Every girl has a dream — sometimes, all she needs is a chance.
For Harira, a determined 17-year-old girl from Dutse, Jigawa State, that chance came through Lift Africa Foundation’s From Streets to Classrooms initiative. Her story is one of resilience, courage, and the transformative power of education.
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Before the Change
Before joining the program, Harira’s life revolved around daily survival. She sold masara (boiled corn) on the streets to support her family after poverty forced her to drop out of school. Her dreams of becoming a doctor — once vivid — began to fade beneath the weight of economic hardship and social expectations.
Like many girls in similar situations, Harira faced the looming risk of early marriage and lifelong dependence.
But her story was about to change.
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A Second Chance Through Education
In 2018, the From Streets to Classrooms team identified Harira as one of the vulnerable girls in need of urgent intervention. Lift Africa Foundation stepped in — enrolling her back into secondary school, providing mentorship, and covering her educational expenses.
Harira seized this opportunity with exceptional dedication. Against all odds, she excelled academically — earning six distinctions in her WASSCE, five in NECO, and scoring 224 in her JAMB examination. Her dream of studying medicine was no longer distant; it was within reach.
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Overcoming Barriers Beyond the Classroom
Yet, the challenge wasn’t just academic — it was cultural.
When Harira completed secondary school, her father initially refused to allow her to continue her education unless her future husband consented. Her mother, who had been married off at 14, was determined not to let history repeat itself and reached out to Lift Africa Foundation for help.
In response, our team, led by Aisha Hamman, engaged with community leaders, elders, and Harira’s family in Dutse. After six hours of dialogue and mediation — blending respect for tradition with advocacy for girls’ rights — Harira’s family finally gave their consent for her to pursue higher education.
That day marked more than a victory for one girl; it was a win for a generation of girls whose futures are too often decided by others.
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Voices of Empowerment
“Harira’s journey reminds us that every girl’s dream is valid — and that with the right support, she can rise above poverty, tradition, and limitation. Education is not charity; it’s justice.”
— Aisha Hamman, Founder & CEO, Lift Africa Foundation
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The Bigger Picture
Harira’s story mirrors that of thousands of girls across Northern Nigeria — bright, capable, and full of potential, yet constrained by poverty and social barriers. Through From Streets to Classrooms, Lift Africa Foundation works to break these cycles by:
• Reintegrating girls into school through targeted scholarships.
• Providing mentorship and psychosocial support.
• Engaging parents and community leaders to build local ownership of change.
• Advocating for systems that protect girls from exploitation and early marriage.
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Where She Is Now
Today, Harira is preparing to study medicine at university — the first girl in her family to do so. Her success stands as a powerful reminder of what happens when communities invest in girls’ education.
Her journey continues to inspire others across Jigawa, Kano, and beyond — proof that education can transform not just one life, but entire communities.
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Join the Movement
At Lift Africa Foundation, we remain steadfast in our mission to ensure that no girl is left behind. Every scholarship, every mentorship session, and every community dialogue brings us closer to a future where girls like Harira can dream freely — and fulfill those dreams without fear or limitation.
Lift Africa Foundation Empowers 240 Women Farmers in Kano, Linking Skills to Girls’ Education and Food Security
Clear Her Path initiative strengthens livelihoods, reduces child exploitation, and promotes education for girls
Kano, Nigeria – October 20, 2020 — Lift Africa Foundation has empowered 240 women in Kura Local Government Area of Kano State through advanced training in rice parboiling, maize processing, and groundnut oil production — a strategic effort to connect women’s economic independence with girls’ education, protection, and food security.
The training focused on mothers of girls enrolled in Lift Africa Foundation’s From Streets to Classrooms initiative, recognizing that empowering women is key to sustaining girls’ education and reducing vulnerabilities such as early marriage, child labor, and sexual exploitation.
By equipping women with market-ready skills and providing them with production tools, the program enables families to achieve financial stability and support their children’s learning journeys.
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Tools That Empower Change
Each cluster of 60 women received modern agricultural tools to improve efficiency and output across three major sectors:
Rice Parboiling: commercial parboiling units, automated rice huskers, mechanical dryers, polishers, and milling machines.
Maize Processing: maize grinders, dehullers, threshers, and flour milling machines.
Groundnut Oil Production: mechanical oil presses, decorticators, and filtering machines.
These tools enhance productivity and income while building the foundation for small-scale agro-enterprises led by women.
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Creating a Ripple Effect of Empowerment
To sustain long-term community impact, each trained group is expected to mentor another 60 women quarterly, creating a powerful multiplier effect. By December 2020, nearly 4,000 women were projected to benefit across rural Kano through skill transfer and cooperative learning.
This peer-to-peer approach is designed to strengthen women’s networks, expand local production capacity, and promote knowledge exchange across generations — ensuring that empowerment becomes community-owned and self-sustaining.
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Voices of Impact
Speaking on the significance of the initiative, Aisha Hamman, Founder and CEO of Lift Africa Foundation, said:
“This program empowers women to build sustainable livelihoods while supporting their daughters’ education and protection. Every woman trained becomes a change-maker — strengthening her family, her community, and the future of the next generation.”
For many participants, this training represents the first opportunity to gain structured business knowledge, modern equipment access, and peer learning support. Early impact assessments show that several women have doubled their income within three months of completing the training.
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The Clear Her Path Vision
The Clear Her Path program directly addresses interconnected challenges faced by women and girls in Northern Nigeria — including poverty, out-of-school rates, child exploitation, and food insecurity. It demonstrates how targeted empowerment can dismantle systemic barriers that keep girls out of school and women economically dependent.
Through this initiative, Lift Africa Foundation continues to affirm that when women gain access to skills and opportunities, they secure not only their livelihoods but also the education and safety of their daughters — paving the way for stronger, more resilient communities.
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