When girls are educated, communities thrive – but how do we make that a global reality in the digital age?
In this episode of Our World, Connected, host Christine Wilson explores the urgent issue of girls’ education in a rapidly changing world – where access to schooling, digital literacy, and life skills can transform futures and communities.
Christine speaks with Wadi Ben-Hirki, a Nigerian activist and founder of the Wadi Ben-Hirki Foundation, who has spent nearly a decade advocating for marginalised girls across Nigeria. From addressing early marriage to supporting school re-entry, Wadi shares how her youth-led organisation empowers young women through education, equality, and opportunity.
We also hear from Diana, an EDGE trainer working under a pseudonym in Myanmar, who was inspired by her mother to pursue a career in education. Through the British Council’s English and Digital for Girls’ Education programme (EDGE), Diana teaches English, life skills and digital literacy to girls from displaced and marginalised communities – helping them rebuild confidence and resilience in the face of conflict and multiple crises.
Together, Wadi and Diana reflect on the power of education to reshape not only individual lives, but entire societies, and what it takes to make that vision a reality.
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Additional Resources & Links:
The Wadi Ben-Hirki Foundation
https://www.instagram.com/wadibenhirkifoundation/
EDGE Programme
Schools Connect report: Status of Gender Responsive Inclusive School Practices
Schools Connect report: Creating more inclusive schooling
https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/creating-more-inclusive-schooling
Schools Connect report: Barriers to girls’ education – A synthesis of British Council research in Africa
https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/schools-connect-barriers-girls-education
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