Gender Equality Nigeria Project #23730

Help Keep a Girl in School in Nigeria for One Year

by Girls Education Mission International

Project Report | Nov 20, 2017
Together We Make Girls Education Possible

By Keturah Shammah | Executive Director

Our Beneficiary girls

Dear Supporters,

We are thrilled to share the impact of education in the lives of Girls we supported together. With your support, we are able to help girls get enrolled, stay and completed their education in the thickly populated region of Lere Local Government through our scholarship award program. The sad reality of these areas of Northern part of Nigeria is that there are no access to higher education, college and universities. Among these girls that completed secondary education with outstanding result, few of them needed our support to further their education with resilient and determined spirit. Considering the optimism of these girls daring to learn amidst overwhelming odds, and in as much as only basic education is not enough to guarantee job, we have provided these deserving girls a scholarship in part for their college and university education toward establishing sustainable career. Because we we were unable to provide them with complete funding, they had to engage in one bussiness and labor while schooling in order to complete the remaining fees.

It"swell is 22 years; she recently graduated from the University. As she waits to be mobilized for National Youth Service Corps, she applied for a job and was employed as a class teacher and a Bursar in a Private Secondary School in her community. From the salary she earns from her teaching Job, Itswell has committed to support the education of one disadvantaged girl; she paid for the girl’s first term school fees in Junior Secondary and pledge to provide mentorship support to the girl to ensure her success and completion. She says… “Through Girls Education Mission International, I was given hope for education by others who enabled me reached my potential, and now I want to do same to other girls”

Lois graduated from college of Education. She taught in the same secondary school where she completed as a Student teacher for her Teaching Practice. Even thou, Lois could not secure a teaching Job; her education however, qualified her for employment to work in a Clinic in her community as a Support staff. She said; “at age 14, I was prepared for getting married, until Girls Education Mission International stepped in and supported my education both in secondary and Collage level. I am now self-sufficient, and as a monthly earner, I hope to get married soon and take care of my husband and children not as an illiterate, but as an educated and empowered wife and mother”.

Dorcas after completing her secondary education secured an admission to further her education at the Collage of Home economics where she learnt various vocational skills. She is now an outstanding entrepreneur in her community. She makes and sells marketable products like bags, ear-ring, shoes, knitting-sweaters etc. In her own words, Dorcas said; “Girls Education Mission International made my education possible. And my education made my empowerment possible. With my earnings from my business ventures, I can now take care of myself, my siblings and my widowed mother in my own capacity”.

Vickey graduated a teacher from the collage of education and secured a job as a class teacher in one of the secondary schools near her community. She said; “I can’t thank enough those who donated their money in order to keep me in school. I would have been a dropped-out if not because of the intervention of Girls Education Mission International who make my life so beautiful even beyond expectation. As an educated and empowered person, I hope to get married soon and raise a healthy family”.

Joy is now a wife and a mother, before she got married; she was awarded scholarship by GEM to study computer education. After completion, she was employed to work in a Computer Business Center as manager in a near-by community. According to Joy: “My education pays me in my marital home, my husband appreciates how I support him in meeting some of the economic and health needs of the home. Because of the impacts of my education he experience, my husband who was not in support of educating girls is now not only advocating for parents to send their girls to school, but he also sacrifices his resources to support girls in need of education support”

All these girls belong to underprivileged families and had no other means to continue their study without our support. From the support we receive from our supporters, we award scholarship to deserving girls. This program is one of its kinds in the entire region of Lere. And with this intervention, we strive to provide them with opportunities and hope for their future.The stories continue to grow and as we today educate and empower these young generation of girls who are future mothers and leaders. these girls got inspired with our scholarship program and now are inspiring others.

Thank you for believing in our Vision and taking an action to make our mission possible and make the dream of these girls possible. We are tremendously appreciating your financial commitments and engagements. Without your generosity, none of these will be possible today.

We have many other deserving girls who dearly needs our support to be educated and empowered to live and take on the responsibility to make sure their children are educated and empowered as well. It is rather unfortunate that as we raise the hope of these girls, we become less capable of meeting their needs due to the long overdue nationwide economic meltdown in Nigeria that makes life more difficult to citizens.

It is even more unfortunate that the Globalgiving has given us just one and final opportunity to have 40 donors donate to our project between Novemebr 28th which is giving Tuesday to December 31st in order to earn a permanent spot on the globalgiving.

On this note, between Nov. 28th to Dec. 31st, we hereby request your usual commitment to fighting for the right to education of girls through Donations. Our project link for Donations is https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/girls-scholarship-program/. No amount is too small or too big to change a life of a deserving girl.

You can also share our project link to your friends,colleaques and all your networks who may be interested in donating to our project and enabling us earn permanet partnership with globalgiving.

Keturah Shammah

for Girls Education Mission International

Dorcas, graduating from School of Economics

It'swell, a teacher and bursar ready to go to work

Dorcas, teaching school girls bead-making

Lois sharing her story to school girls at an event

Itswell, teaching girls on how to stay in school

Dorcas final catering practical project in school

Lois, after closing for work at the clinic

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Sep 26, 2016
You added Credibility to our work

By Keturah Shammah | Executive Director

GEM Team with JUTH management

Dear GEM supporters,

We know we own you updates of our recent development on our activities.

Because we believe that a healthy body leads to less time missed in school for girls and increases productivity in their academic performance, we earlier seek medical support from Patients Safety and Global Support Initiative (PSGSI) for medical support of the girls we support.

Fortunately, we became one of the first organizations to be awarded with the project that will take care of the medical needs of our girls. In their letter of conveyance signed by the CEO of PSGSI, Dr, Oluwole A. Diani, he said in part: “In view of the commendable track record of your organization in the areas of improving the education of girls, Patients Safety and Global Support Initiative is extending a partnership and provision of resources for the implementation of the NCDS High-Impact Community Response in Nigeria (NHICRIN) to your organization”.

In order to enhance performance, PSGSI promised to support us by paying the medical bills of the girls we help send them to school.

On the 14/9/2016 we made the first step to implementing the awarded project as we paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Medical Director of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) to discuss better ways on how Girls Education Mission International and JUTH will in partnership help improve the health and well-being of the Nigerian Girls and Women through the implementation of the Community High Impact Response in Nigeria (NHICRIN). It was actually interesting that we have met the Chief Medical Director himself, Chairman Medical Advisory Committee, Deputy Director Nursing Services and Deputy Director Social work of JUTH who assured us of their partnership to our organization in making sure that health needs of our girls have been met and their well-being improved as well.

We were able to achieve all these because you choose to see the need to support our project. It is your participation that is making our mission possible and our task accomplished. Your tremendous effort of donating to our project added more credibility in what we do and so make our work more recognized and acceptable.

As we celebrates success, it is necessary to remind you know that, in Nigeria, right now while children are resuming to school, there are much number of girls who have no hope of going back to school as a result of the worst economic recession that has ravaged the country and resulting to thewidespread poverty and extreme hunger, kidnappings, killings in rural communities and other unimaginable circumstances. This reminds us that the Nigerian girls need more of your continued support.

We hope for your support to enable us do more for the well-deserved girls in Nigerian

Together, let’s give hope to the hopeless Nigerian Girls!

Note: Until now, we are yet to reach our goal of raising $5000 from 40 Donor to enable us earn a permanent spot on the globalgiving platform. Therefore, your donations will not only send girls to school, but enable us earn a permanent spot on globalgiving platform.

Thank you very much for partnering with us and please send the following link to anyone you think might be interested in donating to our project!https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/help-keep-a-girl-in-school-in-nigeria-for-one-year/

GEM Director signing MoU with PSGSI

Links:

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Jun 28, 2016
TOGETHER, WE PUT SMILES ON REBECCA'S FACE

By Keturah Shammah | Executive Director

Rebecca in her class

Dear Supporters and Friends of GEM,

Warm greetings from Girls Education Mission International with hope you are doing well. As part of our transparency and accountability values, we feel you deserve knowing how you are touching a girl’s life by taking your time to read, think and act more.

Rebecca is a 19 year-old girl who has benefitted from the activities and programs offered by the GEM project you have supported. Rebecca’s parents have no any other Job than farming. Due to the widespread poverty that ravage their community as a result of the national economic meltdown in the country Nigeria, Rebecca was asked to discontinue her education after finishing her primary education. However, Rebecca determined to finish her junior secondary education against all the overwhelming odds. Her success was due to her hard work and determination which compelled us to put smiles on her face by supporting her education financially.

Rebecca, having heard of a pre-arranged marriage by her parents to a man a bit older than her father, she objectively responded, “As the oldest in my family (a poor broken home) and being one of the lucky girls to have finish Primary school among many girls in my community, I would be an example to my younger ones and other girls in my community”. With the money raised from hard farm labor, she was able to start and finish her junior secondary education and finished with good grades and become promoted to senior secondary class. Unfortunately for Rebecca, she had to discontinued with her education due to high increase of school fees and other related cost. Consequently, she developed a high blood pressure that almost took her life.

Hearing about the situation, the GEM project team visited Rebecca in the hospital and having heard from her about her life challenges and detrmination to pursue an education, she was offered a scholarship to re-join school which she joyfully appreciated. With your support, GEM was able to pay a one year tuition fees for Rebecca to continue senior secondary education. Thou Rebecca has now fully resumed school and has since commenced studies, her hope is for GEM to continue to support her education until she finishes secondary education. Rebecca’s one year tuition and exam fee costs $160. And it cost $700 (three academic years) for her to stay and complete her secondary education ($700 includes her three year tuition and exam fee, her final/SSCE exam fees, sanitary pads and school supplies).

May I use this opportunity to appreciate you all our supporters for the consistent and generous donations to our project? You enable us put smiles on the faces of deserving vulnerable girls like Rebecca and also helped us achieve our goals. You are an important part of our community. We Love you and we hope to continue partnering with you. Remember, no amount is too small or too big to DONATE. Together, we shall continue to make many girls smile.

With a gratefull heart,

Girls Education Mission International

Rebecca class taking notes giving by a teacher

Rebecca class

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