Girls’ education in Nigeria
Climate change acts as a threat multiplier, finding existing injustices and amplifying them. Women and girls already grapple with gender inequality, but when extreme weather devastates a community, the UN found that inequalities worsen: Intimate partner violence spikes, girls are pulled from school, daughters are married early, and women and girls forced from their homes face a higher risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking.
More than 10 million children between 5 and 14 years old are absent from classrooms across Nigeria, according to UNICEF. For girls, the statistics are even bleaker: In states in the northeast and northwest of the country, fewer than half attend school.
This visual project gives a snapshot of the myriad ways the human-induced climate crisis is upending their lives, but also shows how they are fighting back. Every image shows both struggle and survival, the battle to live a decent life in a swiftly changing climate.
Photographs by Taiwo Aina for CNN
Read full report here.
Group exhibition at COP28 event in Dubai, UAE, presented by CNN.
KADUNA, NGA - August 9, 2023: Portrait of Shafa’atu Nuhu, a 22 year old lady in her home at Kabaya community, Soba LGA, Kaduna state, Nigeria. Shafa’atu Nuhu bears responsibilities of a wife, a mother and a senior secondary school student two student. Shafa’atu Nuhu came from a very low income family and was left with the fate of an early marriage. With the intervention of center of girls education in Shafa’atu life she has been navigating education with her family life. “I chose to go to school because of the passion I have for education and also to support my children to get quality education, and even when it comes to interacting with people an educated person interacts better and personally, I see education as the key to a better life.” Shafa’atu says. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 11, 2023: Portrait of Asiya Ja’afar in her house at Anguwan Malamai, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Asiya Ja’afar dropped out of school at a very young age due to long trekking distance which caused her punishments for latecoming and secondarily severe health conditions’ like the excruciating pain on her leg. Years later, with CGE’s mentorship, Asiya is now enrolled to a vocational program studying poultry farming. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 12, 2023: Portrait of Asiya Sa’idu,17, in her house at Dogon Bauchi, Sabon Gari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Asiya aims to be a doctor or a teacher, “My future ambition is to become a medical doctor because we don’t have enough female medical doctors. Mostly if you go to our hospitals, you find out that most of the specialist doctors are males”. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 9, 2023: An eroded area in Zaria, Kaduna state, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 12, 2023: Asiya Sa’idu processing her tigernut snack in her home kitchen at Dogon Bauchi, Sabon Gari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. “I told my father that I want to start a business so that I can be supporting my education so he gave me. He gave me one thousand naira so I bought two quarter of tiger nuts and two cups of sugar and flavor and my classmates use to buy it very well so I do it twice in a week.” says Asiya. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 12, 2023: Asiya Sa’idu and her sisters packaging her tigernut snack in their home at Dogon Bauchi, Sabon Gari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 12, 2023: Portrait of Asiya Sa’idu,17, in front of her house at Dogon Bauchi, Sabon Gari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Asiya aims to be a doctor or a teacher, “My future ambition is to become a medical doctor because we don’t have enough female medical doctors. Mostly if you go to our hospitals, you find out that most of the specialist doctors are males”. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 12, 2023: Asiya Sa’idu,17, holding her book in front of her house at Dogon Bauchi, Sabon Gari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Asiya aims to be a doctor or a teacher, “My future ambition is to become a medical doctor because we don’t have enough female medical doctors. Mostly if you go to our hospitals, you find out that most of the specialist doctors are males”. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 14, 2023: Asiya Sa’idu in her summer school lesson organized by CGE at Government secondary school, Sabon Gari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 14, 2023: Asiya Sa’idu in her summer school lesson organized by CGE at Government secondary school, Sabon Gari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 11, 2023: Road leading to Asiya Ja’afar’s community, at Anguwan Malamai, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 11, 2023: Portrait of Asiya Ja’afar frying fish in front of her house at Anguwan Malamai, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Asiya also hawks fried fish sourced by her father for sale whenever she is not at the poultry house. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 11, 2023: Fingerlings washed by Asiya Ja’afar in preparation to be fried for sale at Anguwan Malamai, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 11, 2023: Interior details of Asiya Ja’afar’s house at Anguwan Malamai, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 11, 2023: Portrait of Asiya Ja’afar at the poultry house at Anguwan Malamai, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Asiya’s form of education is vocational as she’s dropped out of school at a young age. Her biggest goal right now is to own a big poultry pen. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 11, 2023: Asiya Ja’afar arranges the egg she picked at the poultry house at Anguwan Malamai, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Asiya’s form of education is vocational as she’s dropped out of school at a young age. Her biggest goal right now is to own a big poultry pen. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 11, 2023: Portrait of Asiya Ja’afar at the poultry house at Anguwan Malamai, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Asiya’s form of education is vocational as she’s dropped out of school at a young age. Her biggest goal right now is to own a big poultry pen. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 9, 2023: A climate eroded affected land are close to the road link bridge at Kabaya community, Soba LGA, Kaduna state, Nigeria. “I find it very difficult to cross that bridge to school. Sometimes when it over flows, we are left with no other option than to return home and forget about school that day or we cross it with water reaching our waist. Also, the removal of fuel subsidy has made transport fare unbearable to many of us including myself.” says Shafa’atu. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 10, 2023: Portrait of Shafa’atu Nuhu in her school; Government secondary school, Soba LGA, Kaduna state, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 9, 2023: Shafa’atu Nuhu, 22, cutting chin chin in her home at Kabaya community, Soba LGA, Nigeria. “I sell flour and together with my co- wives we do this chin-chin business, we fry it all day and people come even from neighboring communities to buy and go sell in their communities.” Says Shafa’atu. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 9, 2023: Shafa’atu Nuhu community; Kabaya consist mainly of farmers, Soba LGA, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 9, 2023: Shafa’atu Nuhu, 22, having lunch with her two daughters (Salma; aged 5 and Nabila aged 1 an a half year old) in her home at Kabaya community, Soba LGA, Nigeria. Shafa’atu had an early marriage, she got married to her husband at the age of 15. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 10, 2023: Group photograph of Married Adolescent Safe Space mentees of center for Girls education at Soba LGA, Kaduna state, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
KADUNA, NGA - August 10, 2023: Ongoing Married Adolescent Safe Space anchored by mentor Rahmatu Abubakar of center for Girls education at Soba LGA, Kaduna state, Nigeria. CREDIT: Taiwo Aina
