logo

Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative (IWEI)

Kano, Nigeria
Joined April 2016


Presence in: Nigeria
Focus: Criminal Justice, Gender-based violence, Livelihoods, Right to Information, Women's Rights

Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative(IWEI) was established under The Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990 with registration number RC 856560 on 24 November 2009 as a non-governmental and non-profit organization by Maryam Uwais in memory of her late father, Isa Wali who was a well-known activist for women.

Mission – IWEI seeks to transform the society by enabling women, youth and children escape the cycle of poverty and ignorance mostly fostered by harmful traditional practices, by attaining a state of wellbeing and having a voice through innovative, qualitative and sustainable empowerment programmes.

IWEI has 4 thematic areas which are: Legal Empowerment & The Rule of Law, Girls Empowerment, Economic Empowerment and Family Health & Nutrition,

Under the Legal Empowerment & The Rule of Law component, community-based volunteers are trained as paralegals to provide access to justice for the underprivileged, vulnerable members of rural communities and urban poor communities and for pre-trial persons in police stations and prisons.

Services provided by IWEI community-based paralegals include: access to lawyers; linkages with families; mediation of compoundable offences and provision of access to information on the law and legal procedures to detainees. Paralegals also raise awareness and educate communities on rights issues and laws.