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.
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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:
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10 Nigerian states have laws that allow husbands to
use physical force against their wives
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60% of women have endured genital
cutting – and in some southern regions as high as 100%
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Women are often forced to marry very young
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Marital rape is not considered a crime
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Hundreds of Nigerian women are sold into prostitution trafficking to "repay" debts
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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. |
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Your support is helping women transform
themselves into  successful, active citizens.
Women come to our offices like this:
44% have never had any formal education
82% do not speak the official language of Nigeria
25% can read and write their name
After one year in Women for Women International Programs:
60% of women say their ability to write has improved
92% feel their health is better
99% say their self-confidence has improved
99% are better able to make family decisions
99% say that their awareness of their rights has increased
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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. 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. |
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“Being in the cooperative makes me feel
very secure
and successful in business
and in life.”
Hauwa Aminu, member of Godiya Women |
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.
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.
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"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.
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