Why do we work in Nigeria?
Imagine that you are a second-class citizen.
As a child, you weren't allowed to progress beyond grammar school. You were sold into marriage. Your husband is legally allowed to beat and rape you.
Ethnic tension erupts, claims lives and then simmers down in constant cycles. You know you could be left a widow at any time, without any means of supporting your family.
This is today's Nigeria. More than 30 years of military rule created a legacy of violence, ruined infrastructure and wide-scale corruption. But its women have hope for the future.
With your help, Women for Women International is working with women in Nigeria to rebuild their lives.
Download the Nigeria PDF to learn more
What you help us do in Nigeria
Our programs in Nigeria include direct financial aid, rights awareness classes, job-skills training and emotional support. The one-year program was developed for Nigeria’s special challenges and demands, and includes vocational training that helps women earn an income and support themselves, through:
Poultry production - working in cooperatives, women in our Poultry Marketing Initiative process and sell poultry to meet the high local demand.
Agriculture — women are taught to plant and harvest crops for sale at local markets and for household consumption.Other courses include:
- Piggery
- Trading
Our Success
Women for Women International has operated in Nigeria since 2000. We are privileged to have Ngozi Eze as our Country Director, overseeing programs that have helped more than 30,000 women in 21 communities.
Of Women for Women International-Nigeria program participants and graduates:
- 86% report improved physical health
- 88% are actively participating in key household decisions
- 80% leave the program with knowledge of their legal rights
- 98% are earning an income
- More than 60% of graduates are saving income to invest in their future
Meet Grace
Grace has had to cope with many tragedies in her young life. At just 28, she had given birth to five children; two of whom died. She worried constantly about not being able to support her family with the work she performed helping her husband on their farm.
For years, all of the money Grace earned from selling produce at the market went to feeding her family — until she enrolled with Women for Women International.
Grace took business courses to learn more about how to run a successful small business. With the sponsorship money she received, she was able to build up her capital, and now she is making enough money to send her children to school.
About her new life, Grace says, "I feel so good about myself."
