Esther Friday is the visionary founder of “Catch the Girl Child Young,” a platform dedicated to reaching out to young teenage girls in rural community schools. Her initiative focuses on educating these girls about crucial topics such as puberty awareness, sexual abstinence, proper hygiene during menstruation and beyond, recognizing their worth as young women, and comprehensive sex education—a subject many parents often avoid discussing with their daughters. Esther’s outreach not only teaches the girls how to use and dispose of sanitary pads properly but also provides free sanitary pads during visits to secondary schools and teenage classes in churches.

Through these outreach programs, Esther and her team have uncovered alarming instances of sexual molestation among young girls, often perpetrated by those expected to protect them, including biological fathers, stepfathers, uncles, and others. Additionally, some girls are lured into unhealthy relationships, such as lesbianism, under the guise of godmothers or pet mothers. Esther’s team has successfully guided many girls out of these harmful situations, helping them understand the impact on their futures.

The passion driving “Catch the Girl Child Young” was sparked during Esther’s NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) service when she was posted to a community secondary school. There, she observed troubling behaviors among the female students, who often preferred hanging around the school’s uncompleted building with male students, where used condoms were frequently found. These disturbing occurrences fueled Esther’s commitment to making a difference.

Beyond her work with young girls, Esther also extends her compassion to less privileged children by visiting orphanages, cooking, and sharing food with them. Her dedication to uplifting vulnerable young girls and children continues to inspire and create meaningful change in her community.