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A new lease on life for Halima and Zaharia
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Success Story
Girls Rescued from Forced
Marriage and “Hawking”
March 2006-- Twelve-year-old Halima lived with her grandmother and father in Durba, a ward in Kibiya Local Government Area in Kano State. Holding to tradition, Halima’s grandmother insisted that Halima marry rather than return to school. Though Halima’s father was a teacher and was deeply concerned about his daughter’s well-being, he had no funds to pay the school fees. Adding to the dilemma, the grandmother threatened to ostracize Halima’s father if he went against her wishes.
Social and financial problems were facing Zaharia, another young Nigerian girl. To help her family, she had been forced into “hawking” or selling soap and other products along city streets. Zaharia’s desire to go to school was so strong that she actually ran away from home to avoid being forced to ‘hawk’.
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Educating communities about the importance of supporting girls’ enrollment and retention reduces the inequality between boys’ and girls’ education |
Both girls heard of a public rally where they might find a sympathetic ear. Halima and Zaharia attended a Girl Child Enrollment and Retention Sensitization drive in Durba, where they found support from leaders of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), a partner with the USAID-funded COMPASS Project.
Finding Halima’s grandmother unrelenting, FOMWAN members sought advice from the ward head, who arranged for them to meet with Halima’s father. After learning of his financial constraints, the FOMWAN Kano Chapter agreed to sponsor Halima, as well as Zaharia, providing for their needs while they finish school.
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Through COMPASS’ girls’ education activities, communities are increasingly made aware of the importance of girls’ education. FOMWAN and another COMPASS partner, the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), have visited district heads and rulers throughout Kano, all of whom have indicated their support, warning parents in their areas that it is a serious offense to keep children out of school.
Because of these awareness campaigns, local Boards of Education have pledged to provide scholarships to girls whose families cannot afford to keep them in school. |
Gatekeepers in Kano communities caution parents that it is a serious offense to keep children out of school | |
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