Joy Adere is one of the five recipients of Young African Women Leaders” (YAWL) grants program, a Michelle Obama– inspired State Department initiative intended to support women activists throughout Africa in their efforts to enable, empower, and enrich the daily lives of African women and girls in rural villages or crowded urban slums. In a way that no person would expect, AGEN has been astonished by the
speed with which AGEN-Nigeria develops. Mrs. Joy Aderele Coordinator AGEN-Nigeria (far right in both photos. She is in pink and so the background of the article to honor her exceptional success) has teamed up with other NGOs to impact the lives of grassroots women in remotest areas of Nigeria. The project is titled: Increasing Access of Married Female Adolescents to Education in Northern Nigeria whose goal is to Eliminate illiteracy and increase economic opportunities through academic & vocational training of 100 married female Adolescents in Northern Nigeria by the end
of project year. Project objectives include: provide academic education (Basic English, Math and Entrepreneurship class) to 100 married adolescents in project States; Provide vocational training (Sewing, Hair-dressing, bead-making & Catering) to 100 married adolescents in project States; Enhance the life skills of 100 married adolescents in 2 Local Government Areas; Improve the quality of life of 100 married adolescents in2 Northern communities; Establish a critical mass of stakeholders that will enhance the sustainability of beneficiaries activities at the community level and document and share project experience and lessons learntwith stakeholders.
All of this is done because early marriage, one of the biggest challenge to grassroots women empowerment, is an important potential contributor to illiteracy for adolescent girls in northern Nigeria; this has led to low access to economic opportunities and hence poverty. 75 percent of young women who live in rural areas of North East or North West Nigeria have never been to school. Similarly, 64 percent of young women in North East Nigeria and 71 percent of young women in North West Nigeria are illiterate as divulged by Nigeria Population Council & AHIP in 2006. All of this is amidst the fact that the Child Rights Act was enacted in 2003 by the Federal Government of Nigeria but governments of many states in the country lag behind in its implementation. Most distressing is that younger girls are married
off to older men at a tender age and their economic opportunities and livelihood are hampered. Most of these married adolescents cannot read and write because they were taken out of school and married off to older men at tender age of 13 years or less; just imagine what would you at that age. The fact that they are being married at an early age is not all that they experience, their economic opportunities are shattered
because they have no any means of livelihood especially when their husbands marry younger wives and neglect them and their children as Mrs Adele and her fellow awardees argue.
If we could clarify more on the project 100 married adolescents in Nasarawa State Northern Nigeria will be educated and mentored, over a period of 9 months. The biggest innovation of the project is that married adolescent who have stopped schooling or have never been to school will be given access to education outside the
conventional school system that does not admit pregnant women or nursing mother. They will learn the basics – how to read and write simple English language,basic Mathematics and Entrepreneurial/vocational classes such as sewing, hairdressing, bead-making and catering. Indirectly, these educated and empowered women will value education and educate their children, hereby eradicating/reducing generational illiteracy. Also, the training will involve vocational training that will result in
access to economic opportunities to elevate their standard of living. Affirmative Action on Gender Equality Network (AGEN) partners on this project with U.S. Embassy in Nigeria,Adolescent Girls Initiative, Centre for Learning and Strategic Studies (CLASS) and Africa Girl-Child Empowerment (AGE) Initiative. Project will take place
at Akwanga and Lafia, both communities are in Nasarawa State in Northern Nigeria.
My fellow dedicated AGEN members the bottom line here is that AGEN members from all over Sub-Saharan Africa should make use of whatever resources we have to advance women’s empowerment all over the region. What Mrs. Joy Aderele Coordinator AGENNigeria tells us here is that take action right now because AGEN’s vision and
mission are very clear; the fact that we the best of the best in the world came together means that we can do anything today; right now. Our mission says that, “To help women and men cope with the impact of fast globalizing world, we will invest in women and men through cutting edge monitoring and empowerment techniques; the end
product will be empowered women and men capable of navigating a fast globalizing world and be free from the cycle of poverty We will also identify opportunities available in local and international contexts and invest to sustain benefits of our intervention.” Mrs. Joy Aderele (but she manages all others and the one who signed the contract at the embassy) and her fellow will both empower the women and monitor progress to ensure sustainability. The opportunities that Ms Adere has made use of are NGOs available in the country (local context) and the US mission (international context) in Nigeria to invested in those and sustain benefits obtained. In other words, the AGEN Spotlight will start to go public to share the two ongoing projects in both Tanzania and Nigeria. This is one of the greatest achievements within a short time from launching our greatest international NGOs. I am so happy that we can now boast of two ongoing projects in two impoverished countries (but with many resources) of Sub-Saharan Africa. AGEN’s dedicated member get ready to give your full support intellectually, politically, economically, socially, and culturally to make this project, and that one in Tanzania, the most successful in the world. I on the other hand, will ensure that Joy Adere is aware of and gets all of the US government documents necessary to manage US funds. We will write reports together and do whatever it takes to succeed. What I can guarantee is that Adere
is one of the most dedicated and creative member. I assure you that AGEN chapter in
Nigeria will excel because all of us will work towards that end.
-By Rasel Madaha (information extracted from AGEN-NIGERIA AND US Mission in
Nigeria)
