Young Men's Christian Asst. of Nig-VSLA Young Men's Christian Association of Nigeria (YMCA) will focus on  implementing the project in Nasarawa State. Young Men Christian Association of Nigeria will trained  eleven (11) field officers and fifty five(55) village agents in Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) methodologies. These trained officers will then facilitate the stepping down of the training for 1500 VSLA members on community-based micro-credit scheme, entrepreneurship and leadership. During the year, the  field officers will identify strong 50 women leaders from the savings groups that will be further trained and certified as village agents. The 55 village agents will help spread the formation of new groups quickly to reach the desired number by end of year.
Background
Achieving poverty reduction, promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls are key interlinked ambitions in three of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: SDG 1 and 2 on, No poverty <(>&<)> Zero Hunger and Goal 5 on Gender Equality.  The sustainable development goals (SDGs) explicitly recognize that undertaking actions to give women equal rights to economicresources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in addition to enabling technology, in particular information and communications will not only promote the empowerment of women and girls at all levels but in greater collaboration  promote development and reduce poverty. When women have the same opportunities, access to resources, and life choices as men, the benefits extend far beyond women themselves. As women work to strengthen their families and communities, they foster the education and health of the next generation, hasten economic growth, and strengthen public and private institutions.
Nigeria is the Africa’s most populous nation with an estimated population of about 203millionpeople in 2019 . A figure that has put the country as the 7th most populous country in the world. Around 50% of them are Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo tribes. These tribes dominated two main regional parts of the country namely: North and South. Muslims majority from the North and/or minority in the South account for more than 50% of the entire population, 40% are Christians mainly in the South with significant amount in the North. 10% are traditional African believers. Despite various efforts and concerns showed by localand international human rights groups, women, who account almost half of the entire population, generally lagged behind in all aspects of life (economically, socially, politically and intellectually). The current dimensional studies lead to discover that modern Nigerian women are on the lowest rungof poverty condition. This is due in part to harmful social norms which have prevented change from happening, with women still frequently seen as being wives and caregivers; over a quarter of people think that ‘a university education is more important fora boy or man’. This has made girls in many parts of the country more likely to be involved in child domestic work than boys. Intellectually, higher proportion of Nigerian men goes to school than that of women, thus neither their participation in formingnor administering the government is yet matured. Perhaps, religion and tradition are used as instruments of women oppression in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, women are disadvantaged compared to men in terms of both education and earnings, factors that greatly influence the health of women and children. Overall, 38% of women age 15-49 have received no formal education compared to 21% ofmen age 15-49. Likewise, the majority of women that were employed in the 12 months before the survey earn less than their husbands.Gender inequality in Nigeria is influenced by different cultures and beliefs. In most parts of  Nigeria, women are considered subordinate to their male counterparts, especially in Northern Nigeria. It is generally believed that women are best suitedashome keepers.
However, sustainable development and change at scale will only be achievable when systems, power structures, cultures and practices at the households level, communities and governments are challenged and made to function effectively to thebenefit of the people. People-centered policies and pro-poor programmes of governments that are delivered through transparent and accountable frameworks inwhich the people are involved in the entire process remains critical to the process of lasting change. Oxfam will therefore be working with its partners to advance the cause of facilitating more responsive governance systems, inclusive processes, and participatory approaches by empowering people and building active citizenship at the grassroots to lead the process of change. This project willbe creating a movement of grassroots citizens who know their rights, have capacities to demand for improved social services, and organized to challenge inefficiencies in government and market systems and promote women’s rights to realize their full potentials
Description of strategic objective/goal
In a bid to reduce the gap, Oxfam in Nigeria has been implementing several projects to build the adaptive capacity and improve the resilience of small scale womenfarmers in Northern Nigeria using the Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) methodology alongside other interventions which have increased income and improved the livelihoods of small scale farmers in the areas where we work. To date, Oxfam interventionsthrough this scheme has reached about 200,000 right claimants clustered into about 10,000 VSL groups who are equally organized into umbrella Federations (VSLFs), to form a critical mass of women and men as an interconnected social movement with greater power to influence unequal social and economic norms thereby transforming theirsocio-economic status and being able to influence change at all levels- family, community, local government and even the state level. Oxfam in Nigeria has also continuedto integrate gender across all her projects and programmes, through targeted gender programming interventions.
The objectives of this project are to:
1) Stimulate grassroots movement of active citizens for the promotion of accountable and responsible governancesystems (household, community, Local/State);
2) Deepen financial inclusion system that supports inclusive rural economic development;
3) Strengthen commodity market systems that works for the benefits of the rural poor using gender-oriented approaches;and
4) Promote gender justice and women economic empowerment through responsive government policies.

The above objectives will be delivered through a mix of approaches that use financial inclusion as the entry point for the mobilization andorganization of the people as financial resources and sustainable incomes are important factors to liberate the army of those whosevoices have been gagged by poverty and marginalization. The VSL (Association/Federation) has proven to be Oxfam’s flagship modelof getting communities together to drive far-reaching initiatives that will engender lasting and sustainable change across different levels. Activities to deliver on the objectives will be carefully designed and layered onto the financial equality methodologyofthe VSL.
These proposed interventions will therefore seek to among other things:
• Scale up the creation of the umbrella VSLFs and strengthen the capacities of existing VSL Federation to engage local authorities on issues affecting farmers, women and youths.
• Stimulatesmallholder farmers to claim livelihood outcomes from their duty bearers in Plateau and Nasarawa State.
• Organize events that callfor collective actions (with participation of male gender champions), led by women networks and VSLFs coalition to make demands to local authorities and account for socio-economic and gender injustices.
• Build capacities of VSLA groups and communities to recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work and the need to support women throughshared responsibility within the household and the family to make women more productive.
• Strengthen the capacity of partners, women and youths on local government and community policy influencing, advocacy, and budget monitoring.
• Integrate community development planning (CDP) into communities to strengthen community governance process and participation in government where communities are involved in LGA/State level full budgeting cycle contributing towards agenda setting, budget tracking and demandfor accountability and transparency and ultimately better services
• Train and build capacity of women and youths on gender transformative leadership, political participation, and active citizenship with the purpose of laying the ground for more women’sparticipation incouncillorship and chairmanship in their LGA in the next 2023 elections
• Establish strategic partnership with women’s right organizations and key gender stakeholders through the observance of strategic international gender days (e.g. Internationalwomenday, International day of the Girl Child, 16 Days Activism Against Gender BasedViolence <(>&<)> International Human Rights Day)
• Support the activities of Oxfam’s global Enough Campaign in Nigeria, a global campaign on the elimination of violence against Women and Girls (EVAWG), which aims at lowering the social acceptance and prevalence of VAWG by addressing its underpinning social norms.
• Support in-country gender assessments/analysis to identify the gender integration gaps within our projectsand programmes and proffer targeted recommendations to close identified gaps.
Expected Outputs:
• 20 additional VSLFs are created and livelihood support provided for the 40 existing VSL Federations to ensure diversification in their income generating activities
• At least 1 event is organized during the World Food Day that call for collective action (with participation of male gender champions), led by women networks and VSLFs coalition to make demands to local authorities on the plight of smallscalefarmers(SSFs)and account for socio-economic and gender injustices
• VSLA groups and communities are trained on how to recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work using the rapid care analysis (RCA) methodology and the need to support women through shared responsibility within the household and the family to make women more productive
• The VSLA model is replicated by local government in Plateau and Nasarawa State and private sector is able to develop appropriate services to VSLA members
• At least 1event eachisorganized to observe strategic international gender days (e.g. International women day, International day of the Girl Child, 16 Days Activism Against Gender Based Violence <(>&<)> International Human Rights Day)
• ‘’Say Enough Campaign’’ in Nigeria, anOxfamGlobalcampaign on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls (EVAWG) which aims at lowering the social acceptance and prevalenceof VAWG by addressing its underpinning social norms is promoted
• Periodic gender assessment/analysisof Oxfam inNigeria’s Projects and Programmes is carried to identify the gender integration gaps within project implementation and provide recommendations to immediately close those gaps.
• In-country safeguarding systems and structures  are supported through capacitybuilding.
• The Gender Action Learning System (GALS) methodology is mainstreamed into all Project implementation in Nasarawa and Plateau States
•  The Rapid Care Analysis (RCA) methodology is mainstreamed into all the Project implementation in Nasarawaand Plateau States

Achievements obtained in the Previous Year with the use of DF:
• We facilitated the formation of 20 Village Savings and Loans Federations made up of a minimum of 5 VSLAs (village savings and loans Associations)and about 250 VSLAgroupsin Nasarawa and Plateau States as platforms for influencing change at the local level. We intend to further strengthen the capacities on influencing.
• Successfully marked the International Day of the Girl Child 2020 with the wife of Ekiti State GovernorMrs. Fayemi making a presentation as well as Testimonies from victims of GBV.
• We carried out an in-dept gender analysis across Oxfam in Nigeria’s four (4) Project locations (Adamawa, Kebbi,Taraba <(>&<)> Nasarawa States),an Action Plan was producedfromalltargeted recommendations of the Analysis, which is currently beenimplemented
• Successfully marked the 2020 16 Days of Activism against gender based violence, with by implementing an Online Campaign for the period of the 16 Days ofActivismCampaign,throughthe engagement and support of a Media Firm.
• The implementation of Oxfamin Nigeria’s in-country Enough Campaign is currently being supported by a Media firm engaged for that purpose.
• We successfully trained all in-countrySafeguardingFocal Points, through periodic online trainings, and trained two project locations SG Focal Points (Taraba <(>&<)> Bauchi States), through on-site physical training in the period under review.

Insight in what the CO/RP will be ableto deliver after the investment is done:
The CO/RP will be able to deliver the following outputs as stated above;
• The formation of 20 additional VSLFs and 300 VSLA groups in the two states (Nasarawa and Plateau)
• Organize  at least  one (1) event during the World Food Day thatcallfor collective action (with participation of male gender champions), led by women networks and VSLFs coalition to make demands to local authorities on the plight of small scale farmers (SSFs) and account for socio-economic andgender injustices
•TrainingofVSLA groups and communities on how to recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work using the rapid care analysis (RCA) methodology and the need to support women through shared responsibility within the household and the family to makewomen more productive
•Replication of the VSLA model by local government in Plateau and Nasarawa State and ensure that private sector develop appropriate services to VSLA members
• Provide livelihood support to at least 10 VSL Federations ineach of Nasarawa and Plateau states
• Organize at least (1) event each to observe strategic international gender days (e.g. International women day, International day of the Girl Child, 16 Days Activism Against Gender Based Violence <(>&<)> International Human Rights Day)
• Supportthein-country ‘’Say Enough Campaign’’ in Nigeria, an Oxfam Global campaign on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls (EVAWG), through targeted campaign activities.
• Carry out at least one (1) gender assessment/analysis orGBV Assessment acrossOxfam in Nigeria’s Projects locations.
• Carry out at least one (1) capacity building training on Safeguarding across all Oxfam in Nigeria’s Project locations
• Carry out at least one (1) capacity building training on the Gender ActionSystem (GALS)Methodology across all Oxfam in Nigeria’s Project locations.
• Carry out at least one (1) capacity building training on Rapid Care Analysis (RCA) Methodology across all Oxfamin Nigeria’s Project locations.