Nigeria: ActionAid Egbenn Tackles Girl-Child Education
Chinwe Ochu
This Day (Nigeria) via AllAfrica
Jun 3, 2008
The ActionAid EGBENN Project has continued to support and strengthen different initiatives by civil society organisations to increase the girl-child's access to basic quality education.
Chinwe Ochu in Abuja examines the organisation's activities in Zamfara State, one of the most educationally disadvantaged states in Nigeria ActionAid, an international Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO), has since its formation in 1972, focused on eradicating poverty across the world. Over the past seven years, the organisation has established itself as an anti-poverty agency in Nigeria, impacting on civil society organisations, community mobilisation, utilisation of participatory approaches, policy advocacy and direct impact on the lives of poor people. Recently, the organisation took its advocacy campaign to the North Western States of Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi. The Programme Advisor, Mrs. Azuka Menkiti, said the project's main thrust was to address gender inequality and its attendant negative factors which affect girls' education in the North.
The project was situated within the framework of seeking policy reform and accountability from the education authority at the local, state and national levels with a view to bringing about positive changes in attitude and practice towards the female child. Some of the strategies that were found very effective in achieving the broad objectives Menkiti said include the use of local drama groups and formation of a committee of female role models.
"The project uses drama performed in local languages to sensitise local participating communities on the importance of sending girls to school along with their male counterparts and also to address perceived local barriers including wrong perceptions of girls' education, child marriage, among others.
The Programme Advisor agreed that the formation of Committee of Female Role Models in the three states has paid off. These committees, she said are made up of outstanding successful educated married Moslem women of high integrity who had affected lives in different strata of the various communities.
This strategy, according to her was designed to address the communities' fears that western education for girls is harmful to Islamic beliefs especially as it affects marriage and the role of women under the Sharia.
So far, in Magazawa, a community located about 44km from Gusau the Zamfara State capital is mostly populated with Muslims. Therefore, the incidences of the girl- child non- enrollment in primary schools was prevalent until the Enhancing Girls Basic Education in Northern Nigeria (EGBENN) project got to the community towards the end of 2005. Now, the story is different. Headmaster of the Magazawa Primary School said, out of the 151 students enrolled in the school, 83 are female students, stating that is a miracle since there was no enrollment of students of both sexes before EGBENN.
In Nahuche II community in Bungudu L.G.A of the state, the same reaction trails the project. Comrade Sani Mohammed, the Vice Chairman of the School- based Management Committee in the LGA said, "We are very grateful for the project. There is a lot of improvement in the education of the schoolgirls.
Initially, the enrolment of students was minimal. We now have parents who were not interested in sending their female children to school, are doing so with the aid of this project." He said the community has made a law that would prosecute any parent that refuses to enrol his child in school. Also, two classroom blocks have been built with the aid of the EGBENN project and the LGA chairman.
Substantial progress has also been recorded in Gynakawa community in Bakura LGA of Zamfara State, although not as productive as the rest of the communities because of the distance from civilization. A 68 year old Women Leader in the community, Hajia Hadiza Dodo said through an interpreter that "education for the women and children will benefit the community since women are always at home with the children". To contribute to the success of the project, she said she goes from house to house in the mornings to encourage mothers to bathe and prepare their children for school.
Benefits of the EGBENN project in these communities include reduction in the incidences of girls hawking and early marriage. It has also improved the mental alertness of the enrolled children. Even though some of them still hawk wares, they do that at the end of the school day, they are now more interested in completing their education and making use of the unique opportunity provided them, they are determined to proceed to secondary schools before getting married. Despite being constantly ridiculed by their peers, they are not deterred. Also, there was a remarkable difference in appearance and demeanor between the school- going girls and those who do not attend. A 14-year-old, who is the Head Girl, Zainab Rabiu expressed appreciation for the project on behalf of others. She said she started school at the age of eight due to the encouragement from her parents, adding that she was ready for the future.
Observers say the future of the three communities is bright as the EGBENN project has provided electricity, built new dispensary, first aid boxes for the schools, facilitated by the Local Government Chairman. There is also the reduction of child and maternal mortality rates. In addition to basic primary education for children, EGBENN also conducts adult literacy classes for their mothers. According to the women interviewed, they now co- operate more with their co-wives and treat their husbands better. Also they said there is a remarkable improvement in their family healthcare, as they also learn that in the class. The EGBENN Project has recorded a 43.7 per cent increase in girls' enrolment in primary schools. These major milestones, they said would not have been possible without the help of the Zamfara State Government.
