GCMP Launches Across Three States, Connecting Girls to Mentorship, Menstrual Health and Flag Football

“The mentors I met showed me I can do more than I thought, and that made me believe in myself more.” — Ifeoluwa Adebayo, GCMP Mentee

June 2026 marked a defining month for the Gridiron GEMS Cluster Mentorship Programme (GCMP) as it launched simultaneously across three communities in Lagos, Abuja and Imo State, bringing mentorship, menstrual health education and flag football to thousands of young girls.

From Makoko to Durumi to Ikenegbu, the message was the same: every girl deserves access to mentorship, sport and the tools to lead with confidence. The programme was coordinated by Nancy Damhindi, GEMS Initiative Coordinator, in partnership with Amarachi Ojimmah, Founder of Pads for Her Iniative.

One Keynote, Three Cities

At every launch, the keynote conversation centered on the same idea: Sports, Mentorship, Leadership and Menstrual Health: A Holistic Approach to Developing the Girl Child. The belief driving it: a girl’s growth cannot be separated into parts, it has to be nurtured as a whole.

Bringing that message to life were three keynote speakers, one for each city: Nkechi Obi in Lagos, Rinsola Abiola in Abuja and Chief Dr Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, Founder of Bemore Empowered Foundation, in Imo

Our Mentors Across the States

Across the three launches, mentorship was led by a group of professionals and advocates who gave their time and expertise to the girls in their care:

Dr Oluwasanmi Oluyomi (Lagos)
Lolia Kienka, CEO of Gamedey (Lagos)
Temitope Shonde (Lagos)
Chioma Obere, Heart Health Advocates (Lagos)
Alaezi Akpuru, co-owner of Titans Athletic (Lagos)
Kelechi Chukwueke (Abuja)
Dr Jamila Bio (Abuja)
Azeezat Yishawu (Abuja)
Ashley Dimka-Tapgun (Abuja)

Building Connections Through Six Mentorship Clusters

Across all three states, mentees were grouped into six clusters: Jades, Emeralds, Diamonds, Amethyst, Aquamarine and Pearl Squad. Mentors were shared amongst these clusters at each location, matching every girl with a mentor she could call her own.

What Happened at Every Launch

Across all three states, the format stayed consistent because the need was the same everywhere. Mentors and mentees were matched within their clusters, an exercise that set the emotional tone for each launch. Girls left knowing exactly who was in their corner.

This was followed by a pad distribution drive in partnership with Pads for Her, alongside menstrual hygiene education, because no conversation about the girl child’s development is complete without addressing the basic barriers that keep her out of the classroom and off the field. In total, 1,650 pads were donated across the three communities.

Then came the flag football activation, the heartbeat of the entire programme, introducing 3,700 students to the sport across Makoko, Durumi and Ikenegbu.

Each launch closed with community outreach, extending the impact beyond the girls in the programme to the families and neighbours who make up their support systems.

Beyond Launch Day

These launches were day one of a three-month journey. Every mentor-mentee pair matched across the Lagos, Abuja and Imo clusters will spend the next three months building on what started on launch day, moving from a single introduction into consistent, structured mentorship. It is in these months that the real work of the programme happens: showing up, following through and proving that the relationship formed at the launch was never just for a day.

For more information, visit https://nafa.ng/ or contact info@nafa.ng.