Empowering Women in Nigeria
Over the years, the
Nigerian women face gender-based status differences that
create difficulties for them in three main areas:
vulnerability to poverty through reduced access to, and
control over property and financial assets; increased
exposure to risk for HIV/AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs); and sexual exploitation
through trafficking. With its long tradition of
empowering and working with marginalised people through
multi-level interventions and collaborations with
community-based organisations, social work is well
positioned to contribute significantly to women
empowerment and gender equality in Nigeria.
Towards this end, the
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC),
in collaboration with Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA), has awarded Can $1 million to help
improve the well-being of Nigerian women by
strengthening social work education and practice.
The Social Work in Nigeria Project (SWINP) will ensure
that social workers trained in Nigeria are equipped with
the relevant skills and knowledge needed to address, and
help reduce the prevalence of the ongoing adverse
gender-based issues. The
key project activities include
-
Development and
piloting of a graduate program in social work at the
University of Benin, Benin City;
-
Designing and
delivering in-service professional training and
upgrading for potential field supervisors;
-
Working with the
Nigerian Association of Social Workers in lobbying
government officials to pass legislation governing
the social work profession; and
-
Developing a social
work centre with facilities for technology-enhanced
education.
“…
York’s School of Social Work has the opportunity not
only to contribute to Nigeria’s stride towards greater
gender equality, but also to learn new ways new ways of
working with women and other equality seeking groups in
Canada. This international collaboration will allow us
to develop new, shared frameworks for understanding the
status of all women, while contributing directly to
empowering and promoting gender equality in Nigerian
communities,” said Dr Uzo Anucha
