Ogun State, Nigeria, As the world marks World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2025, the African Girls Empowerment Network (AGE Network) joins global voices to emphasize the importance of mental health as a fundamental human right, particularly for girls and young women in Nigeria’s underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
In a country where adolescent girls continue to face numerous intersecting challenges from sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and child marriage to limited access to education and healthcare, AGE Network stresses that mental health must be prioritized as an essential part of development, not an afterthought.
Speaking to The Moment for Women Magazine, Matina Ebri, Director of Adolescent & Youth SRHR Programs at AGE Network, highlighted the urgent need to address the growing mental health crisis among young women and girls:
“Many girls and young women in rural areas silently battle the psychological effects of trauma, violence, and exclusion. Our collective response must go beyond awareness to building safe, inclusive, and healing-centered communities where they can speak up, seek help, and rebuild their confidence.”
For AGE Network, it also reinforces the core message of its ongoing #AGECares: Speak Up & Heal campaign, an initiative designed to promote open conversations about trauma, stress, SGBV (sexual and gender-based violence), child marriage, and emotional well-being among girls and young women, while connecting them to safe spaces, counseling, and psychosocial support services.
As part of its commitment to advancing girls’ rights and empowerment, AGE Network continues to advocate for policies and investments that integrate mental health support within adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health programs.
This World Mental Health Day, AGE Network reiterates that mental health care is a right, not a privilege, and that healing and empowerment must go hand in hand.
About AGE Network:
AGE Network is a registered women-led organization working at the grassroots to advance the rights, empowerment, and inclusion of underprivileged girls and young women in Nigeria. Its focus areas include education, leadership, health and reproductive justice, economic empowerment, and climate action. Website: www.agenetwork.org
