TYDF Gathers Experts for Advocacy Discussion on Holistic Approach to Girls’ Education in Nigeria

The TY Danjuma Foundation (TYDF) on Tuesday October 18, 2011, held its first roundtable discussion with its partners, grantees and other education-targeted organizations, to support initiatives geared towards promoting girls’ education.

The Roundtable congregated experts from public and private sectors, as well as non-profit organisations. Top functionaries from the Federal Ministry of Education; the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC); Skye Bank; Guarantee Trust Bank; Stanbic-IBTC; and experts from civil society. The primary objective of the discussion was to share best practices of various interventions on girls’ education in Nigeria in order to find ways of strengthening the Foundation’s grantmaking strategy on education, and to promote private sector participation in philanthropy.

In a welcome remark, Executive Director and CEO of TYDF, Ms. Thelma Ekiyor, urged the private sector to step up its involvement in ensuring that strategic education initiatives for girls are well supported while partnering with both government and non-governmental agencies. “We have not tapped into the leadership potential of girls; it is still odd to see a woman heading a large organization in Nigeria,” Ekiyor told the roundtable, adding that, “until we show them that there is a horizon broader than where they currently are, many of the girls in Nigeria will have limited goals.”

Former First Lady of Kwara State, Her Excellency Mrs. Toyin Saraki, participated at the event. She is the founder and executive director of Wellbeing Foundation (WBF), whose mandate includes impacting girls for life and the global championing of child’s rights. “I believe that education is a human right,” she said.

Two of TYDF 2010 grantees, TCCI and FAWOYDI shared experiences on the process of improving girls’ education through TYDF-supported projects in rural communities – Dako community of Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT; Fulataran and Kaisuwa Dole communities in Bauchi state.

The students of