Avabe Initiative for Community Development is a National non-governmental and humanitarian organization incorporated in Nigeria in December 2011, dedicated to the proposition that absolute illiteracy and poverty can be alleviated and are indeed eradicable in line with the MDG Goals that improved into the current 2030 Sustainable Development Goals 1,  4, 5 and 8. To achieve this, Avabe Initiative’s mission is to work with the educational institutions, media houses, agencies, states/federal ministries, all arms of community leaders and focal groups, donors, NGOs and CSOs to reduce illiteracy, advance girls/child education through provision of non-formal education, literacy and gender equality campaigns; skills acquisition, advocacy and consultation.

We are supporting the increase in women’s literacy, numeracy and empowerment programmes that improve their prominence and participation in activities that create livelihood and reduce violence against women and girls. We do this by creating a more conducive environment that allows easy access to literacy, numeracy and empowerment programmes that allow women’s participation, and reducing the culture of silence and acceptance around gender-based violence. We have:

• Special education that provides knowledge to children, inspire girls and young women to advance their education after basic literacy, guide them towards becoming professional of their choice.
• Adult classes that provide literacy, numeracy, and life-skills services to girls aged 9-17 and women above 18years.
• Training and vocational centers where girls, women, and youths are being trained on entrepreneurship and many other skills that ensure their creativity, income generation, and self-reliance. Computer and other life skill training is also provided as an innovation for advancement.
• Organized weekly sensitization sessions at the various classes, centers, and communities to educate the populace on the importance of Education, safe environments that ensure healthy family and management of conflict without violence.

By supporting the creation and provision of sustainable literacy and skills acquisition programmes through physical and strong policy framework for girls and women’s right to education, participation in all community engagements and the life-skills sessions aimed to improve their health and reduce cases of gender-based discrimination and violence, and by supporting women’s networking and prominence, Avabe Initiative believes that achieving 2030 SDGs 4, 5 and 8 by 2030 is feasible. We also believe that the level of poverty and joblessness will be tremendously reduced. Conflict will more likely to be managed non-violently which invariably results in peacebuilding that permits sustained efforts.

We create linkage for the beneficiaries as a complementary effort towards achieving the capacity building and empowerment programme by collaborating with media houses, micro finances, marketers, and suppliers. We make advocacy visits to decision implementer, community leaders to seek awareness and support for the beneficiaries. As a follow-up and to enhance the sustainability of achieved efforts, we monitor and evaluate the independent performances of the beneficiaries while providing knowledge management through many social media and reports for public sharing. These give an opportunity for update and assessment of the progress that foster focus and innovation while sharing success stories and challenges with others. These initiatives and activities and implemented through our project titled ‘Educate and Empower Women for Turn Around’ (EW4TA).