Angwan Doshe is over two hours away from the ancient city of Kano. To get there, Gillian had to trek 3 kilometres across an arid savannah from the nearest village accessible by car. Although two interpreters were on hand, the warmth of the welcome that Gillian received needed no translating.
The compound in which Gillian stayed is home to more than 20 people. She spent the evening talking to the women about their lives, and helping them prepare a meal. Gillian was fed generously with local foods - including fried beancakes and porridges of maize and guinea corn.
Gillian even tried her hand at sieving flour - much to the amusement of her hosts!
The Minister found that in areas of life over which people have some control, they excel in providing for their families. Areas like . . .
. . . and building wells and housing.
Talking to the women in the compound, it was shocking to discover that most of them had delivered between 12 and 15 children (only half of whom survived). The women spoke about the dangers of giving birth in the village. If a mother was facing life-threatening complications during labour she would have to travel for an hour to the nearest clinic on the back of a motorbike!
But the women of Angwan Doshe have simple needs. "These are not downtrodden women waiting for handouts," Gillian said, "they are strong and know what they want: schools for their children, access to proper healthcare and the chance to make a living."
Without a school within a safe distance, the village's girls are often forced to marry and have children while still in their early teens. Usually the boys will attend school for a few years at the most.
Gillian found it a sobering experience to be surrounded by a crowd of children, every bit as bright and lively and full of potential as children you would meet anywhere, and realise that few if any of them will ever receive any schooling at all. The second phase of the Girls' Education Project will help the Nigerian Government plan, budget and deliver education.
Gillian left Angwan Doshe with warm memories of the people she had met - of Fatima, who has given birth to 14 children, of whom nine survived, and who is the leader of the women in her compound. Of Jummai, who at 7 years old has never been to school. And of the man in the village who asked whether the UK Government would allow British people to live like this.
The answer was that the UK public would not allow their government to neglect them in this way. Gillian's message was that change can happen, and that the people of Angwan Doshe and thousands of villages like it can bring that change about by making demands of their governments.
Leaving the village with cries of ‘Sai kun dawo’ (until you return) and ‘mungode’ (thank you) echoing in her ears, Gillian was clear that DFID must continue its work of supporting governments to deliver basic services across Northern Nigeria, and supporting the people to make effective demands of those governments.
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