By Iliya Kure
Rise Up, a non-governmental organisation is building a set of leaders from Kaduna and Lagos states to advance the course of education, equity and social justice for girls and women in Nigeria.
This is the second set of cohort leaders the organisation is building in the country under its Leadership and Advocacy Accelerator programme. The first set of 20 cohort leaders, also drawn from the two states, was announced by Rise Up in April and trained to develop strategies that would improve the lives of girls and women in their communities.
A statement by the organisation made available to AFRICA PRIME NEWS reveals that Rise Up is supported by Cummins Inc. to build a ‘global movement of visionary leaders’ dedicated to advancing gender equity.
“We are deeply honoured to partner with Cummins to advance gender equality globally. Rise Up will leverage this new partnership to invest in the vision of girls and women leaders to transform their own lives, families, and countries,” says Rise Up’s Founder and Executive Director, Denise Dunning.
According to the statement, Rise Up has through its network of over 500 leaders directly reached 7 million girls, youth, and women, and advocated for over 100 laws and policies impacting 115 million people in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the US.
“Following the Accelerator, Rise Up leaders will also have the opportunity to apply for competitive seed funding to launch their advocacy strategies which work to advance education, equity, opportunity and social justice for women and girls, with a focus on both community-level change and national-scale impact in Nigeria.
“Activating women and girls is at the centre of Rise Up’s methodology, together we empower women and girls to realize their own potential and speak out as leaders in their communities and countries. Rise Up and our allies amplify the voices of women and girls to create a more just and equitable world,” the statement says.
Rise Up is inspired by realities in Nigeria where women and girls face significant obstacles in reaching their full potential and accessing education, health, employment and leadership in the public and private sector.
A recent survey by UBEC shows that there are over 13.5 million out of school children in Nigeria, 60% of them being girls. Another survey by Girl Not Brides, estimates that almost 43% of girls in Nigeria are married off before their 18th birthday. Nearly three in ten Nigerian women have experienced physical violence since age 15.
Rise Up believes that government institutions in Nigeria require support to deliver on the country’s commitment under various international treaties such as the UN/CEDAW, the UNSCR 1325, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
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