Gender and Poverty
Challenging Patriarchy

Under its gender and poverty programme, ABANTU identifies that the root cause of women's poverty is patriarchy, to address this ABANTU works with communities to challenge patriarchy and empower women to participate in decision making at home and community level. Through holding community roundtables ABANTU helps communities to identify their needs and link them up with policy makers by constituting advocacy committees made up of women, men and youths in the communities. The aim of the advocacy component is to raise awareness among policy makers of the needs of the community.

Currently ABANTU is working with ActionAid Nigeria in four communities in Kaduna State to challenge patriarchy and alleviate women's poverty through providing joint community project for the women's groups and increasing their participation in decision- making and policy influencing.

Promoting safe motherhood through changing gender norms among women and men
ABANTU works with communities to change gender norms that influence women's health. The programme adopts a unique tool ? African Transformation Tool designed to promote gender equity, participatory development and community action. Produced by the Health Communication Partnership and adopted for Nigeria by Partnership for Transforming Health Systems in Nigeria. African Transformation (AT) was developed through a participatory approach involving women and men from nine countries representing East, West and Southern Africa. AT is currently being implemented in Nigeria by ABANTU in Kaduna and Kano States.

Advocacy Nigeria
ABANTU coordinates AdvocacyNigeria a network of reproductive rights advocates in Kaduna. Members include organizations and individuals that believe that reducing maternal and infant mortality rates in the Kaduna state is a prerequisite to overall development of people.

AdvocacyNigeria works to ensure that budget to reproductive health is increased; free quality maternal and child health care services made available to all women of reproductive age and children under 5 years. AdvocacyNigeria utilizes the expertise within the network and other experienced organisations to achieve set objectives.

Gender and Community Development
Supporting women's community group

ABANTU supports the formation of community women's groups as a means of building their capacities for development initiatives. In building these groups ABANTU mentors women in communities to form groups and develop action plans for subsequent interventions.

Gender and Governance
Increasing women's participation in governance through political participation

History of elections in Nigeria shows women's minimal participation, leading to their low participation of women in decision making and policy making processes. This calls concrete steps to be taken to build acceptance of women, ABANTU is focusing on women's participation in governance at the local government level in Kaduna state with the anticipation that the effect will trickle to state and then national level. The increasing women's participation in politics initiative was put into place to build the capacity of selected female politicians who are aspiring to contest in elections. The Project also advocates for the passing of the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill and is funded by the African Women Development Fund.