Eagle Builders Foundation

Khadija Gbla grew up caught between two definitions of what it means to be an “empowered woman.” While her Sierra Leonean mother thought that circumsizing her — and thus stifling her sexual urges — was the ultimate form of empowerment, her culture as a teenager in Australia told her that she deserved pleasure and that what happened to her was called “female genital mutilation.” In a candid and funny talk, she shares what it was like to make her way in a “clitoris-centric society,” and how she works to make sure other women don’t have to figure this out. (Warning: This talk contains hard-to-hear details.)  Khadija Gbla was born in Sierra Leone, spent her youth in Gambia, and as a teenager put down roots in Australia. She uses her cross-cultural heritage to promote understanding in both directions. Why you should listen Khadija Gbla was just 3-years-old when the war broke out in her country, Sierra Leone. While her family initially escaped to Gambia, 10 yea...

URGENT: In the next few hours we have a chance to set the next 15 years of global education policy: it's the last day of the ‪#‎ WorldEducationForum‬ in South Korea. Tweet Your Support for 12 years for all → http://ctt.ec/8aD8q (Remember to fill in why you believe secondary education is important). Right now 160 countries are debating if 12 years of free, quality education should be a right for every child. Will you tweet a message about why that matters to YOU & girls everywh ere? http://ctt.ec/8aD8q The negotiators are checking their phones, and the conference's hashtag - #worldeducationforum - between every session. If they see our messages, they will know the world demands it and are watching. Let's show how Girls + 12 years of publicly funded education = Empowerment When you add ‪#‎ 12years‬ of education to a girl's life, she can truly achieve her dreams. This is Amina, Malala's friend from Northern Nigeria. Even though s...

By Joy Tiku Enighe Nigeria has being facing insecurity challenges lately, one of which is insurgency. Boko Haram has being leashing terror on children and school premises - abducting schoolgirls, using young and innocent children as suicide bombers and child soldiers. It is indeed a very traumatic and heartbreaking situation. It was revealed recently that some parents in the north-eastern region of Nigeria had sold their young daughters to Boko Haram as potential suicide bombers, at the cost of #150,000 naira only. This has kept me thinking on how poverty and ignorance can lead people to get involved in an inhumane act. One of the girls sacrificed by her dad for money and wired with an explosive vest and detonator reported to security. Her dad had spread a mat in preparation for funeral prayers for his daughter when he was arrested. Interrogations led to further revelations of parents who were about to receive payments for supplying their daughters as s...

Girl-child education has become a matter of concern to stakeholders in Nigeria. This study examines the concept of and crucial issues in girl-child education. It identifies socio-cultural patterns, religious misconceptions, poverty, teenage pregnancy and early marriage amongst others as factors militating against the girl-child education. The paper advocates that public and school libraries must begin to play relevant roles and contribute to the eradication of discrimination against women. It outlines the roles public and school libraries must play in order to improve girl-child enrollment in school as well as reduce school drop-out. In order to effectively play their roles, the study suggests that libraries should source for funds from external agencies rather than depend only on their parent institutions/organizations. Key words: Girl-child; Education; School libraries; Public libraries; Nigeria.    In the traditional Nigerian society, there exists the deg...

By Wubon Hebrews Isaac Like their male counterparts, they have the right to education and skill acquisition, the right to career choice and self actualisation. Girl-child education becomes pertinent for the attainment of national development. In the past, education has not necessarily been a priority for the girl-child because of cultural beliefs, poverty and so on. It is believed that the place of the girl-child is in her husband’s house. The male child was considered to be superior to the gild-child in many aspects especially education and that is why in most cases; only the male child had access to education. Unfortunately, many people still hold unto this disparity between the female and the male gender. Other causes for the negligence of the girl-child education could be attributed to parent’s unwillingness to send the girl-child to school. Some parents feel it is a waste to educate the girl-child because she would one day be married to someone else. Eve...

Ambassador Entwistle takes a group photo with the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellows from northern Nigeria. (Photo by Idika Onyukwu/U.S. Embassy) The U.S. embassy in Nigeria has selected 40 Nigerians to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship Programme for Young African Leaders in 20 top U.S. universities, for a period of six weeks. Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador James Entwistle, congratulated the beneficiaries on their selection. Mr. Entwistle explained that the 40 Nigerian fellows were selected amongst 7,000 Nigerian applicants and tens of thousands of others throughout Africa. “I congratulate the newly selected 2015 Mandela Washington fellows. As you may know, you competed with more than 7,000 applicants from Nigeria alone. You all should be proud of your accomplishment. Your selection says a lot about who you are as young leaders, and the level of impact you are having on your communities as entre...

The #10Percent4Youth Campaign is initiated by Youth Alive Foundation demanding the states in the Niger Delta region to allocate 10% of the revenue from oil derivation to youth development initiatives like job creation, entrepreneurship, human capacity building, technical and vocational training, private/public partnership for job creation, etc. Akwa Ibom State which receives the highest oil revenue is the launching pad for this campaign and will be taken to all states in the Niger Delta Region. It is the hope of the organizers that more organizations should sign in for the campaign to strengthen it. At the end of the day, there will be increased in funding to support youth entrepreneurs, increased in employability and increased in job creation and job opportunities for youth in the region. Enough is Enough Nigeria @ EiENigeria supports # 10Percent4Youths campaign @ NigeriaSACE @ johnonyeukwu @ _NDLink @ YAFng http://twitter.com/ibommobile...

  Today, I stand with the global community through NIGERIA EDUCATION FIRST INITIATIVE (NEFI) and GIRLS NEXT GENERATION (GNG) to pledge my total support for the full implementation of Universal Basic Education Programme in Nigeria in line UBE Act 2004 . After series of violent attack by terrorist group to frustrate early child education in Nigeria, I strongly support the national advocacy campaign to enroll 10.5 million Nigerian childre n from the street to the classroom. I join other well-meaning citizens and the global community that Child Rights Law should be domesticated and Free Education Policy from primary to secondary level be implemented in all states of the federation. I pledge my total support to this campaign to ensure that by 2020 , all Nigerian children are enroll into the classroom. So help me God #Unite4UBEAct2004

A cross section of CSOs, NGOs, youth bodies and pressure groups meet in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State for a Legislative Advocacy Training Workshop on #10Percent4Youth in the Niger Delta region. The well attended event was organized by Youth Alive Foundation in partnership with USAID Nigeria and PIND to strengthen the capacity of mapped youth groups/civil society organizations in Akwa Ibom State for Legislative Advocacy. Speakers at the workshop took the participants to the different dimensions of legislative advocacy, the key concepts, strategies, tools and avenue for effective legislative advocacy. Dr Ekom Akpan of Save the Children Organization who speaks on the topic; A CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION FOR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT: A CALL TO SERVICE reiterate the need for many organizations to collaborate, discuss, network, exchange knowledge, sharpen skills, get more information to make the campaign successful. Mr Idiuwem Okoku who is the Directo...

Girls’ education is one of the most effective ways for ending poverty in developing nations. The benefits of their education are seen by individuals, their families, and throughout society. These benefits include: Reducing the number of babies women have; Lowering infant and child mortality rates; Lower maternal mortality rates; Protecting against HIV/AIDS infection; Increased number of women with jobs and higher earnings and; Benefits that last many generations. Education for girls can have the benefit of delaying marriage and pregnancy for young girls. Instead of a girl getting married before age 20 and often suffering abuse by her husband, girls who attend primary and secondary school are more likely to have a say in who they marry. Girls who attend school also are able to use more effective methods of family planning and therefore have fewer and healthier babies. An educated girl and woman will have learned about HIV/AIDS and know many dif...

She is 9years old, kills herself to stop the parent from giving her out in marriage. Her dowry was paid already. RIP    The girl child is an asset to the community #GIRLCHILDISANASSET

WHY GIRLS NEXT GENERATION? Many may be wondering what GNG is all about and why are we mobilizing hundreds of girls for this project? The truth of the matter is that we need to balance enrollment in school for both male and female. Many young ladies are mothers while their opposite sex are in higher education. The girl child is an asset to the community against the days when the place of the women were in the kitchen. My mother was a victim like others across the country that female education was worthless. They were deceived but families whose parents were educated still send their daughters to school. Today, they are nurses, engineers, scientists, economists, and other professionals. The likes of Allison Madueke, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Oby Ezekwesili, Aloma Mukhtar, Grace Alele William, Nenadi Usman, Helen Esuene, Ngozi Olejeme, Mrs. Mfon Usoro, Prof. Joy Ogwu, Dr. Joe Odumakin, Dame Priscila Kuye, Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi, Dr. Kema Chikwe, Dr. Amina Odidi, Dr. Stella Ok...

NIGERIA EDUCATION FIRST INITIATIVE (NEFI) is an advocacy project initiated by Eagle Builders Foundation in response to global advocacy and support of Education for All. NEFI is aim at mobilizing young people across the 36 states and FCT to facilitate Free, Compulsory and Qualitative Education for all Nigerian children irrespective of ethnic group, religion and sex. The campaign will raise awareness on the benefit of education and the need for all Nigerian kids to be taken of f the street to the classroom. STRUCTURES OF NEFI 1. National Steering Committee of NEFI is made up of 15 members drawn from NGOs, CSOs, activists, human right Lawyers, education communicators, policy makers, government, private sector, partners organization, etc. 2. STATE WORKING COMMITTEE - There will be a State Working Committee that will work with the National Steering Committee to reinforce strong advocacy on Free and Compulsory Education especially in states that have not done that y...