Capacity Building Among Women and the Girl Child: The Role of FAWEN.
By Prof. Grace A. Alele-Williams, OFR
Being a Text Paper Presented at a Two-Day Seminar, Organised by The Delta State Branch ofthe
Forum of African Women Educationalists (F A WEN) on Wednesday November 29, 2000

Protocols

Introduction
I thank the organisers of this seminar for inviting me to share my thoughts on the very germane topic of the development of the girl child, particularly on how to improve the lot of women and girls in society. I thank the wife of the Executive Governor of Delta State, Her Excellency Mrs. Nkoyo Ibori, for the interest she has continued to show in the problems of the child.

The Forum of African Women Educationalist (FA WE) is a pan-African Organisation with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. At a meeting of African Ministers of Education in Great Britain in 1992, the five women ministers of Education present decided to address the problems peculiar to the girl child in Africa. The two African female Vice Chancellors of Universities in Africa were then invited to the subsequent meeting in Harare Zimbabwe in 1993. FA WE was born. This meeting of women politicians and academicians had a simple objective: to examine carefully the problems of educating the girl child in Africa, suggest solutions to their Ministries, and 1 influence international NGOs to assist. This is the one way we believed we could help with developmentin our various nations. The emphasis on education of the girl child, at whatever level, would bring into focus the unique contribution that women could make in their countries in order to ensure Africa could develop. Thus FA WE is devoted to advocacy for the socio- political and economic emancipation of the womenfolk, building capacity among women and changing the negative cultural factors, which have acted as shackles to the development of women.

FA WE established a Secretariat in Nairobi to coordinate its activities as well as attract attention to FA WE's efforts in meeting the problems of the Girl Child in Africa. The Secretariat with Dr. Eddah Gachukhia as inaugural Executive Secretary with strong financial support from Rockfeller Foundation and several other in.ternational N.G.Os helped to make FA WE internationally recognized. The ideas and issues that FA WE promotes in Nigeria vary with state or zonal membership but are all directed to women and the girl child at all levels of education. This is similar at the African level. FA WE has thus tried to promote its work at the grassroots; at the primary, secondary or tertiary levels of education. It is concerned with women and girls at work, their role in the family and with all issues that may discriminate against women. Our motto is supporting girls and women to acquire education for development.

Here, in Nigeria, the association is known as the Forum of African Women Educationalists Nigeria (F A WEN) and of course this is the Delta State Chapter. For a pioneer of the association, it is most heart warming to see how from a humble beginning in 1993, FA WE has grown like a mustard seed and spreading to the States in Nigeria as more policy makers, executives and managers appreciate the unique contribution that women can make. More girls remain longer in school to complete each level, complete higher education, become professionals, attain positions in decision making bodies and are gradually making the desired changes in our political and socio-cultural life.

The Girl Child
The problems of the girl child in our society are many. But, some are summarised below as follows:

Many cultural norms clearly relegate women to the background and often beneath and outside decision-making bodies.

Thus when a girl child is born, culturally and intellectually, she is accepted as a second class person amongst her family.

If born into a poor or in rural community, her role as a provider of service to her family and later to her husband and his family is clearly understood by all and by herself.
  

Many girls lack adequate food [i.e., she has p,oor nutrition] even from birth :or;

She is overworked, suffers from poor health and therefore, anaemic

Because her parents are poor she is poor and her growth often stunted .:,..

She lacks access generally to education

She is prone to early marriage She is sexually abused ... .She suffers from gender discrimination as a result of obnoxious cultural factors from birth, which limits her in access to education.

She is still seen not as an equal of her male peers, but childbearing machine and good only for the kitchen.

As a result of the above, she has little or no confidence in herself

A schism is slowly appearing between the girl child of lower socio-economic background and those of higher socio- economic bracket. There is a growing inability of those in the lower economic bracket to be part of the same world as those with higher socio-{)conomic background.

Poverty forces many a girl child in the lower socio-economic bracket to go into crime in their attempt to either survive or jump into the higher socio-economic bracket.

The Dynamic Operating Environment
Advances in the sciences. especially information technology, have continued to shrink distances, bringing into the homes of the rich and the affluent, neWs about developments in other lands, especially the developed economies of the west. One thing learned from the advanced economies is the need to prioritise, our strategies and energize action plans and activities in order to develop. In other words, we must do the first things first. Child development is the foundation of human development. Hence, priority must be place on the health, nutrition, hygiene, education and other socioeconomic- and ethIcal needs of our children so that they can become more productive, healthy and be law-abiding citizens in future.

The need for the development of the girl child and the eradication of cultural constraints which impede .the full development of women was perceived when the U. N. was established. Thus in 1948, the United Nations enacted CEDA W , the Convention for the Eradication of all forms of Discrimination Against Women. Nige:ia is a signatory to this Convention which was enacted to ensure that nations re-examine their laws and practices which denigrade the woman. But society puts her through many iniquitous and inhuman treatments. As a simple evaluation, take whatever practices deprive the woman of any rights and privileges that men have. Many social practices are not legally approved, but the norms in the society give approval for such behaviour. Often too the division of labour in the economy takes a lead from the social understanding. Most skilled or intellectual type of work is designated men's work whilst the non-skilled is apportioned to the woman. Over generations this affects her psyche. Thus if there are twin children in a household, the Nigerian law does not prevent the girl child from accessing school. However, whilst her twin brother plays football, she is helping with fetching firewood or water, or carrying the baby. Thus she has not enough time to study after school hours. When uniforms have to be provided for school, the girl child is left out by the father except the mother can provide the necessary funds. As the children get to the age o'f puberty, the father finds he needs dowry to marry another young girl or to rent a new farmland ot to buy a bicycle thus the adolescent girl is married off. She ends up with no skills, no education nor can she read to ensure she can obtain useful information. She has options though: to remain illiterate and produce another generation of illiterates or to move into crime.

Thus, there is the need to reinforce the development of the girl child by reminding us all that Nigeria is a signatory to various declarations on the rights of the child. For example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -1948,1959,1966,1989 and 1990 -all of which aver that the child has a right to good health, nutrition, ho.using, education and freedom from all forms of discrimination.

 The logical question therefore, is:, How far have we kept faith with these declarations over the years? Although, quite a lot of the past military administrations made promises and pronouncements on girl child development, little action was actually taken to back "those pronouncements. Usually there have been no deliberate policies followed by well-defined exercises directed to ensure that those socio cultural and economic practices which hinder girls' education, growth mental and physical health and sometimes even discrimination from birth are ameliorated 'or eradicated. ' Efforts have been made in the areas of child immunization against poliomyelitis and other early childhood diseases for all children. There are no measures for compulsory basic health care or compulsory education for children. Without laws, which monitor these two social measures in a society, where the belief is that girls are second class citizens, women and girls are usually victims of neglect.

 In a country where there is a larger proportion of children and youthful population, the implication of such poor attention to education and health has grave results. These grave results are now apparent in the poor physical and mental health of a majority of the youth. It is also particularly apparent in the number of nuisance behaviour of youth who can be easily misled by half truths and propaganda leading to unrest. Such grave results are apparent in the large numbers of unskilled and poorly educated youths who can not be directed into gainful employment. But it is equally apparent in the older generations who have not committed enough thought into policies or when they have, apparently introduce practices which do not allow such policies and practices to benefit the larger population and the masses for which the policies and practices were originally made.

 Where We Are: Education .
Education is critical to human capital development but even more critical for the de.velopment of humane values that help children understand they are their brothers' keepers. Education impacts literacy, numeracy, gives greater ability to logically thinking and intelligent adaptability .Education gives higher degree of efficiency, innovation and self confidence and enables the individual to acquire a world class status and mind set. Education is certainly not a panacea to cure all problems, but as a former American President Johnson once said, " ...without education, no cure for any problem is possible." It is thoughts and beliefs like these that motivate school curriculum to include social, scientific studIes as well as simple skills as a starting base for our children.

With an estimated population of about 120 million people, Nigeria is definitely a large country .Statistics in our education reveals that illiteracy is still very high among the rural population: women and the girl child in particular. According to the Federal Office of Statistjcs only 58.2% of our men above 15 years of age are literate and can read or write with understanding in anyone language, local or foreign. However only an average of 41.3% of our female adults are literate in anyone language. Particularly painful is the school dropout rate of girls, and the decreased admission of girls into secondary school. The boys may continue but the girl child must marry or trade to provide assistance to help train her brother. Thus womenfolk still lag in literacy rate;,a situation which is attributable to deep- rooted cultural factors, among others.

Education, over the years has suffered from poor administration within schools, inadequate funding and infrastructure. For example, froli11990 to 2000, federal allocation in any year as a percentage of the yearly budget fell below 15% (See Table 3 in Appendix), whereas many other smaller African countries were spending higher percentage of their budgets on education with 'positive results in terms of higher literacy rate. The World Bank Human Development Report for 1999 indicated 59.9% as the literacy fate for Nigeria, while that of South Africa was 84%, Lesotho 82.3%, Swaziland 77.5%, Botswana 74.4%, Zambia 75.1 %, Tanzania 71.6% and Uganda 64%. Again, while Nigeria in 1997 allocated 11% of its federal budget to education, South Africa allocated 23.9%, Swaziland 18.1 % Botswana 20.2% and Uganda 21.4%.

 Figures from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) also indicate that from 1990 to 1999, less than 15% of those who sat for its examinations managed to score the required AI to C6 to qualify them for admission to higher institutions, while more than 60% of those who wrote the examinations failed (with F9) in English language (See Table I in Appendix). A closer examination of the desegregated results show worse performance of the girls.

Many private schools are springing up especially in the large urban centres and they cater for the children of the middle and upper classes. Although the school fees are often very high, parents make the financial sacrifice to send their children to these schools in order to ensure good primary and secondary education for their children. This is to aid them in the competition ahead to go into higher education and thus a higher or at least a comparable socio-economic status. The public school is avoided at great cost and sacrifice. Reasons for this are obvious from any empirical research and they range over:

1. Closure of public schools for long periods which are not made up for in teaching;
2. Over crowded class rooms;
3. Poor or little information and teaching in the public schools;
4. Lack of teachers;
5. Non payment of teachers salaries;
6. Too many periods when pupils are left in the play grounds or even outside the schools
7. Indiscipline and poor habits of cleanliness arising from unstructured relationship between teachers and pupils.

The rate of failure in W ASC and other examinations reveal the downward trend of standards of public school. It is also obvious in the choice of parents who make no attempt to and often obviously encourage their sons and daughters to drop out of school either after primary four or after J. S. S. III. Such pupils go into "buying and selling" as apprentices usually in the import trade or in street selling. This situation is true for girls and boys but more so for the girl child because any undesirable change in the economy adversely affects the girl child first. She is last to receive nutritious food, first to render services at home or in the family's occupation and denied schooling and a candidate for the marriage market. Her deprivation as mentioned earlier often drive her into undesirable behaviour.

Where We Are: Health
The situation in the healthcare delivery sector is not better than that of education, possibly worse. For example, between 1990 and 2000, Federal budgetary allocation to the health sector was under 6% for most of the period [See Table 2 in Appendix]. Such poor allocation to health care delivery is reflected in poverty of the people, absence of portable water, inadequate sanitation services, prevalence of malaria, cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid, guinea worm, tuberculosis and various respiratory diseases, largely among the rural poor, including the girl child. One result is recourse, therefore to traditional health medicines that may not provide cures. The result of this myriad of diseases among our people is an overall reduction in life expectancy in the country to 50.1 years and high mortality at birth of 112 per thousand in 1997.

Implications
The proliferation of private hospitals allover the country is a testimony to the failure of public healthcare delivery system. With the sprouting of private schools, most affluent parents have withdrawn their children and wards from public schools to either continue in federal government owned schools or in the private schools.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the girl child, without adequate education and health care, are often thrown into early marriages. In the alternative, they become either social misfits, or at best, go into commercial sex, the implication of which is worse, not only for themselves but also for the society at large because they stand the risk of acquiring and spreading the dreaded HIV positive diseases, resulting in full blown aids. The recent cases of Nigerian girls found engaging in commercial sex in'Europe are typical examples of the effects of poor parental upbringing and inadequate early sociocultural orientation on the virtues of good womanhood on the girl child.

UBE, A New Beginning?
The newly introduced Universal Basic Education (U.B.E.) is viewed as a renewed beginning to right the wrongs in our educational system, provide full development of the potential of our children and inculcate the right values in them. It also gives them the opportunity of acquire education at government expense up to JSS I I I. If well executed, UBE will serve as an equal opportunity and non-discriminatory education for our children. The girl must be encouraged by various means to access education as every other male child.

Correct educational initiatives, funds and infrastructure are required to make the UBE a success. Teachers would need to continue in-service training; more classrooms would need to be built to accommodate increased admission. There is also the urgent need to update the school curricula to accommodate civics, leadership training', sports and the virtues of good citizenship. Teachers would need to be adequately remunerated to enable them to teach, monitor their students as well as supervise school programmes to stem the tide of emigration of pupils from public to private schools. Also, the government would need to examine the possibility of extending the UBE to SSS III as this will enable the girl child to remain in the school system till at least at the age of 18 and thus, shield the girl child from early marriage, dropping out of school and other untoward situations.

Our Role
What should be the role of FA WEN in the new dispensation? These I have tried to classify as follows, althollgh there may be many more:
.Advocacy
.Project design and implementation
.Public enlightenment
.Formation of pressure groups to press for changes in the legislatures.

Advocacy
By advocacy is meant that FA WEN members should strive at all times to plead the cause of the less privileged women and the girl-child. It is necessary to make those in power and in policy and implementation aid agencies see the need to help right the wrongs of the past and, therefore, make changes happen in the lives of these less privileged class of Nigerians.

To do this effectively FA WEN members must themselves seek information on the subjects over which they wish to advocate. It is only when they themselves have information that they can deliberate on what course of action to take. FA WEN can playa most useful and exciting role in the school. We must introduce projects to convince parents and the girl child to access school and to remain in school and complete her course. We must convince school authorities to make education interesting and relevant. We must convince the girl child to appreciate her body, be proud of it, care for it and not misuse it. This may help build her self-confidence when she understands she can acquire as many skills as her brother.

There is much to observe in life and livi~g in the cities, in the rural areas, at work, in the market, in the schools. Don't attempt to do too much. Just take an area where the chapter can commit itself. State all the positive things you see, all the negative and what can be done to make people take notice and wish to participate in the change. Advocacy also involve counselling the less privileged themselves to rebuild confidence in themselves and be ready to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the government and other change agencies.

Project Design and Implementation
That F A WEN must be ready to meet with the poor women and 'the girl child in designing projects and in -ifuplementing them. FA WEN, for example, can organise micro-credit. schemes for rural women. It can also organise projects directed at improving the health of both the rural women and the girl child.

Mention was made earlier of the fact that many school children are not. in school actually learning during the full day. A few schools could be adopted by FA WEN. The adoption Gould be that members of FA WEN study the problems of the particular school and assist the school in practical terms. Help the school to be clean. Arrange extra help for teachers, study the school organisation and help headmaster build up an open and encouraging administrative structure. Encourage regular meetings of p .T .A. to reduce the incidence of girl abuse, absenteeism and even provide useful work for girls without infringing the nation's laws.

Public Enlightenment
Enlightenment programmes may be undertaken by FA WEN in collaboration with various government parastatals or International Aid Agencies to advocate the cause of rural women and the girl child. This is a real opportunity to assist the girl child to learn about the changes taking place in her country; to differentiate good tendencies from evil ones. Thus she learns what changes can ameliorate the hard life of the woman. Examples abound: focused talk shows for pregnant women on their clinic days in public hospitals, adult education classes, and holiday special coaching classes for the girl child in relevant skills etc. Such coaching classes may also be directed at socialising the girl child in the virtues of good ethics a-nd how to build self-confidence. The above are just few of such public enlightenment programmes that we can mount.

Pressure Group
In today's rapidly changing environment, we must press for positive changes in the lives of our less privileged Women and the girl child in order to improve their standard of living, check sex -related crimes and ensure a good future for all children. As FA WEN members study a neighbourhood they can make suggestions, on how to improve the economy or change certain discriminatory practices against women may be introduced. Mounting pressure on the political class will definitely be made much easier by the personal involvement of the wife of the Executive Governor in the activities of this association. But when pressure is mounted for girls to remain in school, FA WEN has a duty to ensure that the girl child becomes even more relevant in society because she has remained in school and has developed good habits and learned useful skills.
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A well -organised FAWEN secretariat is needed if the state branch of the association is to be fully functional to carry ouisuch projects. The assistance of the state government in setting up a state secretariat of the association and in seconding one secretary to the association to assist in the running of the secretariat will help build a dynamic FA WEN.

We need to carry out simple research projects. What do we teach in social studies? Are we teaching tribalism in our schools? Are we building the necessary awareness and following up the projects that are directed at the needs of the localities as'expressed by the women and the girl,child? We must have information. At least one empirical research project in this area could be carried out by the University FA WEN members.
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Equal Opportunity, Equal Attention
A major lesson, which must be taken away from this seminar, is that in considering the human capital of the nation, ~he contribution of the girl child is as important to socio-economic development of the nation as that of the boy child. The girl child therefore deserves equal attention with his male counterpart in a rapidly changing world a1.1d in our new political dispensation. Failure to educate the girl child'means depriving the next generation of intelligent and healthy children girls and women who will facilitate accelerated development.

FA WEN must be ready to consult with the poor women and the girl child in" designing projects and in implementing them. It is by giving equal opportunity to both the male and female that we carrbuild a virile democracy. Only educated women, whether in rural or urban area, can feel the problems of underdevelopment, articulate the shortcomings and proffer solutions which are applicable to women equitably. Our political leaders must carry all stakeholders along; they must take special interest in those segment~ of the society that are socio-economically oppressed and depressed and the ruralities. These classes of Nigerians form the bulk of our population and are, indeed, the majority of voters. We need them to vote intelligently in the future.
                                                      

Conclusion
Fredrick Harbison, an economist who in his publications discussed the levels of economic development and the human factor in the economic take off of nations emphasizes the contribution of human resources. Inter alia he states "Human resources constitute the wealth of nations. Capital and natural resources are passive factors of production; human beings are the active agents who accumulate capital, exploit natural resources, build social, economic and political organisations, and carry forward national development. Clearly, a country which is unable to devel.op the skills and knowledge of its people and to utilise them effectively in the national economy will be unable to develop anything else."

Given its .vast oil and gas resources, Delta State is at the forefront in terms of endowment. One of the dividends of democracy is that we are beginning to obtain more of the returns that should rightly belong to us in terms of derivation. The NDDC Act has been passed and the structure for its operation is being put in place. These are omens of good tidings for the people in our state.

But, what really matters at the end of the day is how well we have deployed the capital and other resources available for the emancipation of the poor. The economic development of our large rural population, means providing them with equal opportunities, to access the best education they are able to acquire, funding healthcare delivery, providing electricity, pipe borne water and telecommunications, among others in order to develop intelligent men and women to accelerate the socio-economic transformation of the Delta State.
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If, as we always say, the future of the country is in the hands of the today's children, then, it behoves us today to educate them, ensure they are physically and intellectually capable without any gender bias. More so we must emphasize the gip child. Thus FA WEN must consider this issue.

As a former university administrator, experience has taught me that financial resources are never adequate to meet competing demands. But, with the right priorities, the government can stretch whatever is available for equity and for the good of all.

Particular areas of interest to me as a child born here is gas flaring and the denuding of our forests. What can FA WEN do about gas flaring, about the destruction of our forests with so much gas being flared? Suppose gas flaring could be stopped within 12 months from today who would be the great losers or the maximum profiters? What effect does the 24 hour light and daylight nights have on us and on our children? Could gas not be used by women for their trade? What happens in other parts of the world where oil is extracted? ? Outside of Nigeria and Africa is gas flared where people live? At least FA WEN could study these questIons. "

His Excellency Governor James lbori is a very hard working and resourceful leader, with very sharp and alert mind and who can direct his attention and use his immense abilities to turn around the fortunes of millions ofour rural poor, the girl-child and women in particular. However I have no doubt that when Her Excellency Mrs Nkoyo lbori sets her mind to improving the lot of children and particularly the girl child, she will assist His Excellency to leave behind indelible footprints in the sands of time in this Great Heart of
Nigeria which is Delta State.

Once again, I thank you all for your attention.
God bless.

Professor Grace A. Alele- Williams, OFR

References:
Alele-Williams, G. A. ..Effecting Change in Nigeria -The role of Women" Key Note Address to the African American Institute Workshop University of Lagos, 1995.

Alele-Williams, G. A. ..Research Priorities for Sustainable Women Empowerment and Development: An Overview " an article in Research Capacity Building for Sustainable De\lelopment in Nigeria -Problems, Challenges and the Way Fonvard _.Edited by Peter 0. Adeniyi -published by Unilag Consult, 1999.