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ADRA Seeks to Improve Household Incomes through Women's Literacy Project in Nigeria For more information, contact:
John Torres, Senior Public Relations Manager To donate to
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SILVER SPRING, Md.—“I never had a chance to go to school,” said Beatrice Osuntade, a 60-year old woman from Ile-Ife, a town in southwestern Nigeria, who was recently accepted into the Women Empowerment Project (WEP) project, which the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) launched recently to give women access to literacy and business skills. “I was always kept at home to care for younger siblings or work on the farms,” Osuntade continued. “Now that I’m a grandmother, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to learn how to read and write letters to my children. I’m sure more people will take me more seriously, once they know that I can do these [tasks].” Osuntade and dozens of other women recently participated in a matriculation ceremony where they were formally accepted as beneficiaries of the project. “Spirits were high, as the women danced, sang, and celebrated their newfound sense of opportunity,” said Tomi Daniel, of ADRA Nigeria. Through the WEP project, which began in January, local women are learning to read, write, and perform arithmetic, all basic skills that will help them better perform simple tasks, such as dial a phone number, read the school report card of their children, or fill out paperwork at the bank or hospital. This project will be a critical step in the long-term development and financial stability of women living in the targeted area, as many lack basic literacy skills that can help them succeed. According to a 2007 report released by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Institute for Statistics, more than half of the female Nigerian population aged 15 years and older is considered illiterate. The primary objective of the project is to help beneficiaries increase their household incomes by 25 percent by the project’s completion in June. To achieve this goal, the project, due to the support of Hope of the Harvest, a ministry of U.S.-based Women of the Harvest, will provide access to business training and small loans for selected beneficiaries, helping them establish new and strengthen existing income-generating activities. “This program has been a blessing to not only me and my family, but even my neighbor, who used to sit in her shop all day and not sell anything,” said Idowu Omoniyi, 42, who also participated in the ADRA project. “I shared part of what I learned in my business group [with her], and by the following week she was busy attending a long line of customers. Now, her children eat at least twice a day, and she no longer walks around in rags.” Participants also learn basic life skills that will help them to better care for their families, such as hygiene and nutrition, family planning, infant care, and how to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases. Through the project, ADRA also established women’s committees, called “Circles of Hope”, to provide participants with additional support for their endeavors, and give them an opportunity to share their experiences, encourage each other, and build a sense of community. During the meetings, members take part in informal sessions where they can review what they have learned during their classes and troubleshoot problems that may arise. Priority for the project is given to women who were never able to attend school and have school-aged children, women who have been denied access to resources for economic development due to their low literacy levels, and those who are not currently engaged in any form of income generating activities. The project is funded by ADRA International through the 2009 Really Useful Gift Catalog, and is implemented in collaboration with Hope of the Harvest, in addition to Adventist Health International Services-Nigeria, the Osun State Mass Education Agency, and the Local Inspectorate of Education, which is the local office of the Nigerian Ministry of Education. Follow ADRA on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest information as it happens. ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity. For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org. Author: Nadia McGill |
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