Blog

The establishment of SWEDIWorld in September 2024 marked the beginning of a journey to translate an academic grounding in Gender Studies into practical impact. What began as a vision informed by both scholarship and lived experience has, in just one year, grown into an organisation that is creating meaningful change in communities.

As SWEDIWorld reaches its one-year anniversary, we reflect on twelve months of steady growth and tangible results. In our first year, we have:

• Engaged women and girls in underserved communities across Abuja, Nasarawa and Benue States.
• Advanced menstrual health and dignity through the SWEDI Care programme, distributing dignity packs and supporting adolescent girls.
• Empowered smallholder women farmers with climate-smart agricultural tools and knowledge to strengthen food security.
• Convened workshops and seminars on gender equality, education, health and environmental sustainability.
• Strengthened our institutional presence by opening a regional office in Makurdi.
• Extended our advocacy into global spaces — the Gender Action Plan process at Bonn, Climate Week in Addis Ababa, and contributions to the Paris Committee on Capacity-building under the UNFCCC — using storytelling to bring grassroots perspectives into international policy conversations.

This milestone is also a moment of gratitude. The leadership of our Board of Trustees has been invaluable in shaping our vision and providing direction. Many individuals have contributed to this journey, from mentors to community champions — some named, many unnamed — and all are deeply acknowledged.

We also recognise the importance of our institutional partners. Collaborations with the Universal Basic Education Board, the National Council on Climate Change, the Budget Office of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the United Nations Development Programme have enriched our work and expanded our reach.

The first anniversary of SWEDIWorld is a mark of resilience, collaboration and collective commitment. As we move into the next phase, we remain steadfast in our mission to amplify grassroots voices, deepen impact and build inclusive solutions that respond to the lived realities of women, girls and marginalised groups.

SWEDIWorld continues its journey with a clear vision: to create a world where women, girls and marginalised communities have equal opportunities to thrive, lead and contribute to sustainable development.

SWEDIWorld marked the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child by taking the SWEDI Care programme into Junior Secondary School, Kabusa, in Abuja Municipal Area Council. Founder and Executive Director Sewuese Asa led the distribution.

Girls received dignity packs containing sanitary pads, toothbrush and paste, toilet paper, bathing soap and other essentials, alongside a sensitisation session on menstrual hygiene. The outreach was built around the 2024 theme, “Girls’ Vision for the Future”.

The purpose of the programme is to ensure no girl is held back by her period — supporting menstrual health, education and overall wellbeing together rather than treating them as separate problems.

SWEDI Care is more than just products; it is about ensuring that every girl can continue to dream, learn and lead with confidence and dignity.

The school’s Head Girl, Fatima Mohammed, described the session as informative and impactful, saying the girls had learned about the importance of menstrual hygiene and how to look after themselves during their periods, and that she would pass what she had learned on to younger girls.

The outreach drew attention from stakeholders to menstrual hygiene among young girls. SWEDIWorld reaffirmed its commitment to continue advocating for girls’ rights and wellbeing.

The outreach was reported by the News Agency of Nigeria and covered in Abuja Digest in October 2024.

We attended Actions to Combat Climate Change Threats, an event convened by Christian Aid that brought together stakeholders working on the growing challenges posed by climate change.

The emphasis was on strengthening food security and improving livelihoods for the communities disproportionately affected by climate-related disasters. Through collaborative discussion and strategic sessions, participants explored how to build resilience and sustainable practices that help these communities adapt while supporting long-term development.

Alongside the Arms Trade Treaty conference, we had the opportunity to engage with Roy Isbister of Saferworld’s Arms Unit. Their expertise in disarmament and arms control contributes significantly to global peace and security efforts.

Their work on mitigating the illicit arms trade and fostering safer communities aligns closely with our own: arms regulation is not an abstract security question but one that shapes whether women and girls in affected communities can live safely.

Sewuese Asa attended the Ninth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty, engaging in discussions on illicit arms flows and their impact on regions affected by conflict, particularly across Africa.

Her contributions pressed for greater accountability in arms transfers and highlighted how unregulated arms trafficking falls disproportionately on women and children in conflict zones. The argument was for incorporating a gender lens into arms control mechanisms, so that policy does not only prevent illegal arms flows but actively protects the people most exposed to them.

She also took part in side events where civil society organisations worked on strategies to strengthen implementation of the treaty.