NGO provides educational support to girls in Kaduna

A Kaduna-based Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI) says it will provide education subsidy to girls.

It said that the subsidy would be given to the girls in public secondary schools to promote their retention and completion rate in Kaduna State.

Miss Bilkisu Gwabin, EWEI’s Finance and Supplies Officer, made this known in Kaduna on Thursday, at the opening of a one-day Empowerment Seminar for 10 new beneficiaries.

Gwabin explained that the support, under the NGO’s Educational Subsidy Programme (ESP), supported by Inti Raymi Fund, was designed to assist the students with fees, uniforms, and learning materials.

According to her, the goal is to improve retention and completion rates of female students in public schools to enable them to acquire basic education and live a quality life in future.

“The beneficiaries also benefit from EWEI’s empowerment seminar where young girls are equipped with productive life tips and income generating skills’’.

Mr Babatunde Ajiga, EWEI’s Board of Trustee Secretary, explained that 13 girls had benefited from the programme from 2008 to 2017.

According to him, 40 per cent of Nigerian children from six to 11 years of age are not in school, adding that EWEI’s programme was to support the education of intelligent girls from poor families.

Mrs Grace Attah the NGO’s Programme Officer, Organisational Development and Learning, said that the beneficiaries were selected based on needs, ethnicity and religion.

Attah explained that 10 new beneficiaries were selected to benefits in 2018, from Government Girls Secondary School, Doka, Government Secondary School, Television and Government Secondary School, Barnawa.

Also speaking, Safiya Garba, the Founder and the programme Director of the NGO, commended the Kaduna State Government for taking steps to provide free education to girls in the state.

“Although we do not know what it would cover and for how long, we nonetheless, want to ensure that we prepare secondary school girls and equip them with income generating skills to support their tertiary education.

“We provide long term support to the girls up to the end of secondary school and provide additional six months life skills support as intern in EWEI, to develop their leadership capacity.

“What we expect in return is for the girls to do well in school,” she said.

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Garba called on parents of the beneficiaries for support to ensure that the girls’ study hard and grow up to be leaders in their homes, their communities and the nation at large.

“Let’s work together to ensure they all finished secondary school and excel beyond.”

Mr David McGrain of Inti Raymi Fund expressed joy that the fund had helped put a smile on young girls’ lives and pledged to do more.

McGrain told the beneficiaries that they could do anything in life if they remained focus.

One of the beneficiaries, 20-year old Jessica David, said she had been a beneficiary since 2014, describing the support as a life changer that had added value to her life.

“Besides taking care of my educational financing and providing the needed learning materials, the NGO had equally equipped me with income generating skills which is helping me take care of my financial needs.

“EWEI also enlightened me on my rights as a lady and how to set long term goals for a meaningful future, and thanks to them. I am soaring higher and higher to my goals,” David said.

Another beneficiary, Mary Ayantokun, 19, said that EWEI paid her school fees from junior secondary school until she graduated from secondary school.

“EWEI paid my fees for WAEC, NECO and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board examinations. I am so thankful to this life-changing support.

“Not only that, I have learned several income generating skills like beads and cake making and other self -reliant skills that are helping me meet my financial needs.”