Do.

A woman with her own means is a woman with a choice.

That line came from a woman in Kuchingoro, Abuja. Not from a policy brief. Not from a theory of change document. From a woman sitting in a circle with her neighbours, speaking honestly about her life.

DO Take Action, in partnership with Shield Them, Abiathar Etiko Foundation, BENE ANI Maduka Foundation, and ANSAR Women Development, facilitated a Focus Group Discussion at the Women Centre in Kuchingoro, part of our ongoing community-level work on Gender-Based Violence, the VAPP Act, and harmful practices including FGM.

Three themes emerged from our analysis of the discussion:
The awareness gap is real. Physical violence is recognised. Emotional abuse largely is not and that gap has direct consequences for how survivors understand and name their own experiences.

Silence is structural, not personal. Women are not staying because they are passive. They are staying because they are financially dependent, socially isolated, and culturally pressured to endure. This is a systems problem, not a mindset problem.

Legal protection without access is protection in name only. Awareness of the VAPP Act remains critically low. A law that women don't know exists cannot protect them.

The through-line across all three? Economic power.
When women have financial independence, they have options. That means sensitisation and livelihood support are not separate workstreams , they are the same intervention.

We are taking these findings back to our programming. If you work in GBV prevention, women's economic empowerment, or community-based programming in Nigeria, we'd welcome the conversation. Findings are available in summary form for vetted partners and collaborators.
🔗 dotakeaction.org

🌍 TOMORROW IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!

This week, we're celebrating women who TAKE ACTION.

Join us March 8-12 for a week of real stories, real impact, and real conversations:

📅 MARCH 8: Women in Action
Meet 8 incredible women leading change across climate, education, health, and justice. Their communities are better because they refused to wait.

📅 MARCH 10: SWEEAP Spotlight
Women entrepreneurs who completed our procurement training program and are now WINNING government and private contracts.

📅 MARCH 12 | 3:00 PM WAT: YouTube LIVE
Women champions in unfiltered conversation. Honest stories about driving change from the grassroots.

This year's International Women's Day theme is "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls."

We're living it. All week long.

See you tomorrow! 💜

Learn more: dotakeaction.org

Big things are happening for women-owned businesses in Kano State!

The Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment through Affirmative Procurement (SWEEAP) team recently paid a special advocacy visit to the Wife of the Emir of Kano.

Her Royal Highness committed to standing with DO Take Action to ensure women are no longer left behind in the procurement process. By engaging with lawmakers, she is helping us push for a policy that reserves 30% of contracts for women-led businesses.

Check out these photos of our team presenting the "Commendation Award" to Her Royal Highness. Together, we are building a more inclusive economy for every woman in Kano!

The SWEEAP Close-Out Reception at the British High Commissioner’s Residence — in pictures.

We were warmly received by the Deputy British High Commissioner, Gill Lever (OBE), who commended the measurable impact of the initiative and its momentum around gender-responsive procurement reform.

The Director General of Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr Adebowale A. Adedokun, shared updates on expanding Community-Based Public Procurement and ongoing government-backed efforts to institutionalize inclusive reforms.

Strong support also came from the DG of Rivers State Bureau on Public Procurement, reaffirming commitment to the 30% affirmative procurement target.

Our partner Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria, ably represented by Mr Charles, celebrated the power of Chevening alumni-led initiatives in driving systems change.

Worthy of note was the presence of beneficiaries, women who have moved from training to winning actual procurement bids.

And of course, the woman who is driving this initiative and making all this possible, our very own CEO, Precious Ebere Chinonso Obi.

This is what systems change looks like.

This is only the beginning...