Women in Nigeria are industrious and hardworking. Since the Government access to the United Nations Charter on the Status, of Women, it has systematically pursued the integration of women into national development activities. Women on their part have risen to the challenge by organising themselves into self-help interest groups at the neighbourhood and community level. In all corners of Nigeria, women groups' are involved in various activities aimed at enhancing their welfare and that of their families. However, they put in so much effort and expend so much energy only to get very little in return. The groups lack basic skills in leadership, management communication and group dynamics, so they are generally restricted to small circles of friends, clan members, or trade groups. They neither have access nor the means to more credit for expanding  their micro-business.

AIMS AND OB)ECTIVES

i. To build leadership and management skills of leaders of, grassroots women groups;

ii. To strengthen  networks between grassroots women NGOs and CBOs for.greater capacity;

iii. To assist women to source for credit from micro-credit banks. institutions and donor agencies;

iv. To analyse innovation diffusion and assist women to manage change effectively especially in areas of their reproductive health and the (urban) environment;

v. To research and publicise the implications of some development programmes on women at the grassroots;

vi. To partner with umbrella women organisations in advocacy. for positive  policy reforms towards increasing'the role of women in decision-making.

Membership
The essential requirement for becoming a member of NAWENO is to have a genuine interest in promoting the welfare of women and,to be capable of participating in research for the promotion of knowledge in some relevant areas. The Network's membership is drawn from all parts of Nigeria and from a broad spectrum of interest groups, occupational affiliations and professional disciplines, without age, sex, or political restrictions. Membership of the Network is in three categories: individual members who constitute a pool of consultants and advisers, NGOs/ CBOs who are actually the target beneficiaries of its services, the gender sensitised organisations and corporations

 Programmes and Activities
Training - The main activity of the Network is training the women groups at various levels. Women are trained in Legal Documentation and Registration, Leadership, Administration and Management; Communication Skills; Basic Counselling; Basic Accounting; Marketing; Credit Sourcing; Project Identification; Proposal Writing and Monitoring and Evaluation

ii. Research - The Network conducts research in critical areas of women development, e.g. harmful traditional practices; urban violence and its effects on women; womens role in environmental management; the phenomenon of poverty and its feminisation, etc

iii. Institutional Collaboration - NAWENO collaborates with government agencies in order to assess the impact of some policies on women at the grassroots. The Network holds seminars, workshops and conferences which are geared towards disseminating information and teaching programme executors how to work better with the grassroots

SOURCE OF FUNDS

NAWENO's activities are financed from registration fees, institutional grants, donations and support from donor agencies. The Network also offers consultancy to public and private agencies, while it assigns grassroots women to execute some specialised projects. in their localities.

Structure
The Network is registered under the Companies pnd Allied Mattm Decree as -a Tnntwship. it has a 2-member Board of Tmstees and a 5 member Executive Council. The headquarters of the Network is at ABUJA.

Trustees
The Trustees consist of a team of two women with vast experience in diverse areas of human endeavour with particular bias on women and development. These are women who feel indebted to their country for the good quality education they received (on scholarship), and feel that in addition to their regular jobs, they should take time out to assist the less privileged women in order to help bridge the gap between knowledge and resources. The Trustees formulate the policies of NAWENO and give the necessary directions needed. A brief profile of the Trustees is indicated below:
Marlain Yunusa Ms. Yunusa, a mother of four children has a. Bachelors Degree in Geography (1974) and a Masters Degree in Town Planning (1980). She has at various times worked as a Lecturer, School Principal, acting Director of the National Commission for Women, and is presently a Controller with the Urban Development Bank Pie. Abuja. She is the Technical Adviser to the Nigeria Urban Forum. Ms. Yuntisa is widely travelled and has led high powered Nigerian delegations to several United Nations fora. She has served on several boards -and executed important national assignments including serving as a member of the Technical Committee of the Vision 2010. A Planner by training and a Manager by profession, her wide ranging experience has made her suitable as Chairman of NAWENO

Nana Tanko Dr. Tanko serves as the Executive Director of NAWENO. She has a Bachelors Degree in Sociology (1979), a Masters (1998) and a Ph. D in Demography (1988). She has vast experience in research which has over the years distinguished her as a prolific researcher and an academician of repute. For the past five years, she has conducted researches for different United Nations organizations with a high degree of accuracy and has published'works in fields relating to women affairs and development. A Sociologist and Demographer by training, she was the bean of the College of Law, Management and Social Sciences at the University of Abuja. She is widely travelled and married with two children.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

NAWENO has a four-man Executive Committee which comprises:

YOUR ORGANISATION AND NAWENO

NAWENO can serve your Organisation in various capacities

1. As Project progranime Management Implementation, Appraisal or Evaluation Consultants
2. As Research Consultants into the impact of your programme as outlined, especially as relates to women. NAWENO in such capacity will identify how the programme will best achieve its objectives or reach its target audience or conduct an impact assessment study.
3. Train the staff of the programme -body or organise workshops, seminars and conferences on behalf of your Organisation on such issues that relate to her area of specialisation as outlined.
4. Assessment surveys. Project Is from such projects are committed to strengthening grassroots women groups.