Years after dropping out, women in northern Nigeria return to the classroom

CARE Schools are free, half-public, half-private institutions that provide lessons in both Urdu and English. The schools teach both boys and girls, sometimes in co-ed classes, to promote gender equality and provide girls with equal opportunities in their education and increase their job prospects.

SeaSisters offers free swim and surf lessons to local women and girls, challenging social norms and fear that traditionally keep them from enjoying the ocean. The group has since trained 150 participants, helping them overcome their fears and find a newfound sense of freedom.

Schools in Adamawa State are increasing the number of female teachers, which is inherently increasing the number of female students attending school. Previously, over 50% of girls in the area had not been in school, or dropped out, but with the increase of female teachers, the number of girls in school has dramatically increased.

The Kanyashree Prakalpa conditional cash transfer scheme helps support economically marginalized unmarried girls between the ages of 13 and 18 so they can stay in school and delay child marriage. Since launching, the scheme has helped increase enrollment in school and reduce the rate of child marriage in the region.

Amidst Taliban restrictions on girls’ education, several people are looking for alternative options to further their education. One solution includes the University of the People, a free, online U.S.-accredited university. The virtual university helps make education more accessible and currently has 100,000 participating students worldwide.

In Niger, an initiative challenging menstrual stigma is promoting knowledge and hygiene through community engagement and mentorship. Since 2019, the foundation has reached over 20 schools, 35 communities, more than 3,000 women and girls.

Data Lead Africa offers a training program specifically designed to help prepare Deaf people for careers in technology and data analysis. Students are provided laptops with assistive technology and sign language interpreters who facilitate the training.

The Centre for Girls Education in Zaria City, Nigeria provides educational programs for female students across age groups and stages of life, from preschool initiatives centered around the Montessori philosophy to programs for married adolescents. The organization has served more than 7,000 girls to date and encourages older girls and past participants to share their perspectives and experiences with younger students through "cascading mentorship."

The Barkum Women Rice Processors Association in rural Kano, Nigeria, secured a collective ₦8.8 million loan through cooperative action and training, enabling 38 women to build profitable rice-processing businesses that have financed their children's education and generated monthly incomes for members.

Pathways to Choice es un programa implementado entre 2018 y 2020 en 18 comunidades del norte de Nigeria que combinó clubes educativos para adolescentes, formación en habilidades sociales y trabajo con líderes comunitarios y religiosos para lograr que el 79% de las participantes no contrajeran matrimonio durante el periodo estudiado (frente al 14% en comunidades sin el programa) y aumentando la asistencia escolar en 70 puntos porcentuales.