UNICEF HOLDS TWO-DAY LIVE CHAT EVENT IN LAGOS HIGHLIGHTING U-REPORT UNDER SPOTLIGHT INITIATIVE END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS.

Within the framework of Spotlight Initiative End Violence Against Women and Girls, UNICEF held a 2-day live chat event at the Golfview Hotel and Suites, Ikeja, Lagos from October 21^st to 22^nd 2019. 

The very educative event focused on the Youth under the U-Report and Innovation was anchored by Innovation Specialist, Mr. Kolawole Ladejobi and Salma Muhammed from UNICEF. In attendance were representatives of UNICEF and CSOs, undergraduate students from University of Lagos (Unilag), corps members, postgraduate students from Unilag and NYSC officials. The Lagos State NYSC coordinator, Mr. Shuaibu Ibrahim and the representative of the Minister for Youth and Sports Development also graced the event. 

Mr. Adedoyin, the representative of the Minister for Youth and Sports Development emphasized the importance of seminars and training for the youths, this he explained was key to the capacity building of the youths “and when you build a youth you are building a nation” he said. Mrs. Dick Ihunabare a representative from UNICEF explained the importance of being a U-reporter and its impact on crime-solving.

Mr. Shuaibu Ibrahim, Lagos state NYSC coordinator thanked UNICEF and U-report for their efforts in building the capacity of the Nigerian youths.

The Spotlight Initiative is a global partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. The six mutually reinforcing pillars of the Spotlight Initiative are: Laws and Policies, Institutions, Prevention, Services, Data, and Women’s movements. 

During the interactive Panel session, topics like the root causes and solutions to gender-based violence was discussed.

The event emphasized the use of technology to end violence against women and girls. Bridge Point, SAED Connect and Google Digital Skills, all made remarkable presentations on the use of IT for digital empowerment and the development of youths. 

 

Gifts were presented to the winners of the U-Report quiz at the end of the day 2 event.

The U-Report is an online platform where young people can send and receive useful information about the various happenings in their communities in order to bring about positive social change. It is presently run in 60 countries. Nigeria, with over 3 million youths, has the largest number of U-Report subscribers.

The event which will be hosted in all the 6 States selected for the Spotlight Initiative project was truly a great and inspiring experience. It was a call to action of all youths to take positive steps to end violence among women and girls in Nigeria.

Save Our Needy was ably represented at the workshop by Marvella Odili, Founder/CEO. 

Spotlight Initiative Nigeria Organizes 3--Day Orientation Workshop for Implementation Partners

A 3-Day Orientation Workshop was organized in Lagos by the Spotlight Initiative Nigeria working in collaboration with Spotlight Global, for its implementation partners. Participant States were Lagos, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Cross River, FCT and Sokoto.

Some of the participants at the workshop

The training sessions aimed at exchanging ideas, sharing of knowledge and experiences, brought together key government ministries, selected Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Recipient UN Organizations (RUNOs). The sessions also gave the much needed opportunity to network. During the training sessions, participants were intimated on the project deleverables, targets, implementation arrangements, reporting/financial reporting requirements. The project start-up workshops supported the development of a results-oriented, state-specific CSO workplans from the already approved Spotlight Initiative (SI) 2019 workplans. Save Our Needy was one of the CSOs selected to participate at the workshop. The organization was represented by its Founder/CEO, Marvella Odili.

Marvella Odili (L) at the workshop

Adetutu Ajibodu, Centre Manager, WARIF (L) with Marvella Odili

Marvella Odili, Founder/CEO, Save Our Needy at the workshop

Marvella Odili

Marvella Odili

 

Patience, UN Women (middle)

The Communications trainer at the workshop

The Spotlight Initiative, a joint initiative of the EU-UN, is centred on the theme, Elimination of All Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls. The initiative aims to support the transformative change on the ground to end violence against women and girls, and harmful practices, in numerous countries globally. Nigeria is one of the eight countries in the African region selected to benefit from the Spotlight Initiative. It is anchored in the UN Sustainable Development Partnership Framework (UNSDPF) 2018-2022 and is implemented by five UN agencies (UN Women, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA and UNDP), the Government of Nigeria, including federal and State governments and Civil Society. 

#SpotlightEndViolence #SpotlightNG

Mr. Kwasi emphasizing on a point

World Health Day Celebrated Worldwide

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon marked the World Health Day with a strong call for stepping up global efforts to stop the rise in diabetes and improve the lives of those living with this dangerous but preventable and treatable disease.

Diabetes is currently responsible for about 1.5 million deaths a year.

In her video message, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the agency decided to devote
this year's World Health Day to diabetes for many reasons. “The prevalence of diabetes is alarming and is rapidly getting worse. This is a worrying worldwide trend,” she said, calling for healthier lifestyles.

Make healthier life choices. Eat right and exercise regularly to live a longer, more fulfilling life.

Happy #WorldHealthDay!

GlobalGiving Partners With Save Our Needy To Provide Clean Water and Toilets In Disadvantaged Schools

UNICEF states that 50 million Nigerians do not have access to toilets hence resort to open defecation. The need for better sanitation in Nigeria is clear.

Poor sanitation is the leading cause of child illness and death. Diseases like cholera, diarrhea and Ebola are contracted due to poor hygiene.

Access to clean toilets and water can help save millions of children from dying.

Support Save Our Needy to build school toilets and provide clean water in low-income schools. The pupils of Abiodun Nursery and Primary School, Mushin, Lagos, deserve to study in a more hygienic environment so that they can thrive. The situation is dire. The school not only needs to be rehabilitated, three schools located in the same complex comprising more than 1,000 pupils are forced to use the same make-shift toilet facility having no door with just provision for urinating and not defecating.

Please check this link to donate: https://goto.gg/23476

You can also check our website: www.saveourneedy.org

THANK YOU!

Schools In North-East Nigeria Finally Reopen Despite Fear Of Boko Haram Attacks

Hundreds of schools in northeast Nigeria have reopened for the first time in a year and a half - but many teachers and pupils are reluctant to return because of persistent violence in the region.
Almost 450 schools have reopened in Borno state since October 2015, more than 18 months after education was halted in the wake of an attack by Boko Haram militants on a boarding school in neighbouring Yobe state in which they killed 59 students.

Some schools in Adamawa and Borno states are doubling the number of classes to provide education for people uprooted by the conflict as well as for local children, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Displaced teachers across the region have volunteered to teach and many children who fled violence in remote rural areas have gone to school for the first time, the UN children's fund UNICEF said.
"Prioritising education is absolutely essential if we are to avoid losing the next generation to more poverty, hopelessness and the risk of radicalisation," said Toby Lanzer, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel.

Nigerian children at UNICEF-supported learning center in Dalori camp in Maiduguri

Borno is the birthplace of the six-year insurgency waged by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which kidnapped 276 girls from a secondary school in the village of Chibok in April 2014.
A regional offensive by Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon earlier this year drove Boko Haram from much of the territory it held in northern Nigeria. But the militants have since struck back with a renewed wave of deadly raids and suicide bombings.

More than 1200 schools have been attacked in northeast Nigeria and hundreds of teachers and pupils have been killed by bomb blasts, raising fears among communities about the safety of resuming education, according to UNICEF.
"Many parents are reluctant to send their children - especially girls - to school... even some teachers are afraid of going to work due to the targeted attacks, threats of attacks or general insecurity," said Eva Ahlen from UNICEF in Nigeria.

The United Nations is working with the Nigerian government to make schools safer, train teachers and offer basic education to those staying in camps and with host families, where nine in 10 of Nigeria's 2.2 million internally displaced people are living.
Even before the conflict in the northeast, Nigeria had the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, more than 10 million, according to OCHA.

Article by Kieran Guilbert (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

One of the main aims of Save Our Needy is to alleviate poverty through the promotion of education. We believe that through education, millions of people can be saved from poverty and despair. Help empower a girl today and contribute to bringing a whole community out of poverty. Support our girl-child initiatives. Visit our website to know more about our activities: www.saveourneedy.org
Your donations are highly welcome.

UNICEF launches #IMAGINE Project

Thursday, November 20th 2014 became a special date on the global
calendar as UNICEF launched the #IMAGINE campaign in New York City to
celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Convention on the rights of a
child.

The campaign, which included a re-recording of John Lennon's classic
song "Imagine" led by Yoko Ono, is intended to help raise awareness of
children's rights.

We are so proud of Don Jazzy (real name, Michael Collins Ajereh),
Nigerian multiple award-winning producer and artiste who performed on
stage alongside renowned artistes including Angelique Kidjo, Brazilian
songwriter Daniela Mercury, Swedish-Iranian pop sensation Laleh
Pourkarim, cellist Trey Lee from Hong Kong and Kristian Kostov, the
winner of the Russian The Voice.

The event hosted by Golden Globe and award-winning actor, Hugh
Jackman, brought together some of the world's biggest names in music,
film, fashion and entertainment. Katy Perry, Steve Harvey, David
Guetta, Idris Elba, Courtney Cox, Nicole Scherzinger, Yoko Ono and
Priyanka Chopra were all there to lend their support.

#IMAGINE Project aims to create a unique moment in music history that
highlights the tremendous challenges children face the world over.

Everyone who records the song has the chance to have their vocals and
videos used in the UNICEF version of Imagine and in the accompanying
interactive music video, which will be released in the lead up to New
Year's Eve 2014.


IMAGINE participants can share their own recording of Lennon's classic
song with friends and family on social media and encourage others to
perform Imagine too. They can also record personal messages describing
what they imagine a better world for children would be like.