopted in FCT schools (primary and secondary, public and private), establishes a survivor-centred and standardised system for handling reports of abuse. It also prioritises confidentiality, trauma-informed responses, and collaboration between schools, government agencies, and community stakeholders.

Supported by the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) and implemented in partnership with the FCT Education Secretariat, the project also included a robust capacity-building component. The Teenage Network trained education directors, including the Permanent Secretary, on trauma-informed investigation and survivor-centred case management. Additionally, gender officers from 77 schools were trained, and Sexual Violence Action Committees were established within schools to ensure accountability and follow-up on reported cases.

Timipa-Uge further disclosed that the organisation reached over 90,000 learners through sensitisation activities across 30 schools, empowering students with knowledge about their rights, how to recognise abuse, and how to report it safely.

“We have seen increased awareness,” she added. “More students are opening up, reporting cases, and schools are responding faster and more responsibly. Though the project is ending formally, its impact will continue to inspire systemic change. When schools become zero-tolerance spaces for violence, the ripple effect will be felt across society.”

In her remarks, Mrs. Ramatu Ajuji Abu, Director of Special Duties at the FCT Education Secretariat, commended the initiative as one of the most effective collaborations the Secretariat has engaged in.

“I have never seen a project as serious, committed, and impactful as this one,” Abu said. “We have taken ownership and already set up a structure to continue the work. Training and retraining will remain ongoing to sustain the gains achieved.”

She noted that the project has transformed teachers’ capacity to handle sexual violence cases, breaking the culture of silence that often surrounded such incidents.

“Before now, many cases were covered up,” she said. “Today, students are speaking out, and teachers are better equipped to respond. But to truly end sexual violence, we need collective action, civil society, educators, government, and the media must all work together.”

Also speaking, Mohammed Habiba, a Gender Officer with the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), affirmed that the framework is already yielding tangible results, particularly in basic education schools.

“We’ve observed positive shifts in both awareness and response,” she said. “However, pupils in rural areas still fear speaking out. That’s why continuous sensitisation through the media, the National Orientation Agency, and civil society is vital to sustain progress. The government is determined to ensure proper case handling, including prosecution when necessary.”

In her remarks, Dr. Laraba Okah of the FCT Secondary Education Board praised Teenage Network’s long-term partnership and the introduction of a system that ensures lasting accountability.

The event was attended by key stakeholders, including Raquel Kasham Daniel, Executive Director of Beyond the Classroom Foundation, and representatives from the Stand With A Girl (SWAG) Initiative, among others.

They collectively lauded the project’s success, describing it as a foundational step toward institutionalising child protection systems within FCT schools. They also agreed that the framework has set a sustainable precedent for ensuring that schools remain safe spaces for learning, growth, and personal development for every child.

Women in the care system have called for a national framework to recognise and professionalise care work, describing it as the foundation of society and the economy. The call was made during Global Heath Strategy (GHS) on Centering Care: Unlocking Women’s Economic Power in Nigeria, where they emphasised that care work, which includes both paid and unpaid work, remains one of the most undervalued sectors in the country.

The Media Roundtable was held in respect to the International Day of Care and Support which holds yearly on October 29th. The objective of the roundtable was to raise awareness and spark conversation on the need to recognise care as critical economic infrastructure, the poor working conditions of care givers in Nigeria and how investing in care systems can empower women and drive Nigeria’s economic growth.

According to the World Bank Gender Data Portal, Nigerian women spend up to five times more hours on unpaid care work than men do daily. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) further estimates that 708 million women globally are excluded from the labour market due to unpaid care responsibilities.

Yet, as the Fraym ROI Study highlights, Nigeria lacks a national framework for public childcare, leaving caregiving largely as an informal, family-based burden. Key discussions include women’s dominance in the caregiving sector and how the lack of formal structure disproportionately affects their economic opportunities and well-being.

The poor and often unregulated working conditions faced by care workers, including low pay, job insecurity, and limited legal protections and others. The advocates noted that Nigeria must centre care in its economic agenda by formalising the care economy through national policies, protection for workers, and investments in social infrastructure, which could unlock immense productivity and gender equality gains.

Founder, That Good Media, Toyosi Etim-Effiong, described care as the unseen backbone of both families and the economy. “Care is the foundation of our society; a lot of us have taken care of grandparents, kids, and in Nigeria, some people bring others from the village. “This work is underlaid, undervalued, and underappreciated. Caregivers are a strong support system. There is dignity in labour, and our caregivers are not second-class citizens.”

“Care has been taken for granted for too long. If we truly want national prosperity, we must start by valuing the people who hold our society together.” Etim-Effiong stressed that recognising care work as legitimate labour would not only uplift women but also strengthen the social fabric that sustains economic growth.

Founder, The Nanny Academy, Amara Agbim, said care work is central to national productivity. “Work-life integration is at the heart of caregiving. Care work is an essential social infrastructure. Without systems like day care centres and care workshops for nannies and drivers, we cannot have a functional society.

“If unpaid care were monetised, it would represent nine to 13 per cent of global GDP.”
She called for policies that ensure fair compensation, safe working conditions, and freedom from exploitation. She cautioned that many informal care workers are subjected to long hours without contracts, rest, or social protection conditions that lead to burnout and reduced quality of care.

Founder of OneHealth, Adeola Alli, said caregivers are invisible but sustain families and the economy. “Care is that invisible system that allows women to work. When a woman is supported at home, she works.”

She added that the global care economy could add $11 trillion yearly to global GDP if properly valued. “Efficiency without empathy isn’t transformation. If Nigeria truly wants to grow, we must build an economy where care is capital; where mothers are not left behind.”

On her part, lawyer and global affairs expert, Crystal Ikanih-Musa, emphasised the need for strong legal and policy frameworks to formalise and protect care work. “There should be a push for a comprehensive care policy at the national level, as we have some at the state level.

“When you don’t recognise care work, you don’t recognise women and the work they do,” she said, noting that while Africa boasts some of the highest numbers of female entrepreneurs in the world, many especially in Nigeria lack policy support when balancing care responsibilities.