Nigeria.
Years of corrupt military rule, tribal conflicts, famine and weak economic policies have created problems for all Nigerians – but especially women. Although the 1999 Constitution calls for basic human rights for all and freedom from gender discrimination, nearly 10 years later women all over Nigeria endure astounding miseries:
- 10 out of 36 Nigerian states have laws that allow husbands to use physical force against their wives
- 60% of women have endured genital cutting – and in some southern regions as high as 100%
- Women are often forced to marry very young
- Marital rape is not considered crime
- Hundreds of Nigerian women are sold into prostitution trafficking to "repay" debts
Conditions are worse for the thousands of widows.
Because girls marry so young, widows are only in their late teens or 20s. Unfair laws prevent women from inheriting their husband's property, often leaving them and their children in extreme poverty. And the number of women widowed grows. Continued regional conflicts leave hundreds of women widowed each year, forcing them to find a way to care for themselves and their children.
Your support is helping women transform themselves into successful, active citizens.
Of the women who come to our offices:
- 29% have never had any formal education
- 80% do not speak the official language of Nigeria
- 28% can read and write more than their name
After one year in Women for Women International Programs:
- 86% report improvements in their own health and 88% report improvements in their families health
- 71% report improvements in housing conditions
- 85% report more self-confidence
- 86% report improvements in their economic situation
- 84% report having a greater knowledge of their rightsDonate Now
What's even more amazing is how the Nigerian women are using your generous donations to unite their communities with cooperative businesses.
In a country where religious and ethnic diversity often creates conflict and turmoil, it's positively inspirational to see how Women for Women International graduates are working together to succeed
Meet the Godiya women
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After graduating from their Women for Women International program, 50 women united their skills and resources to produce and successfully market peanut oil. The cooperative not only provides extra support, but also helps the women make their resources go further. Godiya women recently acquired a store, pooled their funds to buy a processing machine to extract oil from the nuts, and have now installed electricity and started processing their first batch of peanuts.
“Being in the cooperative makes me feel very secure and successful in business and in life.”
Hauwa Aminu, member of Godiya Women
Sponsor a Woman Like Victoria Now!
Victoria is a 28 year-old widow with 2 young children – a 9-year old son and 6-year old daughter.
Before joining Women for Women International, Victoria was a peasant who had to give up her dream of getting a teaching certificate, so she could work to feed her children.
With the help of her sponsor, Victoria began making snacks to sell at the local market and was able to re-enroll in teaching courses. She is now a nursery school teacher and is also teaching women in her village to read and write.
Your donation today helps ensure progress and prosperity for the women of Nigeria!
So far 2,200 program graduates have started over 115 cooperative businesses. Over 3,000 women from 21 communities are feeling the benefits of our programs. Your support also allows us to hold training for men and male community leaders to inform them of women's rights and to help them become advocates for women.
"I now started a trade … with the sponsorship funds. I am now the breadwinner for the family; I even make decisions that are strictly followed simply because I am economically empowered."
Asabe, a participant in our program.
Outreach
Ngozi Eze, Nigeria Country Director
Ngozi Eze, shown here speaking to a graduating class and community leaders, has been the Country Director in Nigeria since 2003. In 2005, Ngozi received the Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award for making a difference in the lives of thousands of survivors of civil conflict in her home country of Nigeria.
