Overcoming challenges to write a new story

“Not having a skill bothered me a lot as it meant there was no hope of achieving my dreams”.

18 year old Aminatu Abdulhadi Ibrahim lives with her parents and siblings in Kurfa Waika, Dala Local Government Area, Kano state. Like most girls, Amina grew up with dreams of who she wanted to be when she grew up.

“I wanted to be a journalist, to tell the stories of others but I could not pursue my dreams as I had to drop out of school because of finances”. Amina is almost tearful as she speaks.

After she dropped out of school, Amina became idle as she had no skills and no means of payment to acquire one.

While Amina was at home just passing time in hopes that a break would come, she was unhappy because her mates were in school pursuing their dreams.

It was during this time that a friend informed her of the training initiative on livelihood opportunities for young girls. She decided to get enrolled on the program through the Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative, a partner of the Girls Improving Resilience through Livelihoods and Health (GIRL-H) problem.

This is in line with the goal of the GIRL-H problem to have adolescent girls, boys, and young people experience improved well-being and increased access to educational, economic, and civic engagement opportunities, contributing to individual and household resilience.

The program selects adolescents and indigent young people aged 10-14 years who have either dropped out of school or were unable to attend school due to, and are resident within the communities of implementation. Youths aged 18-24 years are also considered.

The participants are usually nominated or verified by traditional or religious leaders (Bulamas, Lawans or Hakimis) whose support is sought at the point of entry into the community.

Aminatu applied and passed through the verification process to join the program. This marked a change for her and set her on a new path. She met other youths and was trained on life skills.

“We were taught financial literacy, social skills, respect for societal and cultural norms and were presented with an option of skills to choose from”, She said.

From the list of skills presented, Amina chose to learn the art of henna designing as it piqued her interest more. She says that each unique design created on the hands and feets of women and girls is like a new story to her. This makes her feel connected to her dream of being a journalist and telling the stories of others.

After being trained for 12 weeks, she was able to start her business.

Reminiscing on her experience before and after her encounter with the GIRL-H program, Amina reveals that she is happy because she has achieved independence and is now more secure about her future.

“I am happy because I am no longer idle. I can support myself and my family. I can buy clothes for myself and my siblings unlike before.”

She however expressed worry about insufficient funds for her business and the rate of inflation which makes it difficult to make enough profit to sustain her business.

She said, “I am worried because most times I borrow money to buy materials for my business especially when I have a lot of clients.”

To salvage this, she employed the skills of financial literacy and savings acquired during the training period. “I save 50% of my earnings to ensure sustenance of my business,” she said.

Expressing her belief in her skills, Amina stated that she can compete favorably with global henna designers and would like an opportunity to meet others with whom she can share knowledge.

On her aspirations for the future, Amina who is now more resilient said “I want to become an expert in this field and become independent enough to support my family and friends.”

About the GIRL-H Program

Girls Improving Resilience through Livelihoods + Health (GIRL-H) is a Mercy Corps-implemented 36-month programme targeting adolescent girls, boys, and young people in Kenya, Uganda, Haiti and Nigeria. The programme aims to improve girls’ well-being by increasing their access to and uptake of life skills, health information, basic numeracy and literacy, and financial literacy, as well as foster pathways to formal education, economic opportunities, and civic engagement.

The overall goal of GIRL-H is that adolescent girls, boys, and young people experience improved well-being and increased access to educational, economic, and civic engagement opportunities, contributing to individual and household resilience.