5 YEARS OF REWRITING SHE STORIES: A WOMEN'S VOICE AND LEADERSHIP NIGERIA PROJECT REPORT (2019 - 2024)

The Women's Voice and Leadership (WVL) Nigeria Project, implemented by ActionAid Nigeria and funded by Global Affairs Canada from 2019 to 2024, significantly transformed the funding landscape for women's empowerment and gender equality in Nigeria. 

This project empowered 182 local women's rights organisations and movements through various funding streams, directly impacting over 4 million individuals and indirectly reaching more than 3 million, enhancing their financial, technical, and organisational capacities. Key achievements include influencing 47 gender-related laws and policies, managing 4,683 gender-based violence cases, economically empowering 22,455 women and girls (with 6,500 rural women establishing businesses and collectively saving N408.8 million through VSLA schemes), and supporting 40 women to win political elective positions and 67 female students to become student union presidents. 

The initiative, which also supported programs for women with disabilities, women living with HIV/AIDS, ex-female inmates, widows, and teenage mothers, demonstrated that a flexible, inclusive, and non-prescriptive approach is crucial for effectively advancing women's rights and promoting sustainable change, ultimately contributing to the increased enjoyment of rights for women and girls in Nigeria.