Intel Stresses Technology Empowerment for the Girl Child

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World’s leading silicon innovator, Intel once again furthered the need to bridge the gender gap in technology by hosting female beneficiaries of its She Will Connect (SWC) programme, at the Genesis Deluxe Cinema, Victoria Island in Lagos.

Speaking at the occasion, Group Manager, Corporate Affairs, Intel, Babatunde Akinola observed that access to technology has opened up a world of many opportunities for women and the girl child, and it is transforming their roles across the world.Akinola explained that, breaking the stereotypes on appropriate career paths for girls was critical to women’s economic empowerment and employment, noting that, “We started “She Will Connect” with a mission to empower 5 million girls in the next five years. This is the first year running and we are excited that the initiative is already yielding fruits among the beneficiaries present today.”

He reiterated Intel’s commitment to constantly push for gender equality in the world of technology as well as equip young girls and women with digital literacy skills.

One of the beneficiaries, Opeyemi Anifowose, a Fashion designer expressed her gratitude to Intel for the initiative, stating that her participation at one of the training sessions had impacted greatly on her creativity.

Emancipating and empowering the girl child

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THERE is no perfect tool for future development in a nation more than empowering the girl child today. It’s certainly noon for some, dusk for some others, but for the girl child, it is, but a golden dawn, the birth of a new beginning. So, “it’s imperative we begin the search for the black goat before nightfall.”

The Female gender has been marginalized for so long Inequality is undoubtedly so entrenched in our society. The truth is, when the girl child is empowered everybody benefits, because she is the mother of tomorrow. She carries in her womb the continuity of the human race.

Having the right charismatic mentor instill in the girl child the spirit of self confidence, bravery, assertiveness, respect for her body; not giving in to casual sexual desires, knowledge on the importance of education, and make her gain as much information as needed to empower her, should be our utmost priority.

We need to really take decisive and proactive measures to bringing the girl child to a level playing field with the boy child. Gone are the days when women were consigned to the kitchen and taught culinary arts and men pleasing. The gospel of the paradigm shift in the position of the female gender should be carried to our rural communities where the cloak of nescience and back- ward traditional beliefs still hold sway.

The importance of investing in the girl child cannot be overemphasized and should be clearly understood by everyone.

Education, fundamental right of girl child – Aisha Buhari

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The Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has said education is the key that opens the door to opportunities and is the fundamental right of every girl child.

She made this disclosure at an event to commemorate the 2015 edition of Women and Girls Summit organised by the National Centre for Women Development yesterday in Abuja with the theme: “Empowerment and training: Innovating for girl child Education”.

According to her, ‘ It is only by chance that most Nigerian girls rise above the cultural and traditional systems of stratification that continue to cast women as inferior to their male counterparts economically, politically, and socially.’

Mrs Buhari who was represented at the occasion by the wife of the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mrs Alamanda Babadiri Lawal, said that those who escaped such subjugation have done so mostly by being empowered through education, adding that a good education offers Nigerian girl child an opportunity of being a valued member of the society.

“For girls in Nigeria and around the world, education can enable economic independence, political participation, and empower them with the necessary knowledge to activitively and effectively tackle oppressive norms that perpetuate different forms of violence against women and in contrast to the culture of gender inequality that persists, education serves as an avenue of exposure to a cultural alternative,” she said.

Education offers girl child opportunity of being valued in society - Aisha Buhari

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Mrs Aisha Buhari, wife of the President, has said that a good education offered the Nigerian girl child an opportunity of being a valued member of the society.

She said this on Thursday in Abuja during the International Day of the Girl Child Summit, which was organised by the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) and commemorated yearly on October 11, 2015.

The theme of the celebration was ``Empowerment and training: Innovating for Girl-Child education’’.

Mrs Buhari, who was represented by Mrs Alamanda Lawal, wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said education was the key that opened the door to an opportunity to succeed beyond customary measures.

``Education is a fundamental right which is the only chance that most Nigerian girls have to rise above the cultural and traditional systems of stratification;

``That continues to cast women as inferior to their male counterparts, economically, politically and socially.

``A good education offers the Nigerian girl child an opportunity of being a valued member of the society.

``For girls, education can enable economic independence, political participation, and empower them with the necessary knowledge to actively and effectively tackle oppressive norms that perpetuate different forms of violence against women,” she said.

Girl-Child Empowerment - ENGINE launched in Nigeria

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In a bid to strengthen the educational and economic opportunities of the girl-child in Nigeria, Coca-Cola Nigeria and the United Kingdom Department for International Development Girls Education have partnered to launch the the Educating Nigerian Girls in Nigeria Enterprise (ENGINE) as of September 2015.

Speaking on the initiative which was launched simultaneously in Lagos, Kaduna, Abuja and Kano, the Program Manager, ENGINE, Ayodele Fajemilola, disclosed that the Lagos initiative would benefit over 6000 girls.

According to Fajemilola, “A vocational training program will be implemented in five Local Government Areas , namely Kosofe, Ojo, Bariga, Alimosho and Epe and about 6,357 girls will benefit from the program, which is aimed at empowering them educationally and economically.’’  She explained that initiative will empower young females with training modules in four important areas to help them succeed, “The girls will be taught four basic courses, namely, business education, life skills, financial education and savings education,” she said.

Source: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/girl-child-empowerment/220633/

Empowering the girl-child through free, compulsory education

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Issues of concerns over the incidences of violation of the rights of children, especially the girl-child, have been on the top burner in recent times. Reasons are not far-fetched. The girl-child has over the years been taunted as weak and susceptible to societal ills ranging from rape, child labour, female genital mutilation, early marriage, trafficking, being used as baby factories and not admitted into formal education among others, the resultant effect being long term trauma for the victims.

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), denial of rights to formal education is a violation of the child’s right and leads to ignorance, poverty and disease. It is an established fact that failure to invest in tackling headlong the problem of girl-child education leads to serious social and economic consequences leading to losses estimated at 2-8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
As noted by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Dr. Ezekiel Oyemomi, girls and women in Nigeria, as in other developing nations of the world, are systematically disadvantaged and face worse development outcomes than their male counterparts. Some of these challenges are reinforced by age-long prejudices and cultural stereotypes against the development of the girl-child.

Findings from the Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey released on September 10, 2015, carried out by the National Populations Commission (NPC) with support from UNICEF and the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention revealed a high prevalence of violence against children in Nigeria, especially the girl-child.

Banks Urged To Promote Women Empowerment

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Banks have been urged to promote women empowerment and equality in the financial landscape.

The Secretary General, United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, said in a statement made available to our correspondent that investing in women could yield a significant gender dividend.

He urged both public and private sectors at the Women Empowerment Principle Leadership Group meeting in New York to reap the benefit by investing in women and bringing them into leadership position.

Access Bank Plc represented by its Head, Group Human Resources, Mrs. Bolaji Agbede, highlighted several initiatives it was implementing to boost women empowerment and gender equality within the organisation and the Nigerian society at large.

Agbede listed the creation of Access Women Network as one of the organisational initiatives created to support and encourage women in the bank’s employment.

She said, “Outside Access Bank’s strong intermediation role in providing funding and training for women entrepreneurs through our partnership with the International Finance Corporation.

“We are equally aware of the challenges of career women and growing women, and consequently created the Access Women Network platform for women within our organisation to help them attain their personal goals and aspirations through mentoring and support.”

She added that as “the only Nigerian bank that has signed on to the Women Empowerment Principles unveiled in 2009, Access Bank had continued to demonstrate leadership in the area of women empowerment.

Child Labour: A Threat to Nigeria’s Future

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Child labour is so widespread in Nigeria that it has been accepted by many as part of normal life. But the practice is only an aberration which takes away the innocence of millions of children; it is a threat to the future of the country, writes Ebere Nwiro.

The Nigerian NGO’s Report reveals that a staggering 15 million children under the age of 14 are working across Nigeria. Many of these children are exposed to long hours of work in dangerous and unhealthy environments, carrying too much responsibility for their age. Working in these hazardous conditions with little food, small pay, no education and no medical care establishes a cycle of child rights violation. 

While children have always worked in Nigeria, the figures have significantly increased over the years. The end of the oil boom in the 70s, coupled with mounting poverty, has driven millions of children into labour.

The difficulties faced by the Nigerian child should really be looked into, as they have proven over the years that they are problems which are here to stay. Recent studies and reports, especially from the International Labour Organization (ILO) show that child labour has been made worse in recent times because some of these children have no solid background, no education and no parental care. In the circumstances, they become street hawkers. They work in the streets during the day, and work even at night in some cases. Such lifestyles become very dangerous and nomadic types of life. There is little wonder therefore, that the future of these children is very dark and bleak.

Many argue that child labour is associated with poverty. And, they believe that until concrete measures are taken to tackle and reduce poverty, child labour will continue to be with us. They say that parents and guardians who push their wards towards paid or unpaid labour do not do so as a matter of preference, most of them usually do so because they have been left with no other choice. Some do so because they are widowed and the means by which they can look after the family is severely limited.

Airtel empowering the less privileged in Nigeria through Airtel Touching Lives

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Airtel Nigeria’s revolutionary television programme, Airtel Touching Lives Season 2, enters episode 3 this Sunday, January 31st as the telco reaffirms its commitment to less privileged members of the society.

The episode 3 takes viewers to the city of Ibadan, Oyo State, capturing how Airtel came to the aid of less privileged kids. From same episode, viewers will also see how a 47 year-old man, Gbenga Adesida who was born blind was empowered to deal with the situation and other challenges.

The repeat broadcast of the compelling stories in episode 3 can be viewed on Africa Magic Family 154 on Saturdays 8pm to 8.30pm; Africa Magic Urban on Thursdays 7.30pm to 8.00pm; AIT on Sundays by 6.30pm to 7pm; NTA on Wednesdays by 8.30pm to 9.00pm and Arewa 24 TV on Sundays by 7.00pm to 7.30pm.

In episode 2, viewers saw how the telco gave lifeline to a man who battled an unknown, debilitating disease for several years. It also captured how Airtel employed innovative means to help several women and children in a community in Osun State.

The maiden episode of the show, showed how Airtel fulfilled its promise to Season 1 beneficiary, Mr. Essien Obong, a mathematician/software writer who became blind after an armed robbery attack. The telco came to his aid by providing him with a customized laptop, bespoke braille machine and other computer software to support him.

Impacting On Lives Of Less-Privileged Through Charity Organisations

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IMPACTING positively on the welfare of the less privileged, the orphans and perhaps, the elderly requires a great deal of sincerity, love and care and most importantly, fear of God as well as to a very large extent, patient on the part of the particular individuals behind the initiative. Charity organisation, also known as non-governmental organisation is inadvertently, a very important result-oriented platform through which the desired and sustainable turning around of the lives of the needy in the society can be guaranteed. To a very large extent, it is a realistic instrument designed with the aim of rendering certain free services in the area of education, financial assistance and medical services for different categories of such individuals so as to give them a sense of belonging.

The alarming rate of poverty in our society today, in addition to the undesirable circumstances that surrounds many individuals, particularly the orphans and those that are suffering from one form of perpetual health deformity or the other, calls for passionate concern by the relevant government’s authorities, corporate organisations and well meaning individuals. In advanced societies like UK, India, America and the rest of them, issues bordering on socio-economic well being of the less privileged are always treated with utmost priority. Although, there may be several NGOs in Nigeria but the fact remains that not many of them keep to their conventional social responsibility of assisting the people with some challenges without attaching how much profit he or she stands to derive from it at the end of the day and this scenario strongly negates the aims and objectives of NGOs in totality. Non-Governmental Organisations are supposed to, as much as possible, put profit making agenda aside as they are established to bring the much needed succor to the people.

Source: http://thepointernewsonline.com/?p=22768

58 killed, 78 injured in Dikwa IDP camp attack

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The National Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday, confirmed 58 people lost their lives and 78 other victims were injured after suicide bombers detonated explosives at the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Dikwa, Borno State.

Emergency workers reported that the incident occurred when the IDPs queued up to collect their morning food ration in a camp that currently accommodates over 50, 000 people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

The Zonal Coordinator of NEMA in the North East, Mohammed Kanar, said some of those killed had been buried while the injured were moved to unnamed medical facilities.

Responding on Wednesday evening, the Nigerian government circulated a statement condoling with families of victims of the Dikwa attack.“On behalf of the federal government of Nigeria, Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, expresses his profound condolences to the families of the victims of yesterday’s suicide bombing of an IDP camp in Dikwa, Borno State, and also the entire people and government of the state,” a statement by the vice president’s office said.

The IDPs: Lasting Ways To Re-Build Their Lives With Full Re- Integration In Nigeria

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In the history of Nigeria, a major unlimited crisis or national outbreak that will face us for a very long time is the issue of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) which is due to nature, tribal, religious induced conflicts and Boko Haram devastation especially.

Certainly, donating all sorts of relief materials to these involuntary migrants within their own country is a gesture that is needed more than ever at this time.

But with no adequate statistics on the numbersand whereabouts of the IDPs, fullysatisfying their basic needs remain a growing challenge. So identifying these persons in terms of their numbers and locations and then coordinating their care is a task that should continue aggressively.

Per the Government’s directives, forfeited materials and relief items in various Customs warehouses are being distributed to located IDPs and this is a good move but these items’ medical fitness and usage, must constantly be checked on. Especially, when they include food, clothing and other living items.

Any meaningful committee on matters relating to the IDPs must go beyond the typical or old style drawing process as in getting persons from various government agencies like the Police, Customs Service, Immigration Service and NGOs. There is a present day need to include or continue to engage clinicians and researchers from Universities, teaching and specialist centers as these psychosocial, psychiatric, psychological, social work, educational, childcare, medical, nutritional, vocational, physical planning and other related expertise know much more about the short and long terms needs of the IDPs.

2016 Budget and poverty alleviation

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By all accounts, the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to redeem his campaign promise of removing millions of Nigerians out of poverty is significant and exceptional. Analysts observe that although successive administrations initiated various measures and policies aimed at alleviating abject poverty among Nigerians, such efforts have not yielded meaningful results.

A World Bank’s global poverty rating placed Nigeria among the five poorest countries in the world. The report revealed that most Nigerians lived on less than one dollar per day. Jim Yong Kim, the World Bank President, while releasing the report at the April 4, 2014 IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in New York, emphasised that Nigeria had one of the largest concentration of poor people. According to him, seven per cent of the world poor live in Nigeria in spite of the rebasing of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that ranked it as the largest economy in Africa.

Concerned about this development, President Muhammadu Buhari has earmarked N500 billion for social welfare packages to the vulnerable persons. This is contained in the administration’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper presented to the National Assembly. Buhari said that the Federal Government would collaborate with state governments in the implementation of the N500 billion social welfare packages to the vulnerable. “The Federal Government will collaborate with state government to institute well structured social welfare intervention programmes such as school feeding programme initiatives, conditional cash transfer to the most vulnerable,’’ he said. According to him, these interventions will start as pilot scheme and work towards securing the support of donor agencies and development partners to minimise potential risks. He said that the government would create a phased social welfare programme to cater for a larger population of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians.

Also, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, assured Nigerians of the Federal Government’s commitment to their welfare. He insisted that provisions made in the 2016 budget would reduce the sufferings of Nigerians, noting that the measures would be targeted at unemployed graduates, market women, artisans and farmers, among others. “We are aiming to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty through massive social interventions,’’ Mohammed said.

According to him, the school feeding programme that will provide one meal per day to school children, the conditional transfer of N5,000 monthly to 25 million most vulnerable Nigerians and access to loans by different categories of people, are among the measures for which provisions have been made in the 2016 budget. “In addition to providing succour, these measures will also stimulate the economy; just imagine the impact on the poultry sector alone if, for example, one egg is given daily to one million school children,’’ he said.

Poverty Eradication Efforts in Nigeria

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Successive regimes in Nigeria have tried different policies and programmers geared towards reducing the level of poverty in the society through a number of ways.  First, through the activities of its ministries/agencies; second, by collaborating with international agencies; third, and more importantly, through the establishment of agencies equipped solely to fight rising poverty and unemployment in Nigeria.

The Joda Panel, established at the inception of the civilian administration of Obasanjo to review the various poverty eradication programmers of the previous regimes, identified over twenty such institutions.  They are:

i.                 The National Directorate of Employment (NDE)

ii.                Peoples Bank of Nigeria (PBN)

iii.               Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative Bank Ltd (NACB)

iv.               Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC)

v.                 National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE)

vi.               National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA)

vii.              National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA)

viii.             National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education

ix.                Federal Agricultural Coordinating Unit (FACU)

x.                 Directorate for Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructures (DFFRI)

xi.                Agricultural Projects Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (APMEU)

xii.               Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP)

xiii.              Industrial Development Centre (IDC)

xiv.              Federal Department of Rural Development (FDRD)

xv.               Federal Ministries of Agriculture, Water Resources and Power and Steel

xvi.              River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs)

xvii.             Family Support Trust Fund (FSTF)

xviii.           National Centre for Women Development (CWD)

xix.             Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry (NBCI)

xx.              Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB)

xxi.             Nigerian Export-Import Bank

xxii.            National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND)

Perhaps a note on some of these institutions and programmes may be useful especially when some of them were designed to deal with the problems of poverty directly while others do it indirectly. 

The River Basin Development Authorities established by Decree 37 of August 1976 is one of the earliest attempt at combating poverty via improved agricultural production.  The main objective of the RBDAs is the economic exploitation and management of the land water resources of their respective areas of operation with particular but varying emphasis on the development of agriculture, fishing, human settlement, infrastructural facilities and industry as well as the improvement of their environment.  

The Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) enunciated in 1979 by Gen. Obasanjo’s military regime is another indirect effort at poverty eradication.  The program had the specific focus of increasing food production on the premise that availability of cheap food will raise the nutritional level of the ordinary Nigerian and invariably lead to high per capita income and improved standard of living.  OFN lasted until Shagari’s civilian government (1979-83) took over.  

World Bank report on poverty in Nigeria

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It is indeed a shame that for all her Gross National Income (GNI), Nigeria would be rated so highly in global poverty index.

The recent assessment by the World Bank on the situation of poverty in the world, where it ranked Nigeria third among world’s ten countries with extreme poor citizens is so worrisome and has once again provided reason to query what the government is doing about the endemic poverty as well as the usefulness of the recent rebasing of the Nigerian economy. This newspaper feels that the woeful result of the World Bank report is a very necessary wake up call on the Nigerian government to rethink its systems and policies that have continued to increase poverty in the country.

From the assessment, the World Bank established that Nigeria with about 170 million population falls among countries with extreme poverty whose over 70% population live on $1.25 (N200) or even less per day.  Specifically, the report revealed that 7% of the 1.2 billion people living below poverty line in the world are Nigerians. The report stated thus: “The fact is that two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor are concentrated in just five countries: India, China, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). If you add another five countries: Indonesia, Pakistan, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya, the total grows to 80 per cent of the world’s extreme poor.” Our survey discovered that the World bank ranked these countries based on their population and their share of the 1.2 billion extreme poor people in the world thus: India (33%), China (13%), Nigeria (7%), Bangladesh (6%), DRC (5%), Indonesia (4%), Pakistan (3%), Tanzania (3%), Ethiopia (2%) an Kenya (1%).

For this very poor result to be the fortune of a country that was recently rebased and declared by the national bureau of statistics (NBS) to have a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $510 billion (over N8o trillion), and as such the largest economy in Africa and the 26^th largest economy in the world, is grossly condemnable and most unacceptable. It is indeed a shame that for all her Gross National Income (GNI), Nigeria would be rated so highly in global poverty index. We feel the story should have been the reverse. It is so saddening to note that less than 10% of the country’s population amasses and controls over 90% of the country’s wealth and resources, causing so much poverty and leaving so many citizens dying of hunger and disease. The consequence has since manifested in the high rate of crime and insecurity in the country. This is rather most unfortunate. 

Among the causes of the endemic poverty in Nigeria as stated by the World bank report include harmful economic and political systems, national conflict and violence, human rights abuses, weak government effectiveness and efficiency, weak respect for rule of law, weak control of corruption, environmental conditions and changes, and population growth and changes. All of these are easily identified with Nigeria. But we feel that none of them would account for acute poverty in Nigeria as that concerning weak control of corruption. There is an incredible high rate of corruption in Nigeria, which has seen Transparency International (TI) ranking her equally very poorly in the global corruption index. 

Rural poverty in Nigeria

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The Federal Republic of Nigeria has a population of more than 160 million – the largest in Africa – and a fast-growing economy. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, contributing about 40 per cent of GDP. The agriculture sector employs approximately two-thirds of the country's total labour force and provides a livelihood for about 90 per cent of the rural population. Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava, yam and cowpea – all staple foods in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a major producer of fish. Yet it is a food-deficit nation and imports large amounts of grain, livestock products and fish.

Nigeria's huge agricultural resource base offers great potential for growth. Recent government policies have started to show results: The agricultural sector reportedly grew by 7 per cent a year between 2003 and 2007, and at a slightly lower rate in recent years.

Still, the area of land under cultivation could be doubled. Of an estimated 71 million hectares of arable land, only about half is presently under production. And there is substantial scope for an increase in irrigation, which now covers only 7 per cent of irrigable land. Irrigation and other inputs would substantially increase average yields for major staple crops, which are below those in other developing countries.

Despite Nigeria's plentiful agricultural resources and oil wealth, poverty is widespread in the country and has increased since the late 1990s. Some 70 per cent of Nigerians live on less than US$1.25 a day.

Poverty is especially severe in rural areas, where up to 80 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, and social services and infrastructure are limited. The country's poor rural women and men depend on agriculture for food and income. About 90 per cent of Nigeria's food is produced by small-scale farmers who cultivate small plots of land and depend on rainfall rather than irrigation systems.

The poorest groups eke out a subsistence living but often go short of food, particularly during the pre-harvest period. The productivity of the rural population is also hindered by ill health, particularly HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Women play a major role in the production, processing and marketing of food crops. Yet women and households headed solely by women are often the most chronically poor members of rural communities. Men have higher social status and, as a result, more access to schooling and training. In recent decades, the number of men migrating from rural areas in search of employment has increased, and the number of households headed solely by women has grown substantially.

Activist decries high poverty rate among Nigerian women

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“There will be no nation without women; hence when women are impoverished, the nation will also be impoverished” – UI’s Vice Chancellor.

A human rights activist, Mashood Erubami, has decried the high rate of poverty among women in Nigeria.

Mr. Erubami, the Director, Centre for Human Rights and Ethics in Development (CHRED), said this in a lecture he delivered at the 5th Professor Awe Annual Inspirational Lecture held at the University of Ibadan.

In the lecture titled “Women: Politics and Poverty, Implication for the Nation,” Mr. Erubami said that a country where more than half of its population representing women are poor is not a healthy nation.

He said when majority of women in any country are poor, they would resort to negative practices, such as prostitution, drug peddling, women trafficking and stealing.

To confront the challenges posed by poverty, Mr. Erubani called on women to forge active alliance and drop the idea of “we can’t do it and hoist the confidence of we can”.

The activist also called on the government to move beyond the ratification of international covenants on women and girls’ rights, by taking concrete steps to implement such rights.

Empowered To Empower Initiative (E2E) - About Us

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Empowered to Empower Initiative is a non-profit making organization registered in Nigeria with the core competence of ensuring that rural women are psychologically and financially empowered for a better livelihood; considering the abject poverty ravaging our rural communities.

Looking at the poverty level in our rural communities, United State Agency for International Development (USAID) released a damming report on the food insecurity level of Nigeria stating that about 138.6million Nigerians live on less than N302 ($2) per day, representing 92% of Nigeria’s total population (Tim Previth, MD USAID Market, during International Telecom Development Summit hosted by NCC in Abuja).

This report is alarming, but to us, it is challenging. Therefore, these rural women are enlightened and trained to start up petty businesses to beat the monster called POVERTY out of their lives. They were born in poverty, they have been living in it and it’s so bad with them that eating two square meals a day is a luxury and education is entirely something else.

Because women are better managers of resources, we look to:

• Reduce poverty within the rural women to the best minimum level
• Create a stream of income for the household
• Build a strong women empowerment network
• Ensure financial independence of the rural woman

E2E LAUNDRY AND DRY CLEANING ABUJA

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Empowered2Empower (E2E) Initiative is an NGO targeted at less privileged women who can be inspired to make a living for themselves as well as be delivered from the shackles of an impoverished life.
E2E Laundry & Dry cleaning service is an avenue to raise funds to support the NGO and provide qualitative service to the busy metropolitan populace of ABUJA at a very affordable and highly competitive price. Revenue realized from the Laundry and Dry cleaning is used to augment the finance needed to run the E2E initiative successfully.

The Laundry and Dry cleaning offers the following services:

• FREE PICKUP AND DELIVERY (Anywhere in F.C.T)
• WASHING
• IRONING
• DRY CLEANING
• GARMENT ALTERATION AND MODIFICATION

.......and many more!
YOU CAN CALL TO PLACE YOUR ORDER AND ARRANGE FOR PICKUP on the following lines:

• 07030663269
• 08032152220
• 08173486721

Or mail all needed details for pickup (Pickup Address, Delivery Address Phone Number, Suitable time and date for pickup and delivery) to: 

• azodecharles@gmail.com
• dadreamersworld@gmail.com

Women empowerment as a panacea to poverty eradication in Nigeria

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As the biggest oil exporter with the largest natural gas reserves in Africa and accounting for about 49% of West Africa’s population; Nigeria is the most populous country in black Africa, with an approximate 158 million people. Interestingly, Nigeria’s economy witnessed an all-time high growth rate of 7.6% between 2003 and 2010. But unfortunately, over 63% of its population still wallows in abject poverty, living below $1 per day (World Bank). The million dollar question is: Why has poverty eradication attempts failed in Nigeria, despite the vast human and natural resources?

Despite several attempts by successive governments at mitigating the problem, little or no success has been recorded. Yet huge sums have been expended by governmental and non-governmental agencies in this direction. However, this cannot be unconnected to wanton corruption, income inequality, political instability, conflicts and ineffective public policies. In addition, poverty eradication drive, has suffered huge setbacks as a result of institutionalised hypocrisy in the guise of poverty alleviation and rural-poor economic empowerment interventions. Fraudulent non- governmental organisations (NGOs) and individuals have cashed in on the dire situation, in the process defraud both foreign and local donor agencies of millions of dollars at the expense of the majority poor. In a bit to ‘justify’ their so-called empowerment schemes, they churn out fictitious names of beneficiaries, figures, projects and non-existent locations. All in an effort to divert
funds supposedly meant for the rural and urban poor’s economic empowerment. Suffice to mention however, that there are exceptions to the above assertion – but rare.

Going through the history of attempts by government to arrest the soaring rate of poverty in the country, one cannot but see the disconnection between the schemes on the one hand and solutions to poverty on the other, which unarguably lies in women’s active participation in the process. From the 1972 National Accelerated Food Production Programme and Nigerian Agricultural and Cooperative Bank, to the 1976: Operation Feed the Nation; then Green Revolution of 1979; Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure in 1986, then Family Support Programme and the Family Economic Advancement Programme of 1993 and recently National Poverty Alleviation Programme. Except for the Family Support Programme and Family Economic Advancement Programme that tried unsuccessfully to directly include women in the fight against poverty, none of these schemes placed women in an active role; hence, there lies the crux of the matter.

Save the Woman, Save the Family!!!

All for one, One for all

Poverty is regarded as a state of deprivation and is manifested in illiteracy, lack of access to food, water, poor housing and inability to meet basic ends’ meet. The prevalence of poverty however presents a paradox of the country’s natural and human resources endowment. An assessment of the incidence of poverty in Nigeria shows that poverty has worsened in Nigeria since the 1980s. While many Nigerians, especially women, are worse off than their male counterparts. It is against this backdrop, that poverty reduction becomes one of the most urgent challenges facing the Nigerian government.

Poverty reduction has always be a focal point in Nigeria in spite of successive government changes. The daunting challenges however, remain challenge of understanding the dimensions and causes of poverty, and developing appropriate and effective strategies to eradicate poverty in the country. The incidence, depth and severity of poverty among women are so much. In Nigeria today, most people live on a mere N120 (less than $1) a day, hence such people are regarded as those enmeshed in poverty.

Apparently, a chunk of the nation’s population lack basic amenities, adequate health care, shelter and good jobs. It should however be noted that of the high preponderance of poverty amongst Nigerians, Nigerian women are the most affected. This is not unconnected with the fact that they are often marginalized in various spheres in the society. From decision-making process, politic, religious, social spheres as well as on issues relating to employment opportunities, economic opportunities among others.

 The Nigerian women precarious position in the society is not helped by the malaises they are vulnerable to, such as domestic violence, illiteracy, high maternal mortality, low income and poverty, women trafficking, political and social marginalization, that have been to the chagrin of many feminist group in the country. Admittedly, copious data on poverty in Nigeria indicate that about 70% of poor Nigerians are women. Indeed a substantial percentage of such women are said to live below the nationally and internationally defined poverty line, lacking access to basic necessities of life such as basic education, basic nutrition, adequate health and social services.

Sociologically, Nigerian women are known to be extensively preoccupied with diverse complex roles as mothers, workers and household keepers-taking care of their husbands, children and their extended families. The Nigerian women are dominant in the agricultural sector, ensuring the propagation of most food stuffs in Nigerian market.

70% of Nigerian women are living below poverty line – Former Minister

All for one, One for all

The  former minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, said 70% of Nigerian women are living below poverty line.

She disclosed this during her Advocacy meeting with Women, Children and other Vulnerable Groups in Jos, Plateau state.

According to her, “Several inter-related socio-economic factors have led to poor economic status of a large segment of Nigerian women, such that 70% of people living below the poverty line are women.

“I encourage you all to work more to improve economic empowerment for women and persons with disabilities because this is the only sure way for the advancement of vulnerable groups".

Speaking on women’s increased participation and decision-making in politics, the former minister said, “Politics is said to be a game of number. Yet women’s numerical strength has not impacted positively on the political life and decision making structures of the nation, due to unfavorable political environment characterized by violence".

She maintained that, “The imbalance in political representation is so grave. Progressive agitation for 35% Affirmative Action in favor of women to bridge gender gaps in both elective and selective posts at all levels by 2015 is worthwhile experience so far, especially at the federal level where we now have 13 women as cabinet Ministers, representing 33% of the Federal Executive Council".

Zainab decried that, many Nigerian women die prematurely, especially from preventable circumstances, because of inadequate “health incentives for health personnel, ignorance and cultural taboos”.

Leaning In While Black: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s manifesto for Women

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James Brown may have left this mortal coil, but one of his most famous pronouncements is as true today as in 1966: “This is a man’s world.” Only 17 of the world’s 193 countries are led by women; in the United States, women hold just 14 percent of executive officer positions and 18 percent of congressional seats.Numerous researchers have looked into why this glass ceiling persists. In a 2003 study on gender, success and likeability, professors from Columbia Business School and New York University found that a successful “Howard” is viewed as more appealing than a “Heidi” with identical accomplishments and personality traits. Women’s careers are also hampered by a culture that insists that men should be primary providers and women primary nurturers and housekeepers, forcing women to make hard decisions between work and family. And that is just a fraction of the story of inequity. It is no wonder many women back away from their ambition.According to Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and author of the self-described feminist manifesto Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, this disparity in power and achievement can be attributed to systemic gender inequality and cultural biases, but also to something else: the way women are acculturated to respond, often subconsciously, to these factors. Sandberg calls on women to “lean in”: to act with boldness and confidence; to “sit at the table” where decisions are made; to choose life partners who support their careers; and to not put those careers on hold for marriage and babies before those things are a reality.

Diaspora Report: Domestic Violence High in Egypt, Affecting Women's Reproductive Health

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Violence against women is a costly and pervasive public health problem and a violation of human rights. In Egypt, a third of women are physically abused by their husbands, according to the 2005 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). Most victims suffer silently and don’t seek help to prevent or stop the violence because they think it is part of life or they are embarrassed by the abuse.

In 1996, the World Health Assembly declared violence against women to be a major public health problem that urgently needed to be addressed by governments and health organizations. Gender-based violence causes a host of health problems that drain health systems' resources, limit women's growth and productivity, and hinder governments from achieving their national goals related to health and women’s empowerment. The impact on women's health, in particular, is well documented. Domestic violence is a major cause of disability and death among women worldwide, and puts women at a higher risk for unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. Gender-based violence has also been linked to increased risk of gynecological disorders and pregnancy complications, and violence during pregnancy can cause serious harm to both the mother and fetus.