Nigerian Initiative for Girls’ Education Wins Prestigious WISE Awards
The Safe Space Club for Girls, by the Centre for Girl-Child Education, is part of the six 2018 WISE Awards Winning Projects
Doha, Qatar, July 17, 2018: The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE), an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), announced today the Nigerian project “Safe Spaces Clubs for Girls” as a winner of the 2018 WISE Awards. Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote innovative projects from across the world that are addressing global educational challenges.
An initiative of the Centre for Girl-Child Education, Safe Space Club for Girls works to increase access to schooling for low income girls, between the ages of 10 to 18, in Northern Nigeria. The project aims to tackle issues such as low female literacy, early marriage and high maternal mortality, by providing these girls with mentorship, basic academic competencies and critical life skills.
Habiba Mohammed, Co-director and Team leader of the Centre for Girl-Child Education, said: “We are honored by this WISE Award and the recognition it brings to the Centre for Girls' Education. The award will allow us to pilot a new preschool safe space program for the most vulnerable girls (ages 3 to 6) in the communities we serve".
Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO of WISE, congratulated the winners: “This year we have received 413 applications for the WISE Awards program. The rigorous selection process has succeeded in finding six excellent and innovative projects addressing a diverse mix of educational challenges from around the world. This demonstrates that there are existing global organizations and individuals who share our passion for tackling education challenges with innovative solutions. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our Awards jury members who did a thorough job in evaluating the projects."
The five other 2018 WISE Awards winners are One Village One Preschool (China), Generation (USA), 1001 Nights Life Skills and Citizenship Education Program (Canada), Technology-Based Deaf Education (Pakistan) and Partners for Possibility (South Africa).
Other pressing educational issues tackled by the 2018 WISE Awards winning projects include early childhood education; the refugee crisis, cultural exchange, citizenship values, youth employment; entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities, deaf education, enhancing teacher motivation; and stimulating critical and creative thinking.
The Awards winners are evaluated according to strict criteria. They must be established, innovative educational projects that have already demonstrated a transformative impact on the individuals, communities, and society of their context. They also need to be financially stable, have a clear development plan, and be scalable and replicable.
The projects will be celebrated on September 22 at WISE@NY in New York, USA. In addition to publicity and networking opportunities, each will receive $20,000 (US).
About the WISE Awards:
Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote six successful innovative projects that are addressing global educational challenges. Since 2009, WISE has received more than 3,200 applications from over 150 countries. Up until now, 60 projects have won the WISE Awards, from a wide variety of sectors and locations for their innovative character, their positive contribution and their potential for scalability and adaptability. These projects represent a growing resource of expertise and sound educational practice. Year by year, WISE is building a community of educational innovators which offers a fertile environment for groundbreaking collaborations. Today the WISE Awards network comprises pioneering projects that are helping bring real change to societies and communities.
For further information, visit www.wise-qatar.org/wise-awards
About the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE):
The World Innovation Summit for Education was established by Qatar Foundation in 2009 under the leadership of its Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. WISE is an international, multi-sectoral platform for creative, evidence-based thinking, debate, and purposeful action in education. Through the biennial summit, collaborative research and a range of on-going programs, WISE is a global reference in new approaches to education.
For further information about WISE, visit www.wise-qatar.org