Northern Education Initiative (NEI)

Overview

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and more than two-thirds of its population lives on less than $2/day. Inadequate health care and basic education often go hand-in-hand with high levels of poverty. Access to quality education and health services is declining. Nigerian authorities recognize the need to address low education, health, gender equity, and economic indicators and drop-out and repetition rates among students that exceed the national average in Bauchi and Sokoto states. The number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), including boys leaving home, remains high in the north, and systems for identifying and supporting them are only beginning to develop.

In partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria, USAID launched the Northern Education Initiative in 2009 to help local and state agencies to reinforce their role in delivering quality basic education services and to meet the needs of OVC. The Initiative aims to strengthen state and local government capacity to deliver basic education services by addressing key issues in the management, sustainability and oversight of basic education in two northern states of Bauchi and Sokoto. The Initiative also seeks to increase the access of OVC to basic education and services such as health information and counseling.

Led by Creative Associates, the Initiative comprises three American organizations and two Nigerian partners. JHUCCP leads the implementation of community mobilization activities as well as the implementation of OVC wrap-around component of the project.

Accomplishments

• Conducted a symposium on girls education and OVC that involved traditional and religious leaders Conducted formative research on the situation and needs of OVC, adolescent girls and kids clubs
• Inaugurated a sub-working group, Teacher Recruitment and Deployment (TRD)
• Developed instruments and conducted an assessment on Quality Assurance and Teacher Recruitment and Development
• Selected 40 non-formal learning centers for NEI support
• Solicited support from 55 traditional and religious leaders to mobilize communities on the suffering of OVC
• Reached and sensitized 5,000 women on the plight of OVC and solicited support
• Briefed 30 key NGOs and CBOs on OVC issues, which agreed to collaborate
• Developed and received broad approval for a Guidelines and Procedure manual for integrating core subjects into Qur’anic schools
• Conducted an assessment of all existing project non-formal learning centers in terms of facilities, programmes and concentration of OVC
• Developed curricula and other communication materials for learning centers, schools, and community centers