Women Centre

How much of empowerment does a woman really need?

Constraints on mobility:
In most parts of Sokoto state, controls on women’s and girls’ mobility create powerful barriers to their economic empowerment. Preserving honor & religion cannot be jeopardized when the freedom to earn for a livelihood has been chosen by a woman.

Most women in Sokoto opt to pay the economic cost – starving invisibly at home or taking on badly paid work in other people’s homes ‘‘where nobody would see’’ them.

But where women are excluding themselves willingly or by force from the market because of its associations with dishonor and shame, the Mustapha Foundation is looking for initiatives designed to improve women’s access to a small fund to better their lives even in seclusion ‘’where nobody would see them’’.

Not been political, forming an ‘’associations’’ is one of the most successful ways for anyone (men or women) who want to take action to address any type of discrimination and exploitation that they face, and will make them advance and defend their rights and interests.

The very act of joining an association will add breadth to the lives of the women– enabling them to take even leadership roles, build their self-confidence, and gain new skills in addition to their economic development which may lead to their abilities to be our representatives in local, national and international policy making.

Our women should be encouraged to get themselves together to form these association ‘’an all women’’ association’’ to deliberate and come-up with ideas that will better their lives without jeopardizing their religious and marital obligations. And there is no limit to a woman empowerment.

Our men and religious leaders need to understand, support and appreciate these types of efforts to make our women better women.