By Angela Atabo

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has tasked the Federal Government to initiate policies that will ensure the welfare of widows, orphans, and other vulnerable people in the country.

Dr Prince Ibhafidon, the convener of the group and founder, Waterlight Save Initiative, said this at an annual Christmas outing for the vulnerable in Abuja.

“We use the opportunity to reach out to the vulnerable in the society and celebrate Christmas with them earlier than Christmas to give them palliatives and what they need daily.”

He urged the federal government to partner with relevant agencies and organisations to support CSOs in their quest to alleviate the plight of the vulnerable.

“They should partner with organisations like ours. We worked with the former administration in terms of humanitarian outreach, and we did a lot of outreaches with them.”

He called on President Bola Tinubu to build on the humanitarian programmes and policies of the previous government to ensure continuity of such projects.

“I think continuity is key, continue where the others stopped rather than starting all over again.

“They should give them a little time. After the budget is passed, I think a lot of things will take shape. By then we are going to see the full impact of their achievements,” he said.

Chief Convener of Sunday and Omoikhere Oriaran Foundation, Dr Rose Oriaran Anthony supported Ibhafidon’s claim.

“We are out to continue the legacy of our late parents who had passion for taking care of orphans and widows in the society.

“So, we felt we should continue. We launched this foundation some years ago in their memories,” she said.

She said that the foundation had branches in Edo, Niger, Nyanya and Gwagwalada.

“These are widows when you go where they live, you will sympathise with them. We are here as a foundation to touch their lives this season of Christmas. They deserve to also smile,” she said.

Anthony said that the government was doing its best in terms of distributing palliatives to citizens.

“They are bringing up policies. But the problem is implementing those policies. But the government is doing well.”

Mrs Grace Chinedu, the Founder of Restored Destiny Child Orphanage, One Man village, Nasarawa State appreciated Waterlight Save Initiative for the assistance to the less privileged.

“We are here because of the waterlight initiative. They have been of tremendous help to the children; they pay their school fees.”

Chinedu also solicited government’s support to make the children happier so that they would feel belonged to the society.

One of the widows, Mrs Rosemary Okoro also appreciated the organisers and wished them well in all their endeavours.

For Wisdom Anthony, an orphan who also expressed gratitude, said “God bless them. We are glad we have people that will always provide for us. I’m so happy.”

NAN reports that the CSOs included Waterlight Save Initiative, Sunday and Omoikhere Oriaran Foundation and Totalcare for Peace and Development Initiative. (NAN)

By Philip Yatai

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Helpline Foundation for the Needy, Abuja, has distributes food items, clothes, and other items to 350 widows, Persons With Disabilities, and other vulnerable people in Abuja.

Its President, Dr Jumai Ahmadu, distributed  the items to the beneficiaries during the 20th edition of the organisation’s 2023 end-of-year and Christmas celebration , in Abuja on Saturday.

She  said that the donation was put together in collaboration with two other NGOs: Right Care Foundation and Ladies of Grace.

Ahmadu explained that the beneficiaries were carefully selected from over 50 women groups across the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa State and Niger .

She said that beyond the end-of-year celebration and provision of food items and material support to the less privileged, the organisation was also supporting the beneficiaries, to make them self-reliant.

Ahmadu said that the NGO had empowered some of the women with some income generating skills, adding that the end-of-year party provided an opportunity for the women to showcase their products.

“We decided this year to make a progress report of what we have been doing. So, we brought the women out to see what they had done.

“This is a way of inspecting and monitoring their progress to see if the efforts we have put in are yielding results and we are very happy with what we have seen today,” the president said.

Ahmadu said that the empowerment support would enable them to earn money for themselves, pay their children’s school fees, and support other vulnerable women around them.

“The women have made a commitment that by this time next year, they will invite us to inaugurate various handmade products.

“I am optimistic they will make a difference once they have the needed enabling environment to express themselves,” she said.

The President of Right Care Foundation, Mrs Chinasa Ohaa, who was represented by Mr Richards Omotayo, an official of the NGO, described ameliorating the condition of the less privileged as a “national service”.

Similarly, Mrs Mariam Haruna of Ladies of Grace, called on relevant stakeholders to join hands in empowering the downtrodden in the society.  (NAN)

Edited by Buhari Bolaji

By Sani Idris

The Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI), an NGO, has displayed an art and cultural event, featuring drama, poems and music, to campaign against sexual harassment in Kaduna.

The colourful event brought together various stakeholders from the academia, civil societies, MDAs and students.

The event, which revolves around arts and culture, is meant to reduce sexual harassment in public spaces.

It is under the ‘We For Them’ (WFT) project, an initiative by EWEI.

Salome Yakubu, the Focal Person of the WFT project, said EWEI, founded in 2008, has been steadfast in its commitment to providing multi-sectoral interventions aimed at empowering and supporting women and girls.

She said the WFT, spanning from April 2022 to March 2024, received valuable support from the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF).

Yakubu said the primary objective of the programme was to address and reduce sexual and gender-based violence, with a special focus on combating sexual harassment and abuse in public spaces.

She said in pursuit of combating sexual harassment and abuse, EWEI collaborated with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Kaduna State Polytechnic Branch.

Yakubu, therefore, said the partnerships with the organisations underscored the importance of collective efforts in combating sexual harassment and promoting safer public spaces.

Mr Mendie Jeremiah, the Assistant Focal Person for the WFT, said the project worked with 130 direct beneficiaries cutting across 50 from ASUP and 80 from the NURTW.

Jeremiah explained that the NURTW was a male dominated union, where the project worked in collaboration, to reduce violence in motor parks.

“We identified these bodies because, like the ASUP, they are one of the strongest unions in polytechnics.

“We aim to see that our beneficiaries in the ASUP and NURTW serve as champions and advocates against sexual harassment in the institutions and motor parks.

“In Kaduna Polytechnics for instance, they have the 2019 sexual harassment policy. What we are doing alongside is looking at any gap if any, and make recommendations whenever the policies are due for review.

“In the course of our seminar with members of the NURTW who are our direct beneficiaries, the NURTW came up with a by-law, marrying their constitutions with the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law (VAPPL).

“The by-laws do not in any way supersede the NURTW Constitution nor the VAPPL, but a working template for them within the motor parks to know and be aware of repercussions when one is found wanting.

“The NURTW will step it down to their loaders, drivers, shop owners within the parks and others on the need for safe motor parks devoid of sexual harassment,” Jeremiah said.

Also, Mrs Fatima Ahmed, a member of ASUP, Kaduna Polytechnic, commended EWEI for the initiative towards ensuring that sexual harassment was drastically reduced in public places.

She said that sexual harassment could not be totally eliminated, but could be addressed in many ways.

“At the academia, we engage with staff and students; the students and staff can be harassed. With the WFT, we are optimistic that violence against women and girls, sexual harassment of both gender at homes, places of work and even within family circle is reduced to the bearest minimum,” Ahmed said.

NAN reports that some of the drama plays were sensitive in passing messages about “Who a woman is” and sexual harassment which cuts across gender.

The dramas, poems, dance and other displays were solution driven, thereby communicating on what to do, where to go, who to report to when sexual harassment or violence happens.

NAN also reports that a panel of discussants featured in the event.

The forum discussed barriers like cultural beliefs and stereotypes that hindered prosecution of offenders of sexual harassment. (NAN)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Sani Idris

An NGO, Gender Awareness Trust (GAT), has disseminated a research report on closing the civic space for women-led organisations in the North West Zone of Nigeria.

The title of the report is “Closing civic space: The experience of Women-led Civil Society Organisations in North West Nigeria.”

The report was under the GAT’s project titled: “Women Expanding the Civic Space and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in North West zone, Nigeria.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the project is supported by Open Society Foundations (OSF).

During the dissemination event on Thursday in Kaduna, the Executive Director of the NGO, Dr Lydia Umar, said across the world, hostility towards CSOs had been on the increase.

She said this was because governments intensified restrictions on the civic space, under general concerns about insecurity.

She added that in Nigeria, and specifically the North West zone, the hostility had been accentuated by anti-gender movements, religious and cultural practices, rising insecurity and the nature of some CSOs.

According to her, the CSOs lack the needed funding and operational environments to effectively address gender related issues, including Gender Based Violence (GBV), lack of sexual health and reproductive rights and absence of gender inclusivity.

Umar explained that the NGO used a set of qualitative and quantitative data generated through a dual methodology of desk review and field research, including Focus Group Discussions (FGDS) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs).

She, therefore, said they conducted a study on the factors that caused closing civic space in the North West region and the impact on women organisations.

“Participants were purposely selected from among women-led and women’s rights organisations in the region,” she said.

Umar said the study aimed at stimulating wider discussions among women CSOs on closing civic space in the region, to address the challenges of closing civic space for women CSOs.

She added that the study also meant to create an enabling platform for building the capacity and resilience of women-led CSOs in the region, to strengthen their resilience to engage in the civic space.

Umar, who doubles as the Project Coordinator, said the study was conducted in the seven states of the North West, mainly Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.

She said findings indicated, among others, that there was a robust presence of women-led and women’s rights CSOs in
the region.

She said the findings also revealed that the CSOs engaged in service delivery, social welfare, and charitable activities, as well as supporting development projects, especially in the absence of a strong government coordinated response to GBV.

“Closing civic space in the North West region manifests in restrictive legislations and overbroad application of existing laws, non-legal restrictions such as shaming and negative labelling, outright proscription of activities of targeted CSOs.

“Closing civic Space in the region is driven by factors such as actions of state authorities under security concerns, religious and cultural practices, as well as the nature and character of some CSOs within the civil society space.

The Executive Director, therefore, recommended increased awareness of key stakeholders, including donors and citizens on the peculiar CSOs operational environment in the zone.

She also recommended strengthening the capacity of women organisations in the region to effectively respond to gender-based challenges and build the resilience of women-led CSOs for sustainability.

“GAT is also recommended to mobilise women-led organisations in the region for advocacy campaigns and visits to state authorities to deliberate on collaborations and partnerships,” she added. (NAN)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman