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Naija Woman
Welcome to our website.
Promoting the general welfare of women while ensuring their full utilization in the development of human resources as full participants in all facets of national development working towards total elimination of all social and cultural practices tending to discriminate against and dehumanize womanhood; Empowerment of Women through co-operative activities and income generation and employment schemes; Monitoring and hashing with appropriate government ministries/departments; Conducting research and formulating plans for improving the status of Women; Co-ordination, structuring and monitoring the activities of women's voluntary organizations. These are the visions of the founder and coordinator of The Niaja Woman.In Nigeria, twenty percent of the population is aged ten to nineteen. These 24 million young people face a number of threats to their health and human rights, and girls are particularly vulnerable. Reaching as many as 1,025 deaths for every 100,000 births in some states, Nigeria's maternal mortality ratio is one of the highest in the world, and 40 percent of Nigerian women will give birth before their eighteenth birthday. Abortion is legal only to save the life of the woman, yet an estimated 24 percent of sexually active adolescent girls have had at least one illegal abortion in one regional hospital study, 60 percent of women treated for complications from unsafe abortion were adolescent girls. HIV is also a major threat: In 2002, there were twice as many HIV-positive girls aged 15 to 24 as boys.
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OUR MISSION
Founded October 17, 1999. Development of women with equal rights and corresponding responsibilities; Stimulate action to promote civic, political, social and economic participation of women.That is why, The Naija Woman, a Nigerian based Non-Governmental Organization have focused on advocating for better adolescent health, primarily through a comprehensive approach to sexuality education, for both girls and women. We have made remarkable progress: In August 2001, Nigeria's federal government approved a National Sexuality Education Curriculum, created in part by some of our colleagues, which is currently being introduced in selected pilot states. This feat was reached through years of activism and leadership-building. Gaining substantial momentum at the first Nigerian National Conference on Adolescent Reproductive Health in 2000, which several of our colleagues played a key role in planning alongside the Federal Ministry of Health.
OUR FOCUS
We have also cultivated a strong presence in Northern Nigeria, where Shari'a Islamic law, introduced in twelve northern states in November 2000, threatens women most basic human rights. In Kano state, we have offered programs that provide vocational, literacy, and leadership training along with basic information about health and sexuality. In Niger state, we have supported and advocates for a wide range of disenfranchised groups, including out-of-school adolescents, the disabled, and HIV-positive women who have lost their husbands to AIDS. We are contributing immeasurably to our communities. As a result, we have begun to cultivate partnerships with local government representatives, as well as religious and community leaders, around subjects of high political and cultural sensitivity. In Ogun State, we are supporting women with disabilities and Breast Cancer and plan to inaugurate a Breast Cancer Foundation. In Ibadan the Oyo State capital, a cottage industry was put in place for the women folk for the production of Aso-Oke the traditional Western Nigeria wear. Today, the Naija Woman is recognized nationally and regionally, as expert resources on adolescents (particularly young women), sexuality education, and curriculum development.
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