About GEAN
GEAN
A world where every girl between 11 and 25, regardless of her background, her silence, or her circumstances, knows her voice matters, claims her power, and steps into leadership.
When girls have access to health resources, education, and community support, they don’t just survive – they lead.
Girls’ Empowerment and Advocacy Nextwork (GEAN) is a registered not-for-profit, non-political organisation dedicated to breaking the culture of silence that holds young women back; and is committed to advancing the rights, wellbeing, and leadership of women and girls across Nigeria. Formally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2025, GEAN is based in Abuja and reaches communities across multiple states.
We work with girls across Nigeria, providing mentorship, counselling, legal aid, and leadership training so they can
- find their voice,
- build lasting confidence, and
- become the next generation of nation builders.
Everything we do is rooted in the belief that when a girl rises, her community rises with her.
GEAN was born from the grassroots work of our founder, Ene Oteikwu, who began running community outreaches for girls as far back as May 2025; months before the NGO was formally registered. Those early outreaches in Kaduna, Delta, Plateau, Benue, and Ondo states laid the foundation for what GEAN is today. In less than one year, we have grown from a founder-led initiative into a registered national NGO, reaching girls across 6 states.
Starting Out
Oteikwu Ene did not set out to build an organisation. She set out to answer a question she kept encountering in rooms full of young women:
‘Why do we know something is wrong but stay silent?’
That question, shaped by years of seeing girls navigate abuse, inequality, and invisibility without support, became the seed of GEAN.
GEAN was formally constituted and registered with Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission in September 2025, but its roots stretch back further, to conversations, community work, and the quiet conviction that girls in underserved communities deserve more than sympathy: they deserve systems. Systems that protect them, teach them, and believe in their leadership.
Today, GEAN operates from Kaduna State as a national organisation, reaching girls across multiple states through outreach, training, and advocacy: with menstrual health, gender-based violence prevention, and youth leadership at the heart of every programme.
Legacy Highlights
- Founded and registered GEAN as a CAC-recognised not-for-profit in Nigeria (September 2025)
- Led menstrual health outreach programmes reaching underserved communities across multiple states, including Yobe State
- Developed and delivered counselling and legal aid access pathways for young women experiencing gender-based violence
- Built a volunteer and advocacy network mobilising young leaders to carry GEAN‘s mission into their own communities
- Spearheaded International Women’s Day advocacy campaigns, driving visibility for girls’ rights and CIHP training opportunities
- Established GEAN‘s leadership bootcamp model to develop the next generation of young women leaders
The Evolution
...from individual action to institutional impact
What began as Ene’s personal response to the silence she witnessed has grown into a structured, multi-programme organisation. GEAN now operates across three pillars:
- Mentorship & Voice (helping girls find and use their voice through structured mentorship programmes);
- Protection & Access (connecting young women to counselling and legal resources when they face violence or exploitation); and
- Leadership & Legacy (training young women to become leaders in their homes, communities, and careers through bootcamps and advocacy networks).
The organisation is expanding its geographic footprint beyond Kaduna, with programmes already active in Yobe State and a growing network of volunteers across Nigeria. GEAN‘s funding model (built on grants, crowdfunding, and individual donations) allows it to remain independent, community-led, and responsive to the girls it serves.
The next chapter involves deepening impact through digital outreach, strategic partnerships with corporate organisations fulfilling CSR mandates, and building a generation of young women who will carry the mission forward long after they leave GEAN‘s programmes.
Voice
Every girl deserves to be heard. We create spaces where silence is never the only option.
Dignity
We treat every girl and woman we serve with the full respect she is owed as a human being.
Courage
We address hard things: abuse, inequality, silence, and injustice — because comfort has never changed the world.
Community
We believe in the power of girls supporting girls, women lifting women, and networks that outlast any single programme.
Accountability
As a registered organisation, we are committed to transparency in our governance, finances, and impact.
Legacy
We build not just for today's girls but for the generations who will inherit the world they help shape.
Ene Otiekwu
Chairman & Founder Executive Director
About
Sefa Mnda
In-house Counsel
About
Kehinde Adeleye
Secretary, Board of Trustees
Directors/Advisory Council
GEAN was registered as an NGO with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission in September 2025 as part of the transition to more structured operations; with RN: 8858997
Directors/Advisory Council
Umar Alaba
Chairman & Founder Executive DIrector
About
Sefa Mnda
In-house Counsel
Kehinde Adeleye
Secretary, Board of Trustees
Our story is still being written. Become a part of our next chapter
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