Each year on October 11, the world observes the International Day of the Girl Child to honor the strength, potential, and dreams of girls everywhere.
The 2025 theme, “Girls on the Frontline of Crisis,” highlights the reality that in times of poverty, conflict, or cultural injustice, girls are often the most affected. Yet, when empowered, they become the strongest drivers of change. Their stories are not only about survival but about leadership, transformation, and hope.
Girls on the Frontline: The Global Picture
Across the world, millions of girls continue to face barriers that deny them education, safety, and opportunity. While progress has been made, the numbers remind us how far we still have to go.
- 129 million girls are still out of school globally, 32 million of primary school age and 97 million of secondary school age (UNESCO).
- In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 4 in 10 girls marry before the age of 18 (UNICEF).
- Girls in conflict zones are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys.
- The digital gender gap means millions of girls remain excluded from learning skills like coding and computer literacy , the very tools needed to thrive in today’s world.
Even where education is accessible, poverty, early marriage, and gender-based violence continue to push girls out of classrooms and into cycles of vulnerability.
These statistics are not just numbers , they represent futures at risk. But they also represent potential ; the brilliance, strength, and leadership that can emerge when girls are given the chance to learn and lead.
A Story of Change from Obanliku
In Becheve, a remote community in Obanliku, Cross River State, there once existed a painful cultural practice known as “money wife.”
In the past, families in extreme poverty gave away young girls in marriage to settle debts or secure food for survival. This practice has been abolished, but its effects still echo in the lives of women and girls born into that cycle.
For them, the survivors and daughters of survivors, we at Chess in Slums Africa launched the Queens Not Pawns Project, using chess as a tool for healing, education, and empowerment. The goal was to help these girls rediscover their potential and rewrite their own stories.
From Awareness to Action
In October 2022, our founder Tunde Onakoya first learned about the “money wife” practice through a documentary that revealed the plight of affected girls in Becheve. Deeply moved, he felt a responsibility to act. Over the next few weeks, our team conducted research, reached out to community leaders, and began building a plan for meaningful intervention.
By December 2022, after several consultations and groundwork, we traveled to Becheve with a team of volunteers and local partners to launch the Queens Not Pawns Project. Our focus was clear: to listen to survivors, earn the community’s trust, and help create opportunities for the next generation of girls.
From Pain to Promise
With the full support of traditional and community leaders, we selected 50+ girls from the Obanliku community to participate in an intensive two-week learning program. These were girls born into or affected by the old practice, as well as children of survivors from families still recovering from poverty.
For six hours each day, the girls explored chess, coding, computer literacy, reading, and drone technology, opening new worlds of imagination and skill. Through every move on the chessboard, they learned strategy, patience, and confidence, lessons that mirrored life itself.
Resilience Beyond Circumstance
Among the participants were girls who had faced unimaginable hardship, yet displayed courage and brilliance throughout the program. One young participant, once trapped in an early marriage, found a new sense of purpose and excelled in the final chess tournament. Another, who joined despite illness, stood out for her determination and love for learning.
Their resilience reminds us that while the past cannot be changed, the future can be rewritten. Given the right opportunities, every girl can rise beyond her circumstances and lead change in her community.
A New Chapter for Obanliku
Today, Obanliku is rewriting its story. Community leaders, including the paramount ruler, clan heads, and women’s leaders, have become advocates for girls’ education and equality. They have publicly denounced the “money wife” practice and pledged to protect future generations.
What was once a story of exploitation has become one of transformation, proof that when communities unite for change, tradition can evolve toward compassion and progress.
Changing the Narrative for Every Girl
On this International Day of the Girl Child 2025, we celebrate the courage of every girl who dares to dream beyond her circumstances, every woman who continues to heal, and every community that chooses change over silence.
♕ To the girls of Becheve: your voices matter.
♕ To every girl on the frontline of crisis: your dreams are valid.
♕ To everyone reading this: your support makes transformation possible.
You can be part of that story.
Partner with us to empower more girls through education, technology, and the game of chess.
📧 Contact us at:
🌍 Learn more: www.chessinslumsafrica.com
Because when a girl learns to move like a queen, she changes the game, and the world follows.
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đồng hồ đếm ngược
This Queens Not Pawns initiative is a glorious chess move against the dark pawn of poverty and tradition! Who knew teaching girls to strategize with chess pieces could be such a powerful way to rebuild their confidence and future? Its almost like checkmating the cycle of vulnerability with a queen up the board! Kudos to Tunde Onakoya and his team for bringing this brilliant plan to Becheve. Lets hope the community leaders continue to play this new game of compassion and progress. And remember, every girl has the potential to rise beyond her circumstances and change the game of the world – all it takes is a chance to learn and lead!hẹn giờ online