Sustainable Womens Empowerment and Action Project The project seeks to address a number of issues around integral human development through the Justice, Development and Peace structures of the Catholic Church in Nigeria, with a special focus on Kogi State in Central Nigeria Gender gaps in institutions and structures in Nigeria remain huge developmental challenges for the country. Nigeria ranks 118 of 134 countries in the Gender Equality Index. In every sector of the economy women and girl-children suffer marginalization in accessing basic resources and observance of their human rights. Women and girl children in Nigeria lack basic health and education rights and are economically poorer than men. Only 25 out of the 360 members of the Nigerian House of Representatives are women and only about 4% of local government councillors are women, confirming that women are under-represented in all political decisions. Meaningful development cannot be achieved either at the local or national platform without recognising girls and women as equal players. 

About 67% of the population of Kogi State live in absolute poverty according to the 2010 Nigeria Poverty Profile. Less than 30% of the population have access to potable water and rural electrification is below 50%. Kogi state was one of the areas most affected by the severe flooding in 2012.  

What the project hopes to achieve
• Target communities record positive changes in gender knowledge attitudes and practices.
• CWSI, JDPCs lead strengthened and effective women participation in governance in target communities in Kogi State;
• Gender equity in governance in Kogi State improves;
 
- A brief outline of how it will be done 
The Centre for Women Studies and interventions (CWSI) will support this component of the project with gender awareness-raising, gender-training and monitoring of gender sensitivity and inclusiveness.  
The impact of the project will be an improved level of civic participation (including participation of women) in governance and decision making, as manifested by documented improvements in the provision of social amenities. There will be enhanced understanding and application of basic gender issues leading to reduction in all forms of gender based discrimination against women. The project will also support CCFN to diversify its resource-base, through awareness-creation activities that will sensitize Catholic faithful on the need to support the programmes of CCFN. This will allow CCFN reach out to more dioceses with needed funds and capacity-building for development and humanitarian assistance projects. 
Kogi State has been noted by CWSI to have a high index of gender disparity especially in politics, the teaching profession, and the proportions currently engaged in university education. During discussions with women in the state, some of them expressed a desire for interventions to bridge these gender gaps which they say are aggravating poverty among the female gender. 

To achieve this, CWSI will carry out a series of trainings on gender-relevant laws and policies. Beneficiaries of these trainings, in addition to the diocesan JDPC, will include representatives of key stakeholder groups, community and religious leaders, and women and girls who have sufficient clout to champion advocacy initiatives. The project will also support women to engage their local authorities in regular discussion on the prioritization, commissioning, and monitoring of development projects in their communities.