US embassy cable - 04ABUJA1391

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABUJA 001391 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID/W FOR AFR/WA, MIKE KARBELING 
OES/IHA 
USAID/W FOR AFR/SD, SNWANKWO 
USAID/W FOR AFR/SD, SMOTEN 
USAID/W FOR AFR/EA, DSHELDON 
USAID/W FOR AFR/WA, HPROCTOR 
USAID/W FOR AFR/SA, PFLEURET 
USAID/W FOR AFR/SD/ED, CFEEZEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, SOCI, KHIV, NI, AID 
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AMBASSADORS GIRLS' SCHOLARSHIP 
PROGRAM OF THE AFRICA EDUCATION INITIATIVE (AEI) 
 
REF: STATE 111151, 182108Z 
 
1. This is a reply to the action cable STATE 111151 
 
2. The Nigerian Mission applauds the laudable work 
AFR/SD/ED has accomplished in the promotion of girls 
education across Africa through the Ambassadors' Girls 
Scholarship Program (AGSP), implemented through the 
Education for Development and Democracy Initiative 
(EDDI). We look forward to the expansion of this unique 
scholarship program under the Africa Education 
Initiative (AEI), which will support retention of girls 
in school through awarding 250,000 primary level 
scholarships, and where possible, complementary 
mentoring programs to inspire and encourage girls in 
their educational pursuits. 
 
3. Based on information requested under paragraph 3 of 
your cable, find below the USAID/Nigeria response: 
 
 
LOCAL CONTEXT FOR IMPLEMENTATION (INCLUDING 
LINKAGES TO OTHER PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES): 
 
Nigeria is a nation of 135 million people.  It is 
estimated that females constitute 51% of the 
population, with an adult female literacy rate of about 
47%. As the most populous nation in Africa, one of 
every five Africans is a Nigerian. The average income 
in Nigeria is very low (US$300 - $350 in 2000), with 
the number of people living below the poverty line 
estimated at 60-70%. Families do not have much, if any, 
discretionary funds. Often education of the girl child 
suffers under these economic conditions. Only 65% of 
girls enrolled in primary schools complete this level 
of education, with only 45% of these girls proceeding 
to Junior Secondary School. 
 
In Nigeria the HIV/AIDS prevalence according to a 2003 
national seroprevalence survey is 5 percent, with over 
4 million people infected with HIV/AIDS. The 2003 
results indicates that young people, particularly women 
in the 15-24 years age group, remain the most 
vulnerable to infection. The large numbers of infected 
persons make the case for intensifying prevention 
efforts.  The government plans to empower girls and 
women to develop the knowledge and skills that protect 
them from HIV-infection. This scholarship program will 
assist in the realization of this plan, because it 
focuses on assisting girls to become educated and 
better informed, with women playing mentoring and 
decision making roles that affect the education of 
their children. The program's emphasis on the need for 
community participation provides a timely and much 
desired linkage with the Mission's Social Sector 
Services procurement which focuses (in addition to 
other issues) on community participation in Education 
for ownership and leveraging of resources. The 
scholarship program will also assist the Mission to 
achieve its global vision of having gender as a cross- 
cutting theme in all our activities, due to the fact 
that it focuses on the girl child and promotes the 
involvement of women role models as mentors for the 
scholarship beneficiaries. The scholarship program 
would also complement USAID/Nigeria efforts at 
increasing access and completion of qualitative primary 
school with specific emphasis on girls' education. 
 
 
 
 
THE LOCAL SCHOOL CALENDAR: 
 
The local school calendar year runs from September to 
July of each year. 
 
NUMBER AND LEVEL(S) OF POTENTIAL SCHOLARS: 
 
The scholarship will pay for 2,500 girls (less than 1% 
of the current estimate of girls in primary school in 
Nigeria) to assist them in the completion of last two 
years of primary school, which is grade five and six, 
and the continuance of their pursuit of education 
through Junior Secondary School, which is grades seven 
through nine, for a total of five years of Basic 
Education. According to current statistics, about 20 
million children attend primary schools in Nigeria. Of 
this number, only about 3 million transit to Junior 
Secondary School. The purpose of this scholarship is to 
encourage more girls to stay in school and transit 
into, and complete, Junior Secondary School in Nigeria. 
 
CONSTITUTION OF THE SCHOLARSHIP PACKAGE (WHAT WILL THE 
SCHOLARSHIP PAY FOR): 
 
The scholarship will pay for cost of tuition, 
incidentals and boarding. 
 
OUTLINE THE APPROXIMATE COST OF A SCHOLARSHIP PER GIRL: 
 
We anticipate offering 2,500 scholarships. 
- The approximate cost of scholarship per girl is $900 
x 5 years = $4,500, for a total cost of $11,250,000. 
- Under mentoring support, we anticipate 250 mentors (1 
mentor per 10 girls) x $150 per year x 5 years = 
$187,500. 
- Annual mentor workshops: 250 x $100 per participant x 
5 years = $125,000. 
Grand Total cost: $11,562,500. 
 
SUGGEST SELECTION CRITERIA FOR SCHOLARS: 
 
As in our current program, the proposed program will 
focus on girls in the most disadvantaged circumstances, 
those who otherwise would have no support, no safety 
net and little prospect for a good education. 
Categories include girls who are orphaned (especially 
HIV/AIDS orphans), living with physical disabilities 
(e.g., polio victims, the blind and deaf) and those 
among the poorest of the poor. Selection committees 
will be established in each state to identify qualified 
scholarship candidates. Committees will be comprised of 
private sector corporate representatives, NGO and CBO 
representatives, as well as local educators, community 
leaders and participating school administrators. By 
targeting private sector corporations in this activity, 
we expect to foster corporate responsibility and 
initiative for sustainability of the girls' scholarship 
scheme. 
 
RECOMMEND TARGET AREAS OR SCHOOLS: 
 
The current program runs in twelve states of the six 
geo-political zones of Nigeria. An additional six 
states (one from each of the six-geo political zones) 
will be added to the current twelve participating 
states, for a new total of eighteen participating 
states. This will enhance better coverage of the areas 
with the most girls' education challenges. On an 
average, there would be about 277 scholarship 
recipients in each state. The program would encourage 
girls to stay in school during the scholarship period 
and beyond through complementary mentoring programs. 
 
POTENTIAL LOCAL PARTNERS CAPABLE OF IMPLEMENTING A 
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM TO THE LEVEL PROPOSED: 
 
World Education International 
Parent Teachers Associations in all participating 
schools 
Guidance and Counseling Development Institute 
Youth Care 
Grassroots Development Association 
Women's Initiative and Support Services Organization 
Youth Resource Development Education and Leadership 
Rural Women Foundation 
Forward Africa 
Anawin Home 
Mallam Mamman Foundation 
Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria 
(FOMWAN) 
Forum for African Women's Educationalists (FAWEN) 
Women's Rights Advancement & Protection Alternative 
(WRAPA) 
Center for Reproductive Health Aromatherapy & 
Development 
Women support Development Initiative 
Rural Women's Youth Development 
Adolescent Girls Project etc 
EXPECTED ROLE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES: 
The local communities are expected to play a supportive 
role with regard to monitoring the mentoring NGOs, 
advocacy for community support, monitoring 
participating schools, participating in mentoring 
workshops, participating in selection committees to 
select girls. 
 
DESCRIBE THE MANNER IN WHICH HIV/AIDS WOULD BE 
INCORPORATED INTO THE PROGRAM: 
 
In all our programs in the USAID/Nigeria Mission, 
HIV/AIDS is a cross-cutting theme. The Mission is 
receiving a $35m PEPFAR funding for HIV/AIDS work in 
selected locations in Nigeria. HIV/AIDS would be 
incorporated into this program by training the mentors 
on HIV/AIDS and related issues, with the expectation 
that the mentors will provide step-down training for 
the girls as part of the life skills training. The 
current HIV/AIDS program of the Mission will also find 
ways of reaching the beneficiary schools with HIV/AIDS 
Interventions, and share IEC materials with schools. 
 
DESCRIBE THE SCOPE OR ACTIVITIES OF AN ANNUAL MENTORING 
PLAN: 
 
The mentoring program is a complementary program that 
would be developed with local non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs), community based organizations 
(CBOs), and religious organizations, to encourage the 
girls to stay in school during the scholarship period 
and beyond. Mentoring will involve regular visits to 
the scholarship recipients to encourage the development 
of good study habits, teach life skill, and present 
positive role models for the girls. From experience 
with the current scholarship program, we know that 
mentors need an opportunity to hone skills (study 
skills, life skills enhancement, HIV/AIDS awareness and 
prevention, workforce skills development etc) and to 
provide feedback on the girls under their charge to the 
program's administrators. Therefore we will include 
annual mentoring workshops at the regional level to 
meet this need. 
 
4. USAID/NIGERIA is supportive of the Ambassadors 
Girls' Scholarship Program (AGSP), and we look forward 
to working with AFR/SD in implementing the new program. 
 
CAMPBELL