Promote Education Among Nigerian/African Women

Promote Education Among Nigerian/African Women

The Miss Nigeria in America organization was founded on the desire to improve and increase educational opportunity for women in Nigeria. The overarching goal of the organization is reflective of my own desire to improve education of women in Nigeria. The organization sponsors pageants for Nigerian American women to celebrate their culture as well as to act as ambassadors for social change and awareness in the United States for the cause of education of women in Nigeria. (MNIA Website) as the 2007 Miss Nigeria in America I will further the goal of the MNIA organization by placing greater clarity and emphasis on educational goals in Nigeria. I will bring the current and evolving information on the situation in Nigeria to the organization, to further the national and international awareness of the organization and lastly I will expand MNIA to my area, to take advantage of the cultural and regional diversity and population density of Nigerians in New York.

Nigeria is a diverse and multi-cultural nation with significant educational needs, especially with regard to populations that are underserved, as a result of the nomadic lifestyle as well as the majority of the country living below the poverty level. In the past education has been an elite system that accepted only those who could support it. More recently as part of a global move to educate the world, Nigeria has made great strides and needs continued support to implement more and expand existing systems.

Aduwa-Ogiegbaen 176)

My love for my native country, regardless and because of its historical strife and its valuable diversity is furthered by my desire to help provide educational opportunities, similar to those that I have enjoyed as a Nigerian American. Additionally, living in the greatest city in the world, New York with its diverse social and political climates has further developed my desire to strengthen organizations that build global civic pride through the support of struggling nations, currently developing educational equality. I have built, within this nation and this city a developed sense of self as both an American and a Nigerian and giving back to my mother nation has become a foundational part of my person. Universal education and voice, equal opportunity and services for women is a fundamental step to development in every nation and women, constituting half of the human population are one of the most important missing aspects of universal voice of a nation. Nigeria, through cultural change and global conscience must be assisted in creating egalitarian education and society.

The nation is also poised to accept the changes, as Universal Basic Education is currently being implemented in Nigeria. Since the beginning UBE has made incredible strides with regard to infrastructure and the development of access programs for disadvantaged students though it has also had several shortcomings the most disturbing of which is its failure in the area of educating girls and women in the nation.

Aduwa-Ogiegbaen 176) Women are half of the human population in any nation and without their health, industry and point-of-view, educated to understand their options and value the culture is missing an important facet of possibilities.

I will further the goal of the MNIA organization by placing greater clarity and emphasis on the current state of educational goals in Nigeria as well as on awareness of its specific needs and especially those particular to the education of girls and women. The website, above all else must have greater emphasis on the history and culture of Nigeria, as well as the current state of education for girls and women there. Though funds for travel are relatively limited, as the organization is small there is a clear need to make certain that networking and partnerships within Nigeria need to either be built or placed in a situation of greater emphasis on website and in other marketing tools. The organization needs legitimate allies in the process and building such networks are essential to the development of goals. Some of those networks can possibly be better served with a more centralized location in New York City.

Nigeria has an incredibly diverse and rich culture, that is unfortunately fragmented by historical and cultural strife. Making people more aware of the cultural situation within Nigeria, including but not limited to the cultural secondary status of women in culture and education is essential to a broader global understanding of Nigeria's needs and current state. People who have emigrated from Nigeria to places such as New York, where there is an overall greater population of peoples from all over Africa frequently do so because of lack of opportunity and in many cases, lack of opportunity for women and girls. If Nigerian New Yorkers are made more aware of the particular needs of Nigerian education, specifically for women and that there is an organization specifically created to help with this cause they might feel more compelled to assist the cause. Additionally, a greater overall awareness of needs in Nigeria to the whole of the New York population will also help bolster the goals of the organization, improving the pool of ambassador candidates in the future and the funds that event raise for the causes.

One of the first steps in expanding the MNIA is to expand their web presence, through the development of a page that more clearly identifies the goals of the organization and is easier to find on search engines. One of the ways that this can be done is by reducing the visible emphasis on the pageant and the pageant winners and by emphasizing the connection between the event and its results. Clearly detailing the monies that have been earned through the events but more importantly the work it has or will soon be able to do in Nigeria. Simple explanations and photographs of girls and women in Nigeria who have been helped by the organization is essential. If those goals have yet to be met the website must clearly state very specific regional goals that will be met by funds raised from future events, including the building of schools, the distribution of educational materials, including uniforms for girls as well as basic school supplies, all of which are relatively inexpensive in the scope of change but are essential to the development of education for girls in Nigeria.