Reflections from our visit to Nigeria

In the space of 12 days, we met dozens of women who shared how they have changed their lives for the better – thanks to your support.

These are women who have been discriminated against since birth, but who - every day - fight against the odds and those who try to stand in the way of a more just and peaceful future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Our team in Nigeria serves hundreds of women, generously funded by our global community and supporters like Charlotte Tilbury and the players of People's Postcode Lottery. We only met a small fraction on our visit but the power of each and every woman we met - each story, each voice - was enormous.

Here are just a few reflections from our time in Nigeria:

We spoke to a group of Change Agents who graduated from our programme in 2016, 2017 and 2018. They work by identifying local issues and creating action plans to solve them.

Those from the 2016 cohort shared that one of the ways they have helped women who face rape on their way to the fields is by enlisting local security, providing a safer route to work. These Change Agents - including Elizabeth, Kangyang, Helen, Iarbana and others we met - learnt how to report rape cases and what the consequences should be for perpetrators. They are making it known that they are in touch with security operatives who will take action against rapists. They are breaking the silence, which allows such crimes and injustice to continue.

These women have been tackling this issue since 2016, while taking on the stories of survivors who confide in them. Their work hasn’t been easy – every day, they face backlash from politicians, traditional leaders and their own neighbours and community members. But our Change Agents keep fighting. For themselves, their sisters, daughters, nieces, friends. For all women, everywhere.

Often, development programmes will focus on a specific area, such as health, sanitation, education or access to water. Our Stronger Women, Stronger Nations programme caters to the whole woman – she learns about her health, hygiene and nutrition, her rights and decision-making, a vocational skill, and how to earn and save money, all whilst gaining a support network.

Combined, all of these elements prepare women for whatever challenges that their future may hold. For some women, it’s as simple as learning numeracy skills so they feel more empowered at the local market and are able to run their business. For others, it’s learning that they have HIV so that they can protect their children and advocate to their wider community to get tested and end the stigma.

When we met with Zulai, one woman currently enrolled in our programme, she told us that she had been forced into early marriage. Until our programme, she didn’t realise the impact of this. But after learning her rights and reclaiming her voice, she saved her daughter from a similar fate. One of our graduates and Change Agents, Elizabeth, learnt about the importance of girls education and, as well as enrolling her children in school, she re-enrolled herself to complete her high school diploma – with the hope of progressing to university.

After each contribution, the rest of the class would clap and say “good job!”

It may sound trivial, but the encouragement for each and every person to contribute to the conversation, regardless of whether they were right or wrong, is invaluable.

These are women whose voices are too often dismissed and whose decision-making power is ignored at home and in public life. For them, the recognition of their value and the importance of their voice boosts their confidence in themselves and their ability to make a change.

The women we serve are passing on their knowledge to others in their community - to create a ripple effect of change, transforming even more lives. Now back home, we hope to do the same by sharing just some of the many stories of hope and resilience and power and bravery that we heard - to elevate these voices even further.

Thank you to our team at Women for Women International-Nigeria for hosting us, and to all of the incredible women and men we met who kindly shared their stories. Every day we speak and write about the impact of your support, so it was amazing to see our programme come to life and hear directly from our participants themselves about how your commitment is changing lives.