Dear Partner,
In context of the Thanksgiving, may I take a moment to THANK YOU on behalf of the entire Girls Education Mission Interntaional.
Despite the challenges and barriers, our benficiaries have shown resiliancy and have rallied together to challenge barriers that hinders their education not complete. We’re celebrating their achievements today, as well as the thousands of supporters like you who help make it possible for them to go school.
As an orgisation we were able to record success recently as follows.
In September we were selected and Served as 2019 SPEA!K Champions by CIVICUS - World Alliance for Citizens Participation. you can read excerpt of the our role though this link https://nnngo.org/keturah-speak/
In October, we observed the International Day of the Girl Child with a vocational skill acquisition training for over 60 girls who have just completated their Secondary Education but may not further their education soon.
in November and in context of the 16 Days of Activitism against Gender Violence, we were able to Lunch the #IamPossible Campaign which aimed to advocate with girls to SPEAK! #IamPossible against any form of Gender Violence. https://thenigeriastandard.com.ng/2019/11/27/believe-in-yourselves-ngo-tells-girls/
Together, we make our mission Possible. Thank you for your support.
With gratitude,
From All of us at Girls Education Mission International
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Dear Partner,
we are glad to bring to you updates of our sustainbale solution to educate girls in Nigeria which made possible through your dsupport and engagements in various ways.
Our Overview
Girls Education Mission International help girls in reaching their potentials focused on defending, protecting and promoting their right and access to quality education.
Our Strategy
One of our strategies to sustain girls in school is the provision of sanitary PAD to meet the need of girls who misses school because they were on their menstrual period and could not afford sanitary pads. Menstruation is an inevitable natural occurrence which no girl/woman have control over. However, we’ve discovered that most girls we work with most especially in the rural area uses unhygienic material like dry grasses, leaves feathers, rags or foams to care for their menstruation and all these exposes them to infections. And sometimes most girls avoid going to school during their menstrual day because they fear that they may be stained or the improvised materials may fall off thereby resulting to bullying in school, shame and loss of dignity. In order to provide menstrual hygiene solution leveraging on our strategic partnerships and collaborations with our Donors on Globalgiving Foundation platform and TY Danjuma Foundation to promote the education of girls through our #GirlsEducationNowOrNever Project, we consider providing the girls, access to sanitary pad and menstrual hygiene management sessions will be the most sustainable solution as that will help the girls to manage their menstrual period hygienically with comfort, avoiding been absent in school because of the period and complete their education with dignity.
Our Impact
Within 5 years of our Menstrual Hygiene Management and Sanitary Pad distributions program, we are glad to have been able to have distributed over 30,000 packs of sanitary pads to over 2500 in-and-out-out-school girls/women between ages 13 to 35 across 80 communities within 2 States of Plateau and Kaduna.
Our Sustainable Plan
In order to sustain the impact so far recorded, Girls Education Mission International is launching a Campaign known as the #IamPossible. Guided by the conviction that millions of girls are denied access to education and yet, we don’t often gets the chance to hear from girls themselves about what it’s like to confront and overcome the challenges that keeps them out of school including menstruation. One of our #IamPossible Campaign activities is a monthly Meet-up of in-and-out-of school girls where girls will come together monthly in a safe and comfortable environment to learn about general and menstrual hygiene, effective lifeskills and also get the opportunity to hear and learn the rout to success of women like them who have achieve greatness against overwhelming odd and declares to themselves #IamPossible. Every girl that participates in the monthly Meet-Up will at the end of every meeting have a pack of Sanitary pad FREE. This is part of our Organization’s sustainable solution to ensuring girls manage their menstrual period hygienically with comfort, avoiding been absent in school because of the period and complete their education with dignity.
Thank you for all you support! Looking forward to a continuing partnership with you.
Keturah Shammah
for: Girls Education Mission International
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Dear believers and suppoters of GEM,
It is with great joy to keep you updated abot the milestone we achieve together. Ealier this year, we have announced to you about the a grant worth the sum of US$10000 from the TY Danjuma Foundation to support completion of secondary education of 100 vulnearble children across seletcted internally displaced communities. We are so grategul with you donationtions thta enable us secured that and implement the project to the current statge.
The summary of the activities engaged between February and April are as follows:
Community Mobilisation and Enrolment of Beneficiaries.
In February Five (5) “GEM team members embarked on a field visits to beneficiary schools across the selected internally displaced communties of Plateau State. The team met with the prospective beneficiaries for interview and screening purposes after which 100 of them were invited for the Advocacy/Mentoring workshop. The team also engaged with principals of the schools to advocate with the Ministry of Education Inspectorate divisions for reduction of cost attached with the NECO registration as well as waving of school to those beneficiaries who are owing.
Advocacy/Mentoring Workshop
On 30th March, 100 beneficiaries arrived Jos, the Capital City of Plateau for an intensive two days Advocacy/Mentoring Workshop. The workshop begun properly on Monday 1st April with activities such as: The presentations from various speakers on Education, Examination Malpractice, How to pass exams, Effective lifeskill, Advocacy, as well as group discussion and presentations. There were sessions for Video shows and documentary on Girl-child and Education, Sugar Daddy awareness and HIV/AIDS) as well as personal reflections. The workshop ended on 2nd April around 4:00pm having three groups of the beneficiaries discussed their education challenges, solutions, identifying stakeholders and presenting their advocacy plans.
Payment of NECO/School Fees
On 4th, 5th and 8th April 2019,GEM team visited 25 schools to make payment of NECO Exam fee and School fees to 100 final year vulneral secondary school students. Each beneficiary received the money and counts to confirm the amount after which he/she acknowledged the receipt of the support by signing on a cash payment sheet provided by GEM and then hand over to the School principal who hands over to the school cashier.
Progress made in achieving project objectives
The following results have been achieved from the activities implemented so far
(a) 100 vulnerable children across internally displaced communities in Plateaus State have participated in an advocacy and mentoring workshop and their capabilities on education, advocacy and life skills are built.
(b) The 100 beneficiaries acquired skills and knowledge to perform well in exams and learnt setting a goal for their future ambition.
(c) The number of the students in the communities who will be sitting for NECO increased to 56% compared to the previous years.
(d) There is increased in awareness for the education of girls in the communities. The parents are beginning to develop interest in taking responsibility of supporting the education of their daughters not minding the situation the found themselves. A mother to one of the beneficiaries said “If someone who doesn’t know me, would be concerned about the education of my Daughter, then who am I not to support the education of my daughter”.
(f) Some of the beneficiaries’ schools are requesting for girls clubs to be formed in their schools.
(g) Some of Communities Development Associations (Women wing) told GEM that the project has challenged them to see the need for setting aside funds from their incomes to complement projects such as this that support the less privileged children in their communities.
(h) The project has attracted over 60 Volunteers from across 24 states of Nigeria who indicated interest to join GEM on the Girls Education project through various forms such as fundraising and other activities that will make the project continue and be replicated across the states. An for this reason, the interested volunteers will be asked to create fundraisers on GEM project towards the globalgiving bonus day coming up July 18th which is a Volunteer Day. This is to enable us increase our donor base for our projects as the needs are are beyong GEM funding.
Difference the project made in the life of beneficiaries
(a) Those who were not able to register for WAEC and were at the virtue of losing the NECO were able to do so.
(b) The project has brought hope to the hopeless especially those that have dropped out and now are able to be reinstated back to school to complete their education.
(c) Schools that were planning to sent away students who are owing schools and have nor registered for NECO have considered waving the school fees of the beneficiaries for the fact that there NECO is paid.
(d) The Advocacy and Mentoring session has given the beneficiaries opportunities to share their concerns, fears and future plans for the first time in their lives which they testified is one of the greatest moment of their lives.
Impact stories from beneficiaries
Elizabeth is a 19 year old orphan and a teenage mother. She dropped out of school because she became pregnant and was unable to pay for her school fees and WAEC! Her mother died after giving birth to her and her father died later when she was in primary school. According to her, the father to her child had promised to upset her school fees and pay for her WAEC if she accepts to have sexual affairs with him. And having suffered a lot in the hands of her foster mother, Elizabeth accepts any help that comes her way. She said; “I have suffered a lot in the hands of my foster mother that I accept any help that comes my way whatever the offer and condition” She added. “The father of my son promised to upset my School fees and WAEC but when he discovered that I was pregnant for him, he ran away from the village”. I was sent out by my guardians to go and stay with his parents which I did for three months. When I could not withstand the overwhelming experience any longer, I decided to come back home to start selling snacks to take care of myself and my baby”. GEM team met Elizabeth in her former school with her child selling snacks and drinks so as to earn money to be able to take care of her and the baby. Elizabeth was asked if she is willing to have her back to go school and have her complete her education. She joyfully accepted with thanksgiving and in amazement of the hope the GEM is bringing in her life. To Elizabeth, going back to school and completing was like a dream . She hopes to be a journalist and promised that she will make her sponsors proud.
Beneficiary Parents: In appreciation to what has been done to their children, the parents and guardians of the GSS Miango beneficiaries have sent the principal of the school of their children to GEM office with their local farm produce known as “ACHA” as a gift to express how much they appreciated the support provided to them. According to the school principal when handing over the gift to the Executive Director of GEM. “The parents of the beneficiaries of your support have asked me to bring this to express how grateful they are for having being considered for such support.” He added “The parents could not believe that their children would find such a life changing support and so they say I should come and thank you on their behalf as this is the first time we are receiving such a support in our community...”
So far, it has been your commitment in making generous donations to our project that recorded the above life changing testimony in the lives of children who initially lost hope for their education. YOU are making our mission accomplished and our vision possible. Without YOUR support our vision to give hope to hopeless girls would have been just a dream. But YOU make our dream come true. For this, we express strong heart of gratitude to your support with commitment for more accountabilty and transparency in all we we do.
As we celebrate your commitment and generosity, we keep our faith alive for contionuos partnership with you.
Thank you for being part of GEM Community.
With LOVE from
Keturah Shammah
Executive Director
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Dear Partners and Friends of GEM,
I am excited to share with you a brief update on our current achievements.
It is with gratitude that I inform you about one of our founding girls Itswell Magyaring who have been supporting in running the affairs of GEM has formally received her appointment letter with Kaduna State Government and have since commenced job. It is also important to bring to your notice that on Saturday 13th April, 2019, Magyaring who is now a graduate of the University of Jos and a Teacher, will be getting married to a man of her choice (Mr. Victor). In her own words “My Education is Possible and my economic growth is sure with the Job I secured and now I am going to establish a home of my own where I will raise a family not as an Illiterate woman but as an educated and empowered woman.” She has this to say further…; “It’s my wish that all girls are able to attend and complete school, secure a job and decide on when and who to marry just as me. I hope to pay back the support I have enjoyed from Girls Education Mission International by mentoring and supporting girls in my community and by ensuring the reach their potentials”.
On 7th February, the Executive Director of Girls Education Mission International has signed the Memorandum of Understanding with TY Danjuma Foundation for a grant award of N3545000 ($10,000) for the purpose of payment of Senior Secondary Certificate Examination of 100 girls from the Internally Displaced Communities in Plateau State. It is our hope that these girls will also receive mentorship and menstrual hygiene management support to enable them get complete their education with dignity and succeed beyond just as with Itswell. as you know this is possible just becuse you have made a decision to support our vision with your donation which I believe, together we shall achieve more than this. Our greatest current challenge and delays for immediate facilitation of the project is our inability to raise $2, 000 worth counterpart funding.
On this noted, we hope you will not be tired of supporting our work in order to make our mission of supporting girls together to complete their education. So far, we are able to raise $150 with a hope that with your generous support we shall be able to raise the remaining amount of $1850 between now and 3st March 2019, the women History month. Note that Girls Education Mission is competing for a bonus prizes between now and 14th March in the Globalgiving Girl Fund Campaign. And so your donation of $10, $20, $30, $50 at a time of need and significance like this will create a lasting impact to our success in working with vulnerable girls in Nigeria.
INCASE YOU MAY WANT TO DONATE: you can do so using our fundraiser link https://goto.gg/f/28880
or https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/girls-scholarship-program/
Finally, may I, on behalf of all of us at Girls Education Mission International express a profound gratitude for the consistent and generous support received from you in diverse ways. We love you being part of GEM Family and cherish our partnership and success stories together.
Happy Women's Day!!!
Keturah Shammah
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Dear partners of Girls Education Mission International,
At the instance of Girls Education Mission International, I am thrilled to share with you our top moments that made our vision possible in 2018 for an idea of what your support will help achieve this year 2019.
It seems to me that we are winning together in the story of the battle of Educating girls in Nigeria. As an organization, we continue to lead in the fight for girls’ right to education despite the tremendous opposition we face, we are not baking down.
As we reflect on the 2018, we are reminded of the many powerful ways that your donations helped relentlessly pursuing our crucial effort to preserve and advance the right to education of girls. We value and appreciate your engagements, commitment, donations to our project.
Here are just a few of Girls Education Mission International highlights of strategic breakthrough and moment of strengths and influence in 2018.
Looking back on all that was accomplished, of course; none of these milestones would be possible without the support of personality like YOU. Your incredible commitment of financial resources inspired us to accelerate our effort bringing that same spirit forward into 2019.
And here comes our year of promise 2019… A year to change everything for better.
One tangible way your donations are already shining as not quite long that the impact of your donations inspired the TY Danjuma Foundation to have approved the sum of $10,000 for our #GirlsEducationNowOrNever project in support one year education of 218 orphan poor girls affected by the terrorist activities in Plateau State Nigeria. The support which includes; distribution of School Uniforms, Bags, Shoes, Books, Mathset and Sanitary pads will also engage the parents, community and traditional leaders on an awareness workshop on the plight of the girl child and the need to support the girl-child in her journey to a successful life.
TY Danjuma Foundation is an independent private Nigerian philanthropic organisation committed to improving the quality of life for disadvantaged Nigerians, by supporting primarily health and education interventions implemented by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Community Based Organisations (CBOs), faith-based organisations, youth organisations, women’s groups and similar groups working in Nigeria.
The total cost to support these girls (218) for one year is $12,000. The TY Danjuma Foundation has approved the sum of $10,000, contingent to our ability to raise $2,000 worth counterpart funding. Three staff of Girls Education Mission International has been invited for the Foundation’s 2019 Grantee’s training taking place in Abuja on the 6th-8th February 2019 where the final signing of agreement and grant award ceremony will be concluded. We hope you will not be tired rather, rather, you will ensure thi becomes a reality by making a donation between now and 31st January.
As said through a notification letter by the TY Danjuma Foundation Acting CEO, Gima H. Forje , “Your selection is a major accomplishment. Your organization has been selected out of a very competive pool of 564 qualified applicants. Congratulations!”. To this, I Congratulate you for this success story, YOU made this Possible and our succes as an organisation is been celebrated just becuase you have made a committment to support us.
I look forward to sharing further updates with you throughout 2019.
I am sure that together we can make 2019 our year of promise, a year that changes everything for the betterment of our girls who are victims of Violence.
If you feel moved to make a doantion between now and 31st February in order for us to the raise the required $2000 for our grant with TY Danjuma is finalized. You can do so now via this link https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/girls-scholarship-program. May I also ask that you help us share this link to your friends, colleques and networks. Remember, this is one of the greatest pathways of opportunity ever as an organization and for emerging mothers and leaders in Nigeria.
With a greatful Heart, we appreciate your being part of our Community. Thank you for you generous and consistent support.
Keturah Shammah
for-Girls Education Mission International
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