TENS of thousands of vulnerable girls in one of Africa's poorest regions are being helped by a charity whose roots stretch back to Scotland.
Mercy Corps is providing employment and education opportunities to marginalised teenagers and young women facing difficult challenges in Nigeria.
The charity, the subject of this year's Herald Appeal, has helped more than 30,000 adolescent girls and young women finish school and begin a new career or start a new business.
More than 18,000 were trained on financial literacy and more than 12,000 were trained on vocational skills in four of the country's states; Kano, Kaduna, Lagos Metropolis and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Girls are judged to be the most in need to help are selected for the programme. Some have been married or divorced, or even widowed before the age of 18, and some have children.
Others are orphans or have dropped out of school due to poverty and the charity also helps girls with disabilities, those whose parents or husbands are sick or bedridden, or whose families cannot pay the school fees.
There is also another side to the mission. Because many of the teenagers are marginalised by their circumstances, they are at risk of being exploited and coerced into forced labour or facing physical and sexual abuse.
In some cases the girls are forced to become beggars or are given away to other family as house maids.
Mercy Corps tries to address the root causes which can lead to such desperate outcomes by working at the household, school and community level.
The charity began life as Scottish European Aid (SEA), launched in Scotland in the 1990s by two brothers from Edinburgh in the aftermath of the fall of the Ceausescu regime.
Since then it has grown, and a merger with Mercy Corps in 1996 increased its reach and ambition and saw Edinburgh become its European base.
Michael McKean, Mercy Corps' Director of Programmes and Strategic Institutional Partnerships, said: "While Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, and its influence spreads across the continent, many people may not realise that inequality and insecurity have consistently undermined Nigeria's development. 67 per cent of the country lives in poverty and in some areas, as many as 80 percent of women are illiterate."
"Mercy Corps is partnering with the UK Government and the private sector to provide business opportunities for marginalised and vulnerable young women and adolescent girls in Nigeria. We know that a focus on strong women equals strong families and strong countries.
"Approximately £10 trillion could be added to the global economy if women had the same access to jobs and income as men do.
"And research shows that when women are given an equal voice in their communities, their children are healthier, their lives are more stable and their societies more peaceful."
You can join in supporting Mercy Corps Europe through this year's Herald Christmas Appeal, online, by text or by sending a cheque.
How to donate:
ONLINE: www.mercycorps.org.uk/herald
PHONE: 08000 413 060 (24hours) or 0131 662 5161 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
TEXT: To give £10 text DONATE HERALD to 70755
Texts will be charged at the standard network rate plus the £10 donation. By texting you will receive a call back about our work and what you can do to help. Text DONATE HERALD NO to donate £10 and opt out of calls and texts.
BY POST: Please fill in this form Herald Seasonal Appeal Form.pdf and post to: FREEPOST RSAE-ZBYA-LRZH, Mercy Corps, 40 Sciennes, Edinburgh, EH9 1NJ
You can also follow and support Mercy Corps Europe on social media.
Twitter: @mercycorps_uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mercycorpsuk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mercycorps_europe/
Visit www.mercycorps.org.uk/u/text-giving to read full Terms & Conditions.
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