Vocational training and education for women in Nigeria

Women in Nigeria: Caught between poverty, exclusion and violence

Against all odds, Saratu from Borno State in Nigeria did everything she could to take control of her life and create a positive future for herself and her family. She was forced to leave her old life behind when the Islamist group Boko Haram was on the rise and forcibly displaced civilians. Saratu fled with her family to Bauchi State, west of Borno. She was relieved to find safety for herself and her children. There she joined the Women for Women International programme, which changed her life forever: After three months, Saratu was able to open a business selling bean cakes and earn a secure income with the help of her monthly allowance. Shortly after, Saratu also joined a local savings group with other women from her community. "We save money, give each other loans for our businesses and support each other in difficult times." Saratu gained a new perspective on her rights as a woman in society. The programme gave her hope and self-confidence: "Now that I can save money for the future of my family, I feel incredibly strong."

Background

Although Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy, about 52 million women are affected by poverty and live on less than 1.90 US dollars a day (BMZ, 2021, Ifeanyi et al., 2019). Nigeria’s women face many pressures: Their access to education and to reliable information about their rights and health is limited (UNDP, 2021). Girls are less likely to be allowed to attend school – and thus have fewer opportunities to work and earn their own money later on. Conflicts in the country and male-dominated structures encourage discrimination against women and girls and often lead to violence against them. Forced marriage at an early age (UNICEF, 2021), discrimination against girls and women in education and lack of voice are commonplace (UNDP, 2021). In regions characterised by instability, poverty and conflict, women are often affected by (sexualised) violence – and the presence of extremist groups exacerbates this trend. Women in Nigeria bear the brunt of poverty and violence; they are given little recourse to their rights, which they are often unaware of. However, women are the linchpin of families and communities. Only by promoting women and their potential to bring peace can Nigeria achieve long-term stability.

The good deed

With today's good deed you support Nigerian women on their way out of poverty, isolation and violence. You enable a woman from Nigeria to take 4 hours of a one-year vocational training in order to lead a self-determined life. The women in Nigeria enrol in the programme Helping Women to Help Themselves of Women for Women International. Together with 25 other women, they learn in classes how to earn and save money, improve their health and that of their families. They learn how to make their voices heard - at home and in their community. The participants receive a monthly seed money. They form so-called village savings groups so that mutual financial security can be created. The trainings in health, women's rights and peace, as well as the vocational training, ensure a lasting, verifiable improvement in the living conditions of marginalised, conflict-affected women in northern Nigeria. The project gives the women new self-confidence: They earn their own money, know their rights and participate in household decisions. They send their daughters to school, which benefits entire families and communities.