The Remember Niger Coalition is supporting education for girls and young women by providing more opportunities for secondary school and advanced degrees.For girls who are educated beyond primary school, the likelihood of an early marriage is reduced significantly. Furthermore, the longer a girl stays in school, the less likely she is to be married before the age of 18. With pregnancy and childbirth before the age of 18 leading to a number of complications, including both maternal and infant mortality, there are numerous reasons to push for girls to stay in school.
Kollo Girls School
The Kollo Girls School will be an expansion of the Remember Niger Coalition Girls Education Initiative. Remember Niger Coalition (Remember Niger) will work with our Partner Hosanna Institute of the Sahel (HIS) to construct classrooms and other capital projects, as well as provide student sponsorships and scholarships, teacher training, support for student meals. The Kollo Girls School will use the same system of growth utilized by our other partners. HIS has acquired a piece of land near the Niger River for the school. The first phase of construction will include: a three-classroom building for preschool and kindergarten, a security wall, and latrines. Ultimately, the vision for this school is to provide education to girls in preschool through high school with a dormitory for girls who live in rural areas.
Project Partner HIS was founded by Yacouba and Renate Seydou with the purpose of addressing the needs of the people of Niger and raising up the next generation of Nigerien Christian leaders in order to positively transform their country. Their current projects include a women’s clinic (located in Kollo), a radio and television studio, a divinity school, ministry to the disabled, and much more.
Remember Niger began its partnership with HIS in 2018 with the establishment of the School of Hope for Children with disabilities in Maradi, Niger. During a recent visit to Kollo, Pastor Yacouba facilitated a meeting for Kara and Ibrahim with the mayor of Kollo to discuss the project with him. He was very happy and supportive of the project. He said that he was, “thankful that this door of education would be opened for the girls in the community.” Remember Niger is looking forward to our continued partnership with HIS to create a brighter future for generations of girls in Kollo and throughout Niger.
Vision for Kollo Girls School Through their work at the clinic in Kollo, Yacouba and Renate have met many young girls who were married when they were just children. According to UNICEF Niger has the highest rate of childhood marriage in the world. As a result of childhood marriage and giving birth at such a young age many girls developed Obstetric Fistulas. Fistulas become infected and create a foul odor which often results in the girls being rejected and divorced by their husbands, leaving them to care for themselves and the young children. Yacouba and Renate realized the impact education could have on these young girls if they just had the opportunity. Along with serving girls in the community, this school would also provide a safe space where these young girls will be able to catch up on their learning through remediation programs and continue their education through high school and beyond.
Sustainability As with all our schools, our goal for Kollo Girls School is to become self-sufficient. With such a large population of young girls and women in the community, it is possible for the school to grow at a steady rate. Once a school has established a reputation of excellence, parents who are able to afford the tuition and fees will send their girls to the school. Remember Niger anticipates it will take 4-6 years for the school to become self-sufficient.
Scholarships for girls and young women
Remember Niger Coalition provides scholarships to girls and young women in order to raise attendance rates in secondary school and empower young women. Remember Niger Coalition partners with secondary schools and educational institutions that provide formal school opportunities and technical training post-primary school. The program was launched in 2016 with 24 scholarship recipients. In 2019, we teamed up with Global Giving to provide scholarships to 72 girls and young women across four different programs and schools.
The Remember Niger Coalition also works with partner organizations that provide housing for women from rural villages to attend secondary school in cities, as well as one organization that helps women obtain professional and advanced degrees in computer science and business.With each of these partners, RNC provides critical scholarships that make it possible for women to participate.
Hamsa Girls Education Center The Remember Niger Coalition has partnered with the Hamsa Girls' Education Center since 2016, when we constructed a solar water well and security compound wall around the school. In 2017 and 2018, we provided 5 latrines and 4 classrooms. The Center began with the first class of middle school and has significant plans to grow over the next four years. By 2022, the Center will enroll 150 full-time students and 75 students in its out-of school programs.
Through a culturally sensitive, diverse approach that offers both formal educational opportunities such as tutoring and test support, as well as skills training, the Hamsa Center aims to help break the cycle of multi-dimensional poverty, reduce early marriage rates through sensitization, and improve the overall quality of life for this generation of young women and generations to come. Under local community leadership, the Hamsa Girls Education Center provides a safe space that offers both formal and informal learning opportunities for adolescent girls and young women in Niger.
