Education for empowered women and girls in Nigeria

Background information

Since 2009, violence by the terrorist militia Boko Haram has rocked north-eastern Nigeria, while the state of Plateau has been plagued by ethnic and religious conflicts since the late 1990s - and the conflicts continue. This has led to the displacement of more than 3 million people and triggered a humanitarian crisis. The situation for women and girls is very precarious. They are most at risk of becoming victims of abduction, sexual violence and forced marriage when they are attacked by armed militia groups.

Single women are left to feed their families on their own. This is difficult due to the structural disadvantages women face in society. Without an education, widowed or single women and women on the run are particularly at risk of falling into extreme poverty or being exploited. Young people are often characterized by violence and insecurity and have few economic prospects. They run the risk of slipping into drug addiction or crime.

Women and young people have the potential to make an enormously important contribution to social cohesion and economic development in Nigeria. In order to strengthen their role in society and offer them prospects, Mission 21 and its partner churches and organizations specifically support women and young people: they promote their personal skills and life skills through vocational training and further education. The focus is on widows and young women who have been victims of Boko Haram attacks, as well as young people from conflict areas who are in need of protection.

Project goals

• Women and girls receive literacy courses if required.
• Particularly vulnerable groups of people are encouraged to claim their rights and can help shape society in a self-determined way. They have the necessary skills to earn their own living.

Target group

The target group of the education projects are vulnerable people from the states of Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna and Plateau, which are characterized by poverty and armed conflict. These include those affected by the Boko Haram crisis and the conflicts between farmers and Fulani militants. One focus is on widowed and single women as well as women and girls who have experienced abduction and sexual violence. The target group also includes young people who are affected by poverty and violence and who are often instrumentalized for violent conflicts and slip into drug addiction.

Activities

• Literacy courses for widows, single women and girls in education centers
• Vocational training for widows, single women and young people in need of protection, fashion design, tailoring, knitting, shoemaking, cosmetics and catering in various training centers as well as for young women and men whose lives are marked by drugs, violence and poverty
• Awarding start-up grants to successful graduates of vocational training programs.
• Workshops, accompanying vocational training, on topics such as personal development, hygiene, women's rights, sexual and gender-based violence, knowledge about trauma and resilience
• Workshops in business management and allocation of start-up capital to set up your own small business
• Workshops for young mothers on nutrition and hygiene and on promoting mother-child health
• Psychological support and trauma management for victims of violence and conflict
• Awareness-raising campaigns on human rights and gender-based violence to strengthen the role and educational opportunities of women and girls.

Project progress

The project participants struggle with many challenges, poor health conditions, fears and trauma. And yet they seize the opportunity for a new perspective: the projects implemented by the EYN women's organizations also offered year-round training in vocational skills in 2025, for example in fashion design, knitting, catering, shoemaking and carpentry. The vocational activities enable people to earn their own income. Start-up kits helped graduates and their families to become self-employed, rent store premises and even offer apprenticeships to other members of the community. In 2025, a new vocational training center was established in Wauro Jabbe, the camp for refugees near Yola, and an existing center was renovated. Training against gender-based violence was also part of the program, according to a need of the project participants. They become «peer educators» within the communities. Project participants receive psychosocial support. Participating men changed their attitude towards more gender equality. In addition, literacy and menstrual hygiene courses were held.