Kasuwan Magani, Kaduna State – June 25, 2025
In a continuing effort to combat gender-based violence and promote women’s rights, the Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI) held a peer-to-peer learning session in Kasuwan Magani under the “Together We Can” project.
Uche Brown, the Primary Focal Person for the project, explained that the event brought together 30 trained female beneficiaries who, in turn, each invited another woman from their community—doubling the reach to 60 participants. The approach aims to create a ripple effect by empowering women to become community educators and advocates against gender-based violence.
“This is a train-the-trainer model where the original 30 women pass on knowledge to others,” Brown said. “They’re sharing lessons about ending violence against women and girls, understanding their rights, referral pathways, and how to report cases of abuse.”
Brown also emphasized the importance of economic empowerment. “We’ve inaugurated two Women Multipurpose Cooperatives in Kasuwan Magani to support economic independence,” he noted. “When women are financially dependent, they are often more vulnerable. But by equipping them with skills and knowledge, we are changing that narrative.”
One of the program’s beneficiaries, Blessing Yusuf from the Kasuwan Magani community, shared her personal experience and the transformative impact of the project.
“When the program started, we began with seminars where we were made to understand that even as women, we have a voice in our community and in the nation,” she said. “We learned that domestic violence is wrong, and there are laws protecting both women and men. We now know that we can report abuse to the authorities, including the Social Development Center in our local government.”
She added that the program went beyond awareness. “We were taught to be independent and given business-oriented training. Some of us have already started our own businesses with the small financial support we received, and those who didn’t have businesses before have now begun one.”
Blessing also highlighted the program’s inclusivity. “At some point, men were invited to participate because domestic violence affects them too. They were given orientation, and that helped foster more understanding within households. Even in our homes, we now know how to handle certain issues better.”
In addition, she praised the establishment of a community office where women can seek advice or refer cases from Monday to Thursday. “We also dropped our contact numbers with others in the community so that if there’s a case we can’t handle, we know who to refer them to.”
Also speaking at the event, Hafsat Yusuf, Program Officer for Organizational Development and Partnership at EWEI, shared that this is the second year of the Together We Can project. “We’ve trained 30 women who have gone through difficult experiences—many are widows or homeless. The acceptance of the program in the community has been 100%, and we’ve seen real transformation.”
According to her, the progress has been tremendous. “The women are not only learning but are also becoming agents of change in their communities.”
The Together We Can project continues to serve as a beacon of hope, equipping women with tools for advocacy, leadership, and self-reliance. It’s creating a strong grassroots movement against gender-based violence and laying the foundation for long-term societal change.
