Archive for category: Nigeria

GPA was proud to provide a $5000 grant to LFA (“Film for Life”) led by well-known Nigerian Director, Chris Ihidero. This project equipped 9 young film makers with the expert understanding and participation in this booming Nigerian industry. Hundreds applied for this opportunity, 3 teams of youth were ultimately selected to “pitch” their film ideas and the winning film entry was made into a short film to educate the community about free and fair elections.

Nigeria – GPA provided a $5000 grant to the Centre For Family Health Initive MICSEP program in July, 2015. The center worked with local organizations to identify 44 youth to participate in entrepreneurship training. 26 youth were chosen to receive $125 in loans to begin operations in baking, grinding foodstuffs and selling popcorn. As a condition of funding, all youth worked with mentors and had guarantors for repayment of funds. By August, 2016 25 youth had started viable businesses that supported their families basic needs and most had expanded operations to other, related ventures. 81% of all funds have been repaid and the program will use these funds to support another cohort of youth in 2017.

Nigeria – CEADER received $5000 grant from GPA to implement a skills training program for commerical sex workers in the slums of Nigeria.

Excerpt from CEADER final report to GPA dated November, 2013:

Participant Ebere Ofofe: “Ahh the training has done a lot in my life. I know that with it, I can train my own children, I can take care of myself.”

CEADER has successfully enrolled 12 youth girls for two 2 skills acquisition training programs,hair dressing and tailoring. Of the twelve project beneficiaries, 4 of them are sex workers who have shown uncommon commitment to securing a skill to help them live a more secure life. The trainees have remained very enthusiastic about their participation in the training and are already excitedly making plans for their transition to becoming economically independent once they complete the training. The sex workers have reported that they are no longer under desperate pressure to earn an income as they have already started receiving tips from customers (client) that they help serve in their different places of training. CEADER staff are especially delighted about the outcome of this project. The trainees’ excitement has been quite infectious and encouraging to CEADER staff.

Specifically, the implementation of this project has resulted in the establishment, for the first time in the target slum community, Ijora Badia, a group of youth girls who have committed to influencing other youths in entrepreneurship development. For the sex workers who are participating in the training who have shown unusual interest and ability to learn really fast, they keep reiterating the immense benefits to their future the training provides. There are obvious indications that this project will indeed contribute to combating the p prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Ijora Badiya with sex workers being economically empowered.

The project has helped foster a mutually beneficial relationship between trainers in the target community and the youth- it has awakened a consciousness of the economic deprivation suffered by youth as a result of lack of skills. People in the community had simply assumed that the youth were not interested in making anything of their lives. There is now a definite commitment to ensuring that opportunities are sought to ensure increased entrepreneurship opportunities for the poor youth in target community. We have come to the conclusion that this is a project that should be replicated in slums across the global south.

The trainers have also shown unprecedented commitment to ensuring that project objectives are achieved. On noticing that 2 friends who were enrolled in her salon were always chatting with one another and not paying much attention to the training, their trainer decided to separate them by transferring one of the 2 trainees as well as the fee paid by CEADER to a near by salon.
We thank GPA for supporting this project which has strengthened CEADER’s work with youth girls slums. We will certainly replicate this project in order slum and encourage other groups in Nigeria as well outside Nigeria to introduce similar project activities that especially target youth girls in poor slum communities because of their peculiar circumstances and challenges.

Nigeria – Morning Star creates a nurturing environment that fosters awareness of health issues faced by the youth, including knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS.  They provide vocational training skills to youth, provide youth with access to information on ways to improve their economic status, and empower youth to jump-start their independent entrepreneurial activities.  Morning Star works with local community members, civil organizations, other youth oriented organizations, as well as members of the local and federal government to advocate for the development of large-scale sustainable programs that focus on improving the health and economic status of youth in Nigeria.

Grants

• June 2010, $5,000 – Project Enrich.  In the summer of 2010, Morning Star held Project Enrich-Youth Empowerment Project. Although the project was initiated solely for the youth in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, they noticed that there was a need to address the plight of widows who live in the area as many of them are in need of ways to jump-start entrepreneurial activities. So in conjunction to a Youth Empowerment program, Morning Star also hosted a Widow’s Empowerment Project during the summer of 2010. For six weeks and with support from GPA, Morning Star was able to train 60 people between the ages of 18-55 in the following skills: computer training, tie and dye, bead making, catering, interior and exterior decorating, screen printing, and fashion designing. The workshops were free for all participants and all the materials needed were provided with no cost to them. This program is the only free Youth and Widows project ever carried out in the local government area that didn’t impose any registration or program fee to participants. As a result, many of our participants were delighted to have an opportunity to gain skills that ultimately enhances their livelihood. This program also increased awareness on plight of youths and widows in the community in terms of their lack of resources, to the extent that local government office has challenged Morning Star to continue with our program as they believe that we are on track to equipping youths and widows with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to attain a sustainable livelihood.
• May, 2014, $5000-Project Sustain. GPA awarded grant funds to further develop Morning Star’s program. Project Sustain trained 120 youth in income producing skills. This program is the only program in the region that offers free training.

Dr. Patricia Awelomar (foreground) President of Morning Star with a youth Project Sustain participant