Munira Yerima, Education Champion

Convincing parents to send their daughters back to school after the Boko Haram insurgency

The Issue

The issue

Northern Nigeria is home to 69% of the country’s out-of-school children — and most are girls. Afraid of additional violence following the Boko Haram insurgency, parents are often hesitant to reenrol their daughters in school. On a national level, Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act provides for just nine years of free education, preventing girls across the country from completing secondary school.

Munira’s approach

Community Advocacy

Growing up in northern Nigeria, Munira saw her mother struggle as a single parent. She joined the Borno Women Development Initiative (BOWDI) to ensure that other women in her community have the resources they need to support themselves and their families. As education manager, Munira helps break down the barriers preventing girls in northern Nigeria from completing their education.

At 23, Munira is Malala Fund’s youngest Education Champion. With her Malala Fund grant, she leads a coalition of 30 local leaders, parents and school officials who teach families about the value of sending girls to school. The coalition helps reenrol girls and advocates for the state government to improve learning facilities. Munira also organises peer support groups for girls and provides school supplies to out-of-school girls in BOWDI programmes.

With the Nigerian chapter of the Malala Fund Education Champion Network, Munira also meets with government officials to encourage them to pass an amendment to the UBE Act that would extend the free, compulsory education provision from nine years to 12 years and improve states’ access to UBE funds.

Munira’s impact

In 2019, Munira established 25 peer groups with 300 out-of-school and 200 in-school girls. The groups meet twice every week at schools in Bama and Jere to discuss education, sexual and gender-based violence, protection and coping mechanisms. BOWDI coached and mentored girls on the value of education, youth leadership and how to encourage other girls to go to school. The girls also participated in drama and debate classes and learned about personal hygiene.

Munira also led a baseline assessment of girls’ education issues in three schools in the local government areas of Bama and Jere. The study looked at issues around security, early marriage, migration, child labour and other social norms. This process strengthened BOWDI’s relationship with the local ministries of education and women’s affairs. Moving forward, they plan to use these relationships to advocate for more education opportunities for girls.