• remain in and complete training;
• acquire market-relevant competencies;
• enter employment or sustainable self-employment;
• increase income and savings;
• strengthen or establish viable enterprises;
• improve their control over productive resources and financial decisions; and
• become less economically vulnerable.

At the same time, HER Forward Kaduna will generate practical evidence on the effectiveness and cost of integrating childcare into women’s skills and livelihood programmes, providing a model that can be replicated through vocational institutions, NGOs, employers and government programmes across Nigeria.

Nigeria Has a Young Population And Significant Demand For Employment, Technical Skills And Entrepreneurship Opportunities. However, Young Women’s Ability To Participate In These Opportunities Is Shaped By Gender, Poverty, Education, Care Responsibilities And Social Norms. The 2024 Nigeria Demographic And Health Survey Found That 15% Of Young Women Aged 15–19 Had Experienced Pregnancy. Adolescent Pregnancy Is Considerably Higher Among Rural And Economically Disadvantaged Young Women. More Than One-third Of Nigerian Women Aged 20–24 Were Married By Age 18. Early Motherhood Can Contribute To Interrupted Education And Substantially Alter a Young Woman’s Pathway Into Employment. For Some Young Women, These Disadvantages Overlap With Other Vulnerabilities, Including:

• early or forced marriage;
• gender-based violence;
• family rejection or stigma;
• single parenthood;
• poverty;
• disability;
• displacement and conflict;
• economic exploitation; and
• engagement in highly vulnerable forms of informal work or sex work.

These Circumstances Should Not Define Women. However, They Affect The Opportunities And Choices Available To Them. The Overall Goal Is To Increase The Economic Independence, Agency And Livelihood Resilience Of Vulnerable Young And Nursing Mothers In Kaduna State By Removing Childcare And Other Structural Barriers To Skills Development, Employment And Entrepreneurship. The Programme Targets Approximately 450 Young And Nursing Mothers Over Three Years, With Final Annual Cohorts Determined Through Childcare Capacity, Market Assessment And Implementation Planning. Priority Will Be Given To Economically Vulnerable Women, Particularly Those Whose Childcare Responsibilities Significantly Restrict Their Participation In Education, Skills Development Or Work. Participants May Include:

• young mothers affected by adolescent pregnancy;
• women affected by early or forced marriage;
• single, divorced or separated young mothers;
• survivors of gender-based violence;
• women with disabilities;
• displaced and conflict-affected mothers;
• young mothers from extremely low-income households;
• women engaged in or transitioning from sex work or other economically exploitative situations; and
• women operating vulnerable nano- and micro-enterprises.

The programme will not publicly classify or label women according to experiences such as GBV, sex work or early pregnancy. Selection will be based on economic vulnerability, childcare needs and barriers to economic participation.

What tasks will you do?

Funder Prospecting & Research

• Map Funding Landscape: Identify international donors, corporate foundations, and development agencies with active calls for women's economic empowerment, early childhood development, or vocational education in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Track Application Calendars: Maintain a grant tracking pipeline with upcoming deadlines, submission requirements, and award sizes aligned with the project's general operational budget.

Proposal Development & Adaptation

• Tailor Pitch Decks & Proposals: Adapt the HER Forward Kaduna case for support into structured concept notes, full grant proposals, and customized pitch decks for specific prospective partners.
• Draft Grant Narratives: Articulate the core model—combining co-located crèche facilities, market-aligned skills (agro-processing, digital, leadership), and the 3-year self-sustainability strategy—into compelling grant applications.
• Collaborate on Budgets & Logic Models: Work alongside project leads to build clear project logic frameworks (logframes) and map financial requests directly to grant line items (e.g., crèche retrofitting, starter kits, tuition).

Donor Relations & Reporting

• Formulate Donor Communications: Write impact updates, tailored cover letters, and outreach emails for Founding Anchors, Annual Sponsors, and Monthly Allies.
• Develop Grant Reporting Frameworks: Draft template progress reports to highlight key milestones—such as participant completion rates (>90%), employment transitions (80%), and internal revenue generation.

Your work of a Grant and Proposal Writer is vital to HER Forward Kaduna because it bridges the gap between a proven, high-impact model and the capital needed to scale it. While the project has already trained over 529,000 young people, removing the specific barrier of childcare for young mothers requires dedicated, upfront funding. A skilled proposal writer turns the initiative's vision into the structured language, metrics, and financial frameworks that institutional donors and corporate sponsors require.

Unlocking Seed Capital for the Crèche Infrastructure

• Upfront Retrofitting Costs: Reaching self-sustainability by Year 3 requires initial capital to build, equip, and accredit the co-located crèche facility. A proposal writer targets high-value institutional grants and Founding Anchors to secure this foundational capital.
• Articulating a Unique, High-Return Model:
  • Distinguishing the Approach: Childcare in this project isn't just a welfare service—it is economic inclusion infrastructure. A proposal writer communicates this subtle yet critical distinction to funders who prioritize systemic, sustainable impact over temporary aid.
  • Proving Financial Viability: Donors favor projects with clear exit strategies from donor dependence. The writer effectively highlights how internal enterprise revenue (from LilyDan organic spices and Dinerite nutritional foods) will sustain operations beyond the grant cycle.
• Translating Complex Social Issues into Clear Metrics:
  • Cross-Sector Appeal: The project intersects early childhood development, gender-based violence recovery, vocational education, and micro-entrepreneurship. A proposal writer tailors narratives to resonate with diverse grant portfolios—whether a donor focuses on child protection, women's empowerment, or agricultural value chains.
  • Measurable Outcomes: Grant writers frame the project's ambitious goals—such as a >90% completion rate and 80% transition into employment—into verifiable grant milestones and logical frameworks that build donor confidence.
• Ensuring Long-Term Donor Retention:
  • Impact Reporting: Securing a grant is only the first step. By developing clear impact reports and updates, the writer maintains strong relationships with Monthly Allies and Annual Sponsors, ensuring sustained partner trust and future funding cycles.