On Friday, October 25, 2024, nearly 50 young survivors of the “money marriage” tradition made history with a runway debut at the Obudu Cattle Ranch, Obanliku, Southern Nigeria.
Money marriage is a cultural practice found in parts of Nigeria where young girls, often minors, are “married” off to settle family debts or as a form of repayment. In this system, the girls become the property of the “husband” or his family, stripped of agency and subjected to various forms of exploitation. These forced unions often deny the girls access to education, economic opportunities, and basic rights, trapping them in cycles of poverty and abuse.
Advocacy groups and non-profits, like Her Voice Foundation, are working to raise awareness and empower survivors to reclaim their lives through education, skills training, and community support.
This inaugural runway event, under Inside-Out 360 Project, is aimed to celebrate the resilience and inner strength of survivors through a theme of “unleashing the queens and royalty within.”
The Inside-Out 360 Project is led by Her Voice Foundation, a local non-profit dedicated to providing marginalized girls with new pathways in life, and supported by Project Nightfall Philanthropy.
According to Favour Abatang, Founder and Executive Director of Her Voice Foundation, the runway show was designed to help the young women reclaim their confidence and see their worth beyond past experiences. “This is about helping them realize they are more than what they have been through,” Abatang said.
The participants, who have been receiving life skills and entrepreneurship training over the past nine months, through the Empowering Survivors Through Entrepreneurship and Transformative Education or EMPOWER Project were also equipped with business start-up kits to support their journey toward self-sufficiency.
Distributed during the event were ten tailoring kits, thirty catering kits, and ten hairdressing kits. Abatang explained, “These kits are seeds, empowering each participant to build businesses, sustain their families, and break cycles of poverty.”
Community support was evident as around 275 attendees, including ten traditional leaders, gathered to honor the girls’ achievements and celebrate their new beginnings. Clement Machu, a local chief, expressed gratitude for the initiative, noting, “The Becheve clan and other communities appreciate the good work of Her Voice Foundation and its sponsors in supporting women and girls,” he said, while charging the girls to seize this rare opportunity to build a meaningful future for themselves.
Each participant, adorned in flowing garments crafted to celebrate their beauty and strength, walked the runway after completing extensive training in self-esteem and essential life skills. The event’s goal was not only to uplift these survivors but to positively shift community attitudes toward them.
Ibule Mary, who was only seven when she was exchanged, said. “Before this training, my community didn’t value me, and I was not considered important enough to speak in community meetings. Now, I earn up to 3,000 naira daily by styling hair, and, for the first time, I was allowed to speak in a community meeting.”
On October 25, 2024, nearly 50 young survivors of the "money marriage" tradition in Southern Nigeria participated in a historic runway debut at Obudu Cattle Ranch. "Money marriage" is a cultural practice in Nigeria where young girls are married off to settle family debts, leading to exploitation and the deprivation of basic rights. Advocacy groups like Her Voice Foundation are working to empower these survivors through education and skills training.
The event, under the Inside-Out 360 Project led by Her Voice Foundation, aimed to celebrate the resilience of survivors by showcasing them as queens and royalty. The young women, trained through the EMPOWER Project, received business start-up kits, including tailoring, catering, and hairdressing tools, to support their journey towards self-sufficiency. The initiative was supported by Project Nightfall Philanthropy, with widespread community support, including traditional leaders, highlighting the positive impact of the program.
The event not only boosted the confidence of participants but also sought to change community perceptions. Participants, like Ibule Mary, have started earning a livelihood and gaining recognition within their communities, symbolizing a shift towards breaking cycles of poverty and exploitation.
