
Girls Connect: Digital Health Support for Conflict-Affected Regions, 2016 - 2018
Designing for the Unconnected

Connecting the Unconnected
Combining the power of storytelling with one-to-one support, Girls Connect is a first-of-its-kind mobile innovation for girls isolated in conflict affected regions of Nigeria.

Challenge
Girls affected by the impact of Boko Haram face significant challenges in accessing essential information and resources necessary to navigate through adolescence successfully.

Brief
Develop a service for girls to access entertaining and valuable content via low fi technology - IVR.

How it Works
Girls dial in to hear engaging, inspiring stories that combine entertainment with practical life lessons. After listening, they are connected to a trained ‘role model’—a call center operative who answers their questions honestly and helps them relate the stories to their own lives, making the lessons meaningful, actionable, and empowering.

Lead Designer
As Lead Designer, I crafted an innovative service blending storytelling, low-fi IVR technology, and a traditional call center, delivering a safe, engaging, and life-changing experience for girls aged 14–17 in Northern Nigeria.

User-Centered Design Approach
Piloted in 2016–2017 in Kano, Nigeria, the service evolved through multiple iterations, co-created with girls in workshops and refined through live community testing to ensure it truly met their needs.

July 2018 Marketing Flyers
Launched nationally in Nigeria in July of 2018, the program went on to reach and impact the lives of over 300,000 girls.
