Originally published at SOS Children’s Villages.

Washington, D.C. –   SOS Children’s Villages announced today the successful completion of a crowdfunding project with Catapult that is fighting inequality for girls in Nigeria. The funds from Catapult’s “Support Girls’ Education” campaign will be directed to support projects that provide Nigerian girls with essential academic and life skill opportunities.

The “Support Girls’ Education” campaign was Catapult’s response to the devastating abduction of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigeria last spring. To kick off the campaign, Catapult teamed up with SOS Children’s Villages and the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) to create programs that would support girls’ education in Nigeria. As a result, more than 300 supporters donated over $57,000 to support the projects.

SOS Children’s Villages’ project “A stronger tomorrow for Nigerian girls” will use over $23,000 to fund essential salaries for teachers and a social worker, carry out extracurricular sessions on sexual and reproductive health, and train one peer educator.  The project will also provide education for girls and boys in the SOS Primary school in Jos, Nigeria. Boys will be included in this initiative as they are important advocates and allies in empowering girls. Click here to learn more about the project.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Catapult to help bring a better, stronger tomorrow for girls and boys living in Nigeria,” said Lynn Croneberger, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages – USA. “All children should be given the opportunity to obtain an education in a safe, stable environment. When we invest in protecting and educating our youth, we also invest in the future of our communities.”

To speak to a representative for SOS Children’s Villages, please contact Stephanie Rendon at 202.470.5182 or srendon@sos-usa.org.

SOS Children’s Villages creates stable, loving families worldwide for orphaned and abandoned children. We are raising 80,000 children in over 500 villages across 133 countries, including the US. At present, there are four SOS Children’s Villages in Nigeria, two SOS Youth Facilities, four SOS Kindergartens, four SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools, one SOS Vocational Training Centre and ten SOS Social Centers.