Our Results

Educating and Empowering Vulnerable Women in Nigeria under the WISE Project

WISE

Stand Out Results:

Over the life of the WISE project:

  • More than 6,000 women were trained in health, HIV/AIDS and small business management.
  • More than 3,000 women received training in vocational skills.
  • Over 1,600 women received grants to start small businesses.
  • Almost universal coverage of HIV testing was achieved by project-end compared to 23 percent at the start of the project.
  • Knowledge of HIV/AIDS transmission methods more than doubled.
  • Condom usage increased from 68 percent to 82 percent.
  • The percent of respondents with multiple sex partners declined from 51 percent to 34 percent.
  • Fifty-seven percent of women receiving vocational training got a job or started their own business and 60 percent of those business owners increased their income.


Project Title: WISE – Women’s Initiative for Sex Education and Economic Empowerment

Funders: Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) and World Bank (WB)

Budget: $1, 847,429 (JSDF = $1,447,429; WB = $400,000)

Country/Time Frame: Nigeria/2004-2009

The Problem: HIV/AIDS continues to be one of the major public health concerns and disease burdens in Nigeria with approximately 3.4 million people living with the disease. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is disproportionately higher among women – particularly young women – and highest among most-at-risk populations (MARPs) such as sex workers. Low levels of knowledge about HIV/AIDS, poor access to care, and poverty are also major factors that increase women’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Long-Term Goal of Project: To reduce HIV/AIDS prevalence among vulnerable women in targeted communities.

Project Objectives:

  • Improve women’s reproductive health through education and counseling.
  • Economically empower women through vocational/business management training and the provision of startup equipment.

Direct Beneficiaries: 6,000 vulnerable women that include out of school adolescents, street children, child brides and sex workers in the Federal Capital Territory and proximal communities in neighboring states.