In 1975, Zabon Moussou, a village in the region of Maradi, South of Niger, saw its secondary school open its doors. The community was happy as their children would not walk to go to school in Tchadoua, 15 kilometers away, anymore. Years passed by and no girl would graduate. The girls that enrolled would drop out without finishing their education.
The Women on the Move Federation of Tchadoua, after talking to the community and understand the issue, came up with a sponsorship and awareness raising program. The program helps one girl or more girls at least finish their education by welcoming them in families of the federation members and paying for their education expenses.
Going from one village to another raising awareness and telling the communities more about the sponsorship program, Baraka Ali, president of the federation and councilor to the mayor of Tchadoua, met Nana Haoua Habou.
Haoua approached Baraka and told her intentions of not stopping her education. She told Baraka that the only issue she was facing was that she didn’t have the means to continue since girls’ education is regarded by many in her village as not being important. It’s not easy for a girl to drop out of school and the choice is rarely hers.
During one of her visits in Zabon Moussou, Baraka was drawn by Haoua. Baraka approached her because she wanted to know more. She could not understand how a brilliant girl was not in school but instead selling food.
“Haoua, you know you can have a better future right? The secondary in your village has been built in 1975 and up till today no girl has ever finished. Why did you stop going to school?” Baraka asks.
“I understand that but times are difficult and I need to help my parents. I go to the market and sale food to earn some money. I know I can do both. I need you to talk to my parents so they can let me finish my studies” replied Haoua.
Baraka and Haoua went to meet Haoua’s parents to convince them that education is important. She explained to them that if all girls dropped out of school they would have to deal only with men in a lot of issues and most importantly in hospitals. She knows that women are culturally shy to be seen by a male doctor and that is why they do not go to hospitals.
In 2015, 40 years after the creation of the secondary school of Zabon Moussou, Haoua is the first girl to graduate. Haoua pursued her studies and is today a teacher. She also raises awareness in the villages she teaches and the ones neighboring them. During the summer, she still sells food in the market to make ends meet and help her parents financially.
Photo: Rakiétou Hassane Mossi
Baraka is satisfied with the work that Haoua is doing today and helping her raise awareness in her own way. “I was able to go from nothing to sponsoring girls finish their education, with my own money. I’m sponsoring a lot of girls today and I welcome each year five of them. In my region, girls’ education is being more and more accepted. I’m still asking myself how I can make this issue accepted at a regional and national level”, she says with a smile on her face.
Haoua is proud of herself and all the achievements she is doing. “I’ve helped three girls from Zabon Moussou to not drop out of school and today, one is pursuing her studies to become a teacher and the two others to become nurses. I’m ready to accompany any girls at the best of my abilities to pursue her dream,” she affirms with pride.
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