Our Activities
BPW-NIGERIA has through its various clubs, implemented the following projects:
- Sponsorship of girls through secondary and tertiary education
- Organising career clinics and counselling programs for girls.
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Organising workshops for young people on major social health issues such as Drug Abuse, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), HIV and AIDS.
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Participation of E.P.I. Program and the propagation of the ORT technique and the processing of soya beans to milk to women in the rural areas.
- Submission of papers on legal and labour issues relating to women.
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Presentation of papers on issues affecting women through the National Council of Women’s Society e.g. Tax policy as it affects women, legislation on the rights of "illegitimate" children, marriage laws, dissenting view on the suggested discriminatory cut-off point in favour of female students for admission into universities.
- Literacy and Vocational Programs for young women and girls.
- Mobilizing women for greater participation in politics.
- Mobilizing rural women into farming and export oriented concerns.
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Organising Seminars on issues that affect women in Business and Professions as well as issues that touch the lives of everywoman.
Papers were presented on topics such as "Widowhood", "Law of Inheritance", "Access to Finance" and Ecowas Treaty and Cross Border Trading" to address problems encountered by women.
Business and Professional Women – Nigeria is in partnership with Market Women from 22 local government areas of Lagos. The collaboration of Lagos State Market Advisory Council, now called Traders and Market Leaders Association of Nigeria led to the formation of an organisation called Network of Nigeria Women Voters aimed at mobilising women for elections. BPW – Nigeria also collaborates with other women NGOs.
For the past two years, BPW has been putting together proposals for a Micro-Credit Scheme for the benefit of it's members especially the members at grassroots
BPW NIGERIA FEDERATION – A REPORT OF ACTIVITIES: 2008 – 2010
1. Annual General Meeting held in Abuja with all BPW clubs in Nigeria on January 28, 2009.
2. HIV/AIDS WALK FOR LIFE: Annual Event
3. Cervical Cancer Screening for all BPW Nigeria members to trigger early detection and inculcate a culture of periodic medical check-ups.
4. Blood donation by members and friends of BPW Nigeria for pregnant women, sick children and women of all child bearing age. It is a bi-annual exercise.
5. Environmental awareness in schools, and setting up of Environmental clubs in schools, to educate and prepare the youths for environmental challenges of tomorrow, and build leadership skills and team spirit in our young ones. The target is ten schools a year. We have achieved for this year 2010 already.
6. Aggressive membership drive which is yielding great dividends.
7. Career Guidance and Counseling in Gender based Secondary Schools. Topics already discussed include: (a) Puberty and Risk Factors (b) Self Esteem/Self Worth (c) Building up Confidence
8. Physical Fitness Campaign for our members.
9. Mentoring programme: Every member is mandated to mentor at least 4 young girls a year.
10. Leadership training and capacity development conferences attended by our members include:
a. National conference on Development strategies for NGOs organized by NEPAD Nigeria
b. UNIFEM organized Women leadership conference titled “Leadership, Gender Mainstreaming and Tackling HIV and AIDS in Nigeria”
c. National Conference on Elimination of violence against women organized by the Social Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Literacy Day Celebration
d. National Summit on Women Participation in Politics organized by the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs Nigeria
e. Stakeholders National Forum organized by the Federal Road Safety Corps Nigeria
f. Interactive forum with the American Corner Abuja in collaboration with the Public Affairs section of the US Embassy in Nigeria and the National Centre for Women Development on the theme “Women and Nation Building 2010”
g. African Woman Emancipation Continental Conference organized by Women Advancement for Economic and leadership Empowerment in Africa 2010
i. Women in Politics Workshop/Seminar held in Lagos
ii. International Labor Organization/NECA Forum on assessing the environment for Women Entrepreneurship Development
11. All BPW Nigeria members have been encouraged to be ICT compliant; a training programme has been arranged for this.
12. Business Proposal writing is also being organized for all members to equip them with the necessary skills in writing business proposals.
13. BPW Nigeria intends to provide wells and toilets in two public schools per year. Talks have reached advanced stages with the identified schools and donor partners.
14. Health talks on diet, menopause and fitness are also regular features at meetings to promote health and prevent or reduce risk factors for health conditions such as diabetes, stroke, hypertension, etc.
15. A new NGO “Women For Change Initiative” launched by the wife of The President of Nigeria, Dame Patience Goodluck, has one of our members on her committee 2010.
16. Successful hosting of the African Regional Congress in Abuja October 2009.
17. Some BPW Nigeria members attended The North African Regional Congress in Cairo.
18. BPW Nigeria collaborated with the Federal Road Safety Corps to organize a Road Safety Awareness Campaign for the National Union of Road Transport Workers.
19. Visited three orphanages and donated baby food, clothes, books, toys, cash, and foodstuff to the following: (a) Mother Theresa Orphanage (b) Fatherless and Motherless Children Aid and Development Organization (c) Zion Orphanage. There is also a foodstuff distribution scheme for one of the orphanages by one of our members.
20. Twelve members of BPW Nigeria led by the National President. Mrs. Tinuade Ihama attended the UN CSW 54 conference in New York, and also participated in a special training programme organized by BPW International.
21. Setting up of a Vocational Training and skill acquisition centre in Pyakassa, Abuja: This programme is aimed at improving the lot of the grassroots women. It is our major project. A special curriculum on literacy and numeracy, and entrepreneurial skill acquisition was developed for it, with active participation by the National Educational Research Development Centre, and funded by UNESCO. The women have already undergone training in basic literacy and numeracy, cassava processing, poultry, packaging and quality control.
22. Effective from September 2010, BPW Nigeria intends to offer full scholarship to brilliant but indigent girls to complete their secondary education.