Education for empowered women and girls in Nigeria

Background information

Since 2009, the violence of the terrorist militia Boko Haram has shaken north-eastern Nigeria, while the state of Plateau has been plagued by ethnic and religious conflicts since the end of the 1990s. This has led to the displacement of more than 3 million people and triggered a humanitarian crisis. The situation is particularly precarious for women and girls. When attacked by non-state armed groups, they are most at risk of becoming victims of abduction, forced marriage and sexual violence. Single women are left to feed their families on their own. This proves difficult due to the structural disadvantages women face in society. Without an education, widowed and single women in particular, as well as women on the run, are at risk of falling into extreme poverty or becoming victims of exploitation. Young people usually see no prospects in life due to the country's weak economy. Characterized by violence, insecurity and a lack of future prospects, many run the risk of slipping into drug addiction or crime. Both women and young people have the potential to make an enormously important contribution to social cohesion and economic development in Nigeria. In order to strengthen their role in society and offer them prospects, Mission 21 and its partner organizations and churches specifically support women and young people. They support them through vocational training and training measures in personal skills and life skills. The focus here is on widows and young women who have been victims of Boko Haram attacks, as well as vulnerable young people from conflict areas.

Project goals

• Women and girls receive literacy courses if required.
• Vulnerable groups of people are encouraged to demand their rights and can help shape society in a self-determined way. Vulnerable groups of people have the skills they need to earn their own living.

Target group

The target group of the education projects are vulnerable people from the states of Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna and Plateau, which are characterized by poverty and armed conflict. These include, for example, those affected by the Boko Haram crisis and the conflicts between farmers and Fulani militants. One focus is on widowed and single women as well as women and girls who have experienced abduction and sexual violence. The target group also includes young people from Jos whose lives are marked by poverty and violent conflicts, who are often instrumentalized for violent conflicts and have slipped into drug addiction.

Activities

• Literacy courses for widows, single women and girls in education centers
• Vocational training for widows, single women and vulnerable young people in the fields of fashion design, tailoring, knitting, shoemaking, cosmetics and catering in various training centers
• Vocational training for young women and men whose lives are characterized by drugs, violence and poverty in the city of Jos.
• Awarding start-up grants to successful graduates of vocational training programs.
• Vocational workshops on topics such as personal development, women's rights, sexual and gender-based violence, trauma awareness, and resilience.
• Workshops in business management and allocation of start-up capital to set up your own small business
• Workshops for young mothers on nutrition and hygiene and on promoting mother-child health
• Psychological support and trauma management for victims of violence and conflict
• Awareness campaigns regarding human rights and gender-based violence to empower women and girls and increase their educational opportunities.

Project progress

The literacy courses make a huge difference to women's lives, as does the opportunity to learn basic business skills in order to set up their own micro-enterprise and thus secure and improve the provision for their families. The completion of vocational training, e.g. as a seamstress, and the start-up capital in the form of a sewing machine enables the women to be independent and regain their dignity.