Build the Agency of 150 Adolescent Girls and Women

The state of education continues to worsen with 18.5 million out of school children, 60% of which are girls. There has been a remarkable transformation in the educational landscape, specifically in the realm of girls' education. Across the globe, an increasing number of girls are defying societal norms and overcoming numerous obstacles to enroll in secondary schools

For generations, girls have faced countless barriers to accessing education, particularly at the secondary level. Traditional gender roles, economic constraints, early marriages, and cultural beliefs have all played a role in limiting girls' educational opportunities. However, a significant shift is occurring as communities, parents, and young girls themselves recognize the importance of education in empowering women and driving societal progress.

One of the key drivers behind the rise in girls' enrollment is the growing recognition of the benefits of educating girls within communities. Local initiatives, community-led campaigns, and partnerships with NGOs have played a pivotal role in raising awareness and fostering a supportive environment for girls' education. Furthermore, parents are increasingly embracing the idea of educating their daughters, acknowledging the long-term advantages it brings to their families and communities.

Economic constraints have long been a major obstacle to girls' education. Poverty often forces families to prioritize the education of their sons over their daughters. However, a range of initiatives, financial aid, and income-generation programs, are now being implemented to alleviate financial burdens and make education more accessible. These initiatives have empowered families to invest in their daughters' future, paving the way for a new generation of educated women.

Educating girls not only improves their individual prospects but also contributes to achieving gender equality and promoting women's empowerment. By breaking the cycle of illiteracy, girls gain the knowledge and skills necessary to participate fully in society, challenge gender norms, and pursue their ambitions. Education empowers girls to become leaders, advocates, and catalysts for change in their communities, fostering a more inclusive and equal society for all.

The increasing enrollment of girls in secondary schools is a cause for celebration and a testament to the transformative power of education. As girls in Kaduna State break down barriers and seize opportunities, they are reshaping communities, challenging gender norms, and building a brighter future for themselves and generations to come. The collective efforts of communities, parents, and the generous support from GlobalGiving have laid the foundation for a more inclusive and equal world, where every girl can dream, learn, and achieve her full potential. We have enrolled 72 out of school girls in school all thanks to your donations.

What the girls and parents have to say:

I have been dreaming of this day, I never knew it was already close to me. So, my dreams are no longer under the carpet, I will achieve it I am in school and I’m very happy.

Lubabatu 17 years old

I dropped out of school when I lost both of my parents at the age of 9. Few years later I got married. I always wanted to go back to school because I still have interest in school. When a girl advocate of EVA approached me and told me about the chance to be enrolled back in school again, I started crying. This is a dream come true. I had lost all hope of ever getting an education.

Today I was called to gather at the Sarkis palace to come for my school things and start school, I am so happy and I will make you proud.

Zulai,14 years old

I have three children, of which none is in school, but with one getting an education I am short of words to express this joy. Honestly to feed is a challenge so the last thought is even putting my children in school, but this I must confess isa burden taken away from me

Parent 32 years old

During the last enrollment, my daughter was not lucky to be enrolled in school, but I told myself it was not her turn yet and I told her to patient it will come. She cried and told me so is that the end? I tried to encourage her that if God says she will achieve her dreams it will happen. And today is the day. It has happened. All I can say is may God bless you all for this kind and generous support

Parent 36 years old

The objective of this project is to improve access to education for girls, especially girls from poor homes in rural communities in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

In 2018, free education was declared for all by the Kaduna state government. However, school managements continued to impose hidden fees on students. Due to the low socio-economic status of most families, these hidden fees are a huge burden and as a result, families often ask girls to remain at home, to be groomed in domestic duties, and in preparation for marriage. More so, gender remains an important factor in the pattern of educational marginalisation in Nigeria with girls experiencing several barriers to education fuelled by negative socio-cultural norms.

Therefore, we have commenced the enrolment process for 78 girls, who would never have been able to go back to school without this support. We have mobilized the 78 girls to be enrolled in the next school session in April as the schools are presently conducting background checks due to insecurity in Kaduna State.

Here are some of the girls’ stories and how they feel about going back to school.

I dropped out of school when I lost both of my parents at the age of 9. Few years later I got married. I always wanted to go back to school because I still have interest in school. When a girl advocate of EVA approached me and told me about the chance to be enrolled back in school again, I started crying. This is a dream come true. I had lost all hope of ever getting an education. Zulai,14 years old

I dropped out of school because I got pregnant at the age of 13. I wanted an opportunity to go back to school because I want to be a Newscaster in the future. Anytime I listen to the radio and hear women read the news, I feel very happy and imagine I am the one. I am grateful for this opportunity to realize my dreams. Raliya, 14 years old

I dropped out from school in JSS3, I couldn’t continue because my parents couldn’t afford my school needs. Despite the free education, I still have to pay PTA levy, badge and exam fee. With this support to go back to school, I will not take my learning process for granted. I will ensure I make my parents and community proud. Ladidi, 16 years old

My daughter came home to inform me that she attended a safe space session for girls in the community and she has been selected among the next batch of girls to be enrolled in school. I shedded tears of joy, I never thought that we still have people out there that care for those they don’t know. Parent

All enrolled girls will be provided with school materials including school uniform, sandals, bag, and writing materials.

We continue to count on your donations to enable girls remain in school and complete their education

This project had two objectives: to enrol 50 girls back to school and to support 100 girls to learn vocational skills. Through your giving we have exceeded the first objective and now we are at the second objective. Improved skills (either vocational or digital) situate girls for better opportunities and improves their economic status.

It is no news that the world is transforming into a digital dispensation, and technology is the new future. A few years from now, the analog style will disappear, and the digital space will take over.

Supporting girls to acquire digital skills will help them not only to keep up with the changing contexts and participate fully in the 21st century but also enable them to contribute to the growth of their societies and economies at large. Digital skill is one of the tools that can be used to bridge the gender gap, prevent discrimination, allow girls to be safe online and promote gender equality. Research has also shown that early adolescence is the best time to target girls with key skills that can give lifelong potential for access to opportunities especially for career advancement.

In this quarter through the support of donors and partners like you, we were able to enrol four young girls in ICT skills for five months. These girls got trained in Web design, coding, and product design and were awarded with certificates of completion.

Here is what the girls have to say

"EVA has made me computer literate, and with my head's up, I can boldly say I can design calendars, posters, wedding invitations, birthday cards, certificates, and lots more, all thanks to EVA and the God of all creation."

Kande 19

"Computer training has helped me a lot. It has helped me in learning how to operate a computer. It has taught me how to use corel draw and how to design. I even designed a pot and made jotter samples and a Pepsi logo as my project work. I wouldn't have been able to do this without this opportunity."

Tabitha 18

"In the five months of my ICT class, I learned how to make a crown. These are the procedures. I will draw a rectangle and go to the shape tool, press Ctrl Q, then go to the middle and drag it, then put my colour, then right-click to copy."

Ladidi 17

"In computer training, I learnt a lot. For example, I can boot a computer, type on Microsoft Word, and even design on a corel draw. Before now, I did not know how to operate a computer, but with EVA's support, I can boot a computer, design flyers, stickers, jotters, certificates, and edit photos.

Promise 18

In the next quarter we hope to enrol 10 more girls and we are counting on your contributions. Thank you!

• Advocates alongside young girls in ICT school (DOCX)

Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is a major health issue affecting women and girls of reproductive age worldwide. A good percentage of the female population is of reproductive age and most of them are menstruating every month

The transition into reproductive age for some girls is often met with fear and anxiety due to poor knowledgeabout menstruation and a lack of access to resources about the changes that are occurring in their bodies. School-aged girls in marginalised communities face the largest barriers to MHM with a lot of myths surrounding them.

In addition to poor knowledge and lack of access many girls who are in school also face challenges accessing and maintaining quality MH practices because most schools do not have the necessary facilities, supplies, knowledge, and understanding to appropriately support girls during menstruation. This negatively impacts their education and ability to stay in school. Furthermore, schools often have inadequate water and sanitation available, making menstrual hygiene almost impossible to maintain, causing stress, school dropouts and embarrassment for female students. Also, communities hold cultural beliefs related to menstruation like menstruation is an unclean and secret issue which should not be discussed, you can’t get pregnant from having sex during menstruation and these affects the girls' wellbeing.

Another barrier that prevents MHM in schools and hinder girls’ access to equitable education, robs them of their dignity and empowerment opportunity is poor access to sanitation products.

In this quarter, we promoted the rights and wellbeing of girls in several ways.    

One of which is that we visited girls in schools and provided 50 In-school girls from Rido, Nassarawa and Karatudu communities in Kaduna state with reusable sanitary towels and menstrual health information that they would utilise to promote their wellbeing . This wouldn’t have been possible without your support and donations. Thank you for ensuring that Girls remain in school.

“I feel so happy that somebody loves and cares a lot about women, I am so happy. I just started seeing my monthly flow last month, as a matter of fact I had fears on how to take care of myself but with this knowledge my fears are gone.” - Mangal

“Today feels like Christmas for me. I am so happy, what even gladdens me more is the knowledge I got which I will use to educate my peers.” - Lariya

“This was a learning opportunity for me, I am excited because I learnt that I should always change my sanitary towel and not go a whole day with just one on” – Lami

With Nigeria’s education sector yet to fully recover from the debilitating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, insecurity in form of violent attacks on schools by insurgents has further threatened the ability of schools to remain open for learning especially in northern states.

The North-west part of Nigeria which already has the highest share of the figure number of out-of-school children has also witnessed a series of attacks on schools, leaving pupils scared to return to classrooms and parents apprehensive about the safety of their children.

In Kaduna State where our project is active, there have been several cases of the mass kidnapping of students, especially in the last year. While this put a strain on our efforts to enroll out of school girls back into school, it has also affected our advocacy and campaign at the community level to promote girl-child education given that one of the arguments for low enrollment rates for girls is the lack of safety and vulnerability to experiencing sexual and gender-based violence while in school or on the way to school.

In spite of these challenges, we have been able to successfully complete the enrolment process for our out-of-school girls some of whom had been unable to re-enroll due to displacements caused by insecurity. For others, the insecurity led to the loss of Family members, benefactors, sources of income, and so on. All of which had led to a lack of resources to afford the levies and materials required for school.

Ruth from Rido community  who left school because of the insecurity in her area which resulted in their home being set on fire said ‘I gave up on school the moment bandits started terrorizing us, what is even worst is when my uniforms caught fire when our house got burnt, my parents did not know where to start, I’m grateful that I have been given another chance and I can return to school”

For Sarah, the situation is slightly different. After getting married at 15 as a means to improve the economic status of her family and relieve the financial burden for her parents, she dropped out of school. “ It wasn’t what I wanted but I couldn’t see any other way. We were very poor and barely able to feed, I hoped I could convince my new husband to sponsor my education but that didn’t happen but now that I have gotten another opportunity to be educated I will not allow my children to suffer as I did, I will make sure I educate them”. Through our advocacy and mediation, we were able to get her husband’s consent for her to be a beneficiary get another chance at schooling. 

While we realize that government and institutions have the most role to play in ensuring access to education more so since there is a free education policy in the state, In addition to holding government accountable to fulfill and provide the necessary inputs that will make this a reality, we also realize that there are immediate needs that need to be addressed. Over the last few months, through your generous support,  our activities have centered around addressing these immediate needs- providing books, uniforms, and other scholarly materials as well as offsetting bills that have stood in the way of young girls going to school and most importantly educating the communities on the need to prioritize girls education. For some of our beneficiaries, they were out of school as a result of the gender biases that prioritize boys’ education over girls. To address this, we conducted community sensitizations and campaigns.

With the help of key community stakeholders who have also been actively involved in this campaign, we have been able to identify the most vulnerable girls who are out of school and have made it possible for them to continue learning including carrying out mediation between parents and caregivers where necessary. Our goal is to see that barriers to girls' education are removed and that no girl is left behind.  

We thank you for your generous support which has made this possible. Together we can make progress towards increasing access to education for many more girls in Kaduna state.