Gender Equality Nigeria Project #21336

Educate Nigerian girls for one year

by Girls Education Mission International

Project Report | Apr 20, 2016
YOU MADE OUR MISSION POSSIBLE

By Keturah Shammah | Executive Director

Cross-section of girls at Girls Educatio Summit

Dear GEM Partners,

On behalf of Girls Education Mission International, I would like to thank you so much for your contribution towards our project #EducateNigerianGirlsForOneYear. Your financial support helps us continue in our mission and to assist those girls who might have dropped out from school. Your generous support makes it possible for our organization to exist and to provide girls with the necessary support they need to enroll stay and succeed in school and beyond. It is because of your generosity that our girls benefitted from enrichment program like the ‘Girls Education Summit’. Your charitable donation allowed us to host fifty (50) girls for a 3 days ‘Girls Education Submit’ that took place in February 18th - 20th, 2016. Activities carried out at the summit includes: Workshops, Group discussions, Skill acquisition, Sports and Debate all in context of girls and their education. We would like you to know that your thoughtfulness is truly making a difference in the lives of so many Nigerian Girls. Our beneficiary’s girls and their households greatly benefit from your support, as twenty (20) among the fifty (50) girls that participated in the summit were awarded scholarship funds toward their tuition and exams fees. It’s only with committed donors like you that we can support the education of Nigerian Girls such as these. You have become an inspiration to many of our girls who we hope will one day be willing to take the torch of donating and continuing our efforts in the years to come.

Securing donors for our Girls Education Project in Nigeria is especially important this year, as we face challenges of this economic meltdown that ravages the country and leaving communities in widespread poverty. Your support is a vote of confidence to our mission. We look forward to receiving your continuing and consisted support as usual

Note: Due to our inability to meet the necessary thresholds of $5,000 and 40 donors during the open Challenge to become a permanent GlobalGiving partner. GlobalGiving has changed their onboarding process where we had to post another project that is hidden. Although, our project is not searchable on GlobalGiving's platform, you can view our project and make donations through our new project direct link. At the moment, we are to use the page to fundraise and if our project reach $5,000 from 40 donors, our project will become visible on the site.

Once again, thank you for being a donor for our project. Your contribution is truly appreciated. You are a valued member of our community and we’ll continue to recognize your support in helping our organization reach its goal.

Please accept our most sincere thanks for your engagements and commitments to our project.

Keturah Shammah

For: Girls Education Mission International

Beneficiary girl, GEM Board secretary & Principal

Girls learning skills at the summit

Refreshing time at the summit

Girls in group discussion during the summit

Sport time at the summit

Links:

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Jan 19, 2016
WE HAVE STARTED: Together, we give girls a hope!

By Keturah Shammah | Executive Director

Displaying sanitary pads recieved

Dear friends and supporters of Girls Education Mission International,

On behalf of the entire GEM Community, I would like to thank you for your love, care and concern towards our work. With your support, we are beginning to accomplish more; early this year, we were able to launch our monthly sanitary pad distribution program. During the first week of January 2016, GEM team has visited the first club meeting of its two GEM Impact clubs in Saminaka District of Kaduna state to distribute sanitary pads to girls who represents various secondary schools. The distribution of the sanitary products is expected to be carried out every month during the GEM clubs’ monthly meetings. These monthly distributions of the pads aim to help keep the girls in schools who might otherwise miss three to seven days of school monthly or are at risk of dropping out because of their monthly periods. ‘Grace John’ is a member of the Girls Club visited and she said, “we stay at home because we are afraid of being stained and feel ashamed of being embarrassed by our male counterparts”. The pads give girls the ability to fully and confidently participate in school activities. The monthly pad distribution during the club monthly meeting also provides an opportunity for girls to learn how to use a sanitary pad, earn health reproductive education and have chance to stay healthy.

As part of our ongoing #GirlsEducationNowOrNever global campaign pilot project in Nigeria, One priority project we will be committing significant fund to in 2016 is the continue distribution of pads, donations of funds worth of scholarship, award of all kinds of educational materials such as school uniforms, bags, book, mathset, shoes, socks and other relevant educational support which is aimed at supporting the education of girls who are at-risk of dropping out. This year, the program is intended to distribute about 500 sanitary pads monthly to different GEM Impact clubs in primary and secondary schools in Northern parts of Nigeria.

Currently, 18 girls have been interviewed and screened to participate in the Girls Education Submit scheduled to take place by late January this year and thereafter receive the above mentioned support. The aim of the Education submit is to enable girls become aware of possible challenges they may encounter at the course of their schooling and to equip the girls with skills to overcoming such barriers facing their education and development. During the summit, Girls are also introduced to various developmental opportunities.

“Laitu is a 19 year old girl who had to drop out from school when she was about to write her junior secondary certificate examination. Her mother who has being her sponsor could not afford to pay her school fees and examination fee as well. Consequently, Laitu left her village to Lagos which is the largest industrial city in Nigeria to work as a nanny in other to raised money for her education. Having worked for five months without payment, she decided to come back home with a hopeless life and at-risked of arranged marriage. Fortunately for Laitu, she now has hope of going back to school after meeting with the GEM Executive Director who after an intensive counseling session, have assured her of reinstatement back to school by Girls Education Mission International. Laitu is one of the expected participants of the forth coming Girls Education Submit. She is to also among those to enjoy full scholarship including educational materials.”

We would like to thank you our donors for your generosity. Without your support and participation in this project, it would not have been possible for us to change the lives of vulnerable girls like Laitu and many others. Together, we will draw attention to the challenges and the opportunities that are uniquely affecting the education of the girl child. GEM takes every gift seriously and seeks to leverage and steward them correctly for the betterment of the hard to reach girls who are deprived of education and training opportunities to lead a better life

Unfortunately, we are unable to reach the required goal of $5000 from 40 donors which let globalgiving to deactivate our project making it unable to receive donations. However, we hope to do more with you in our next participation for the March 2016 Open Challenge, beginning March 14th and ending March 25th.

As we begin our work for the year 2016, here is wishing you a great experience for the year. May it be a year of prosperity and peace for you and your loved ones?

Girls Education Mission International’s team.

Sanitary pads

GEM Executive Director with Laitu

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Oct 20, 2015
GIRLS TO EXPERIENCE YOUR LIFE TIME INVESTMENT

By Keturah Shammah | Executive Director

Dear GEM Family, Friends and Supporters,

On behalf of Girls Education Mission International, I would like to thank you for donating to our project during and after our participation in the 2015 open challenge competition. Unfortunately, our project did not meet the necessary threshold of $5000 and 40 donors to become permanent globalgiving partner. But that isn’t the end. Our project continues receiving donation till 31^st December 2015. It is wonderful having you as donor.

Last Sunday October 11^th the International Day of the Girl #IDG 2015 was a remarkable day for girls in GEM community as ten girls were hosted to mark the day. These ten young girls become excited to have received what they consider a wing to enable them fly in their academic pursuits. In honor of the Girls Day and in commemoration of GEM global campaign #GirlsEducationNowOrNever, these ten potential girls who represent eight various schools from Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria were presented with variety of gift items and were engaged in an opened discussion that was centered to their academic excellence. Items presented includes: Books, Detergents and some amount of money for their transport fair.

These girls are still getting shock that this is actually happening; that this is project is actually real. The anticipation is Palpable and they haven’t even received support from your donation. With your assistance, we have committed to supporting 15 girls in school this year and will continue working hard to reach our goal of 20 girls next year. Because of your donation, these 15 Nigerian girls are excited, nervous, curious and eager to have what will be a life time investment in their lives.

The entire GEM community wants to thank each and every one of you for your support. The road is long but well worth it. When these girls receive your support, all dedication and fund you all gave will pay off hundredfold.

We look forward to keeping you posted on the progress of this project.

From all of us at GEM INT’L, a BIG thanks to you!

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