For International Women’s Day, 8 March 2007, the UNESCO Education Portal looks at a new education and human rights project that aims to empower some 2,500 young girls and women in Niger, one of the poorest countries on the planet.
Today, 63 per cent of the population of Niger lives below the absolute
poverty line, with girls and women comprising two thirds of this group. Only
about 34 per cent of children of school-going age are in school.
The
project “Fighting against poverty through Human Rights and Education - enhancing
the empowerment of young girls and women in Niger” targets poverty through
education and the promotion of human rights. It aims to reinforce the capacities
of girls and women, notably through better schooling for children (especially
girls), women’s literacy and the training of young girls. The empowerment of
women is an important aspect of the project, comprising both income- generating
activities and sensitization to human rights.
More than 2500 persons,
most of them girls and women, are to profit from this initiative, which is being
launched in six villages south of Niamey, the capital of Niger. Andorra, Cyprus,
Luxembourg, Monaco (under the initiative of The Princess of Hanover) and San
Marino are giving financial support to UNESCO for its
implementation.
Contacts: f.migeon@unesco.org - bamako@unesco.org
- m.schott@unesco.org