OBI’s work with women and girls is grounded in the principle that protection, participation, and leadership are mutually reinforcing. Across its programmes, the organisation supports women and girls not only in accessing safety and justice, but also in strengthening their capacity to participate fully in economic, civic, and public life.
This work often begins with protection-related support for survivors of gender-based violence, including legal assistance, psychosocial support, referral pathways, and access to justice mechanisms. From there, OBI develops longer-term pathways that help women and girls rebuild confidence, strengthen skills, and pursue greater independence and participation.
A core component of this work is economic empowerment through targeted, practice-oriented learning opportunities. Depending on programme context, these may include training in financial literacy, accounting, social media marketing, English for professional use, fashion design and tailoring, branding, online sales, and the use of digital and AI tools for small businesses and start-ups. Where relevant, these efforts are complemented by mentorship, internships, entrepreneurship support, and small-scale start-up assistance.
OBI also works to create enabling environments for girls’ participation and leadership through outreach in schools, municipalities, and civic spaces, as well as public engagement initiatives that promote rights awareness and challenge harmful norms.
