Ishk Tolaram Foundation Supports Beyond the Classroom Foundation’s Skills for HER Initiative to Empower At-Risk Young Women in Abuja

Beyond the Classroom Foundation has launched Skills for HER, a community-based skills and economic empowerment initiative supported by Ishk Tolaram Foundation to equip at-risk adolescent girls and young women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with practical skills, financial literacy, and business knowledge that can help them build safer and more independent lives.

Across many communities in the FCT, many young women are out of school, unemployed, and living with very limited opportunities. Some dropped out because of poverty, early pregnancy, the loss of parents or caregivers, or other difficult life circumstances. Others have completed their education but remain without meaningful opportunities to earn a living.

For many of these young women, poverty and the lack of economic opportunities increase their vulnerability to exploitation, gender-based violence, and transactional relationships as they struggle to survive.

Skills for HER was developed to respond to this reality by providing practical vocational skills alongside financial literacy and basic business training, helping participants develop sustainable sources of income and greater confidence in their future.

Speaking on the initiative, Raquel Kasham Daniel, Executive Director of Beyond the Classroom Foundation, said the programme is about creating opportunities for young women before vulnerability becomes their reality.

“Every young woman deserves the opportunity to earn a living with dignity. Skills for HER is our way of helping young women discover practical skills, build confidence, and create income opportunities that can change the direction of their lives.”

Through the initiative, participants will receive practical training in food processing and fashion, alongside lessons on saving, budgeting, customer relations, and basic business management to help them turn their new skills into sustainable livelihoods.

The Foundation expressed its appreciation to Ishk Tolaram Foundation for supporting community-based solutions that strengthen the resilience of vulnerable young women and expand their economic opportunities.

The Skills for HER initiative forms part of Beyond the Classroom Foundation’s broader commitment to advancing the safety, wellbeing, and economic empowerment of adolescent girls and young women across Nigeria through practical, community-driven interventions.