STEMXX NIGERIA REPORT

On October 17, 2022, the STEM XX Nigeria project got underway with the goal of empowering 100 female secondary school students to be agents of change. This report, which covers the project’s completion, aims to share our experiences with all of our partners, tribal members, and stakeholders.

To start, some of the key accomplishments include girls’ established interest in STEM, SDG, and ICT fields, improved stakeholder involvement, hands-on STEM experiences for girls, and mini-project completion. The schoolgirls hardly knew what SDG, STEM, or ICT stood for before the project began. Now that they have a clear comprehension of these topics and the ideas behind them, they are motivated to seek careers in these fields.

These girls’ participation in mini-projects including the STEMposium, Trash2bin, End Period Poverty, and She-Imparts showed their bravery and expertise in these areas. Additionally, it taught students how to use their creativity and the skills they had learned during the project.

What else? The STEM XX Nigeria project obviously produced the desired results. After analyzing the tracking data, this conclusion was reached. During the course of this experiment, 100 schoolgirls from all 10 schools participated in two surveys. The first was a baseline survey to gauge the student’s knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the many STEM XX Nigeria curriculum themes, such as mental health, SDGs, ICT, STEM, civic responsibility, and gender stereotypes. 90% of the females in this baseline survey had little to no knowledge of the subjects that were listed as being important to their overall educational and professional ambitions, according to the poll’s findings.

An endline survey was also conducted following the 8-week instruction period. There are records of amazing and laudable advances. The curriculum’s numerous strategies were explained to all of the girls. According to the survey, all of the beneficiaries are more receptive to career aspirations that are technologically oriented. They are aware of the steps to take to maintain mental stability. Their misconceptions about gender equality and mental health were disproved, and their commitment to Sustainable Development Goals significantly increased.

Speaking of a crucial component of the project, the execution of the mini-projects, following the intensive 8-week training for 100 schoolgirls, the girls developed concepts for a mini-project. Stemposium, End Period Poverty, Trash2Bin, and She Impart are a few of the mini-projects that have been completed. These initiatives each have a distinct concept. The STEMposium’s main goal was to pique the attention of other female students in their school through dialogue, practical STEM lessons, and hands-on activities. A fun STEM classroom, according to 400 female students who were reached by STEMXX recipients, would increase their peers’ enthusiasm and self-assurance.

She-Impart comprised three round table talks with STEMXX beneficiaries discussing various subjects from the learning manual with more than 200 kids in 2 rural schools. The STEMXX recipients of the Trash2Bin initiative made 10 trash bins out of recycled plastic bottles as part of a climate action and environmental management awareness campaign. 80 children also learned about the effects of climate change. Reusable pad production and community awareness-raising initiatives about period stigma were observed by End Period Poverty. The pupils and teachers at the concerned school each received 60 reusable pads.

To sum up, sustainability is a crucial component of growth. If there is no strategy to maintain the development that has been made, there has been no advancement. Having fully grasped this, two essential actions can be taken to guarantee the STEM XX Nigeria project’s long-term success: strengthening the 10 schools’ already-existing jet clubs to include the project’s beneficiaries and the STEM XX curriculum; and routine follow-up by The Sapphires Development Initiative team to help track the advancement and trajectory of these girls in their academic and professional lives.

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