Giving Internally Displaced Women Hope

Tokunbo Ifaturoti

There are approximately three million internally displaced persons (IDP) in Nigeria who have been displaced by conflict. The number has been rising steadily in recent months and is accompanied by increased calls for the protection of the most vulnerable among the displaced, namely women and children.

The report Improving the Protection of Internally Displaced Women: Assessment of Progress and Challenges by Chaloka Beyani, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons reminds us that women make up just about half of the persons displaced within their own countries. It also highlights the list of special rights the United Nations observes for women who have been internally displaced. These rights include:

1. Non-discrimination and the right of expectant mothers, mothers of young children, and female heads of household to protection and assistance that “takes into account their special needs”
2. Protection from sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and other forms of violence and exploitation
3. The right to access all necessary documents, education and training
4. The need for internally displaced women to actively participate in decision-making at all stages of displacement

Within Nigeria, several individuals and organizations, including local and international charities, have taken up the challenge of ensuring these rights are respected. Many have gone a step further by seeking to empower internally displaced women. These efforts range from sewing machines donated by Princess Ozolua and the Body Enhancement Foundation, to the provision of psychosocial support by the government-established Nigeria Foundation for the Support of Victims of Terrorism (Victims Support Fund), and the donation of beads and ornaments to encourage the development of sustainable livelihoods amongst women in IDP camps in Nigeria by ChiYoWo (Children, Youth and Women Empowerment Initiative).

It is unlikely that all IDPs will ever be able to return to their original homes and villages. The outpouring of concern and assistance, however, raises hopes for women in Nigerian IDP camps. Their rights are of international interest and they are being given some of the tools, power and support they need to successfully restart life for themselves and their families outside of the camps.

Apprenticeship – The Role of Local Businesses In Youth Development

Tokunbo Ifaturoti

There have been a plethora of studies conducted on the connection between poverty and unemployment. Similarly, studies have pointed to skills training and career building through apprenticeship as a way to help alleviate poverty.

The following can be achieved through apprenticeship:

1. Businesses can give young people opportunities to gain experience of the culture that exists in the world of work. The youth learn valuable lessons in work ethic, including: effective time management; working as a part of a team to achieve set objectives; and how to handle interpersonal relationships in a professional manner.
2. The experience of apprenticeship can teach youth appropriate and usable skills to leverage opportunities elsewhere, once the apprenticeship period has ended. By becoming more marketable, they are able to seek out jobs in sectors that were previously closed to them.
3. Youth carry with them a dynamic energy that makes them eager to learn and take on challenges. They come to the workplace with fresh ideas, enthusiasm to make a contribution and a unique perspective of the evolving marketplace. Businesses can tap into this dynamism to make apprenticeship a win-win situation for the company and the young people involved.
4. Businesses can provide mentorship through current employees who can stand as strong role models for the youth joining the workforce. The assigned mentor can assist with career coaching as well as with personal development. Often times, such examples are lacking in the communities from which these young people come.
5. Companies derive benefit from the apprenticeship programme as it ensures that there is a set of trained individuals to fill future vacancies. These persons would already possess the requisite skills and be familiar with the organization’s structure and culture.

In summary, businesses in and around disadvantaged communities must begin to embrace their role in helping to lift these communities out of poverty. Apprenticeship is one way in which they can effect change.

Volunteering Overseas – How Does It Change You?

Tokunbo Ifaturoti

There is one common result for everyone who chooses to volunteer overseas. Their view of the world, what is important in it and what needs to be done is profoundly changed. Here are a few other ways in which you will change by becoming a volunteer in a foreign country.

• You discover sides to yourself you never knew were there. Your strengths in particular shine through and you realize you are capable of caring deeply for strangers and empathizing with their conditions.
• You understand deeply what is meant by the phrases “working lunch” and “a full day’s work”. You wake up earlier than you have ever done, help to complete tasks while you grab a bite and often work into the late hours of night assisting where it is needed.
• You know full well the restorative value of sleep. It is not just the tasks but also the new experiences that draw on your physical and mental energy. A strange room and a strange bed are of little consequence when sleep calls at the end of a day of sharing yourself.
• You place a new meaning on the word “stranger’. You easily strike up conversations on all manner of topics with people you have never met before. A ride on public transportation becomes a chance to share cultures and exchange views on world events.
• You realize long-distance relationships really can work. The friendships you make can survive the distance and the different cultures that separate you. Home becomes more of a feeling and less of place as you return year after year to continue you good work.
• You acknowledge your place in the global village. The ways in which we impact our “neighbours” from the great distances of own home countries becomes abundantly clear. From the brands you now choose (and refuse) to support to more conscious treatment of the environment, you take others into consideration.

Take a moment to share in our forum how being a volunteer has changed you.

Teen Girls The Focus Of World Population Day 2016

Tokunbo Ifaturoti

On July 11, 2016 the United Nations Population Fund UNPF will ask the world to pause and contemplate the potential that lies in “Investing in Teenage Girls”. The year’s theme seems a natural progression from World Population Day 2015 observations which focussed on “Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies”.

The UNPF’s introduction of World Population Day 2016 highlights the challenges faced by a large percentage of teenage girls worldwide. Among the points it is asking us to consider are that within their communities, these young women often

• have difficulty accessing “basic information about their health, human rights and reproductive rights”
• are thought to be ready for marriage and motherhood
• are involuntarily kept out of school
• are “vulnerable to illness, injury and exploitation”

For all the teenage girls around the world who face these issues and are left without a voice, we must determine to become their voices.

Making a change for these girls starts with understanding the subtleties of the communities in which they live. We must aim to reach at-risk teenage girls with programmes to impart the requisite knowledge, skills and power they need to take greater control of their lives.

This, however, is not enough. We must also aim to reach the members of their communities and enlighten them of the benefits for all when girls are given access to a solid education, are protected from exploitation and are given the chance to take charge of their sexual and reproductive health.

In greatest need of our active input are those girls who are part of the tens of millions of displaced people. Along with the physical and emotional trauma of the circumstances that led to their displacement, they must now try to exist in conditions where their privacy and safety are often comprised.

Speaking out on behalf of disadvantaged teenage girls and supporting programmes that seek to empower them are just two ways we can help from anywhere in the world. If enough people get on-board and demand positive changes for these girls, then their voices will be heard through ours,

Protecting Children From The Violence Related To Social Norms

Tokunbo Ifaturoti

A recent UNICEF analysis of available data from 62 countries revealed the following worrying statistics.

• Of children between the ages of 2 and 14, 80% (or 4 out of every 5) have had to endure violent means of discipline.
• Within 23 countries, most of which are affected by conflict, 1 in 5 children have been subjected to corporal punishment in its most severe forms.

These types of correction are part of the social norms of many cultures and are generally viewed as accepted behaviour. As such, they prevail and are perpetuated, with harsh punishments being meted out to children both at home and at school.

Identification of what drives these norms, making violence against children an accepted mode of disciplining them, is crucial to change. Understanding how to approach the protection of children from unnecessary acts of violence will require an in-depth look at the dynamics of the societies in which they live. Once such careful research is conducted and analysed, proactive interventions can be developed with the aim to change the mind-set of adults and begin the formulation of new social norms.

Organizations that offer aid are in the unique position of being able to reach and influence communities in a way that other entities cannot. They must be given the resources to design and implement preventive strategies that will assure the protection of children along with the development of their communities.

The reduction of violence toward children must be made a priority and those in the best position to help must be given priority support as well.

Practical Ways You Can Support A Charity

Tokunbo Ifaturoti

You know the need is out there and you want to help in a meaningful way. But how? There are a variety of ways in which individuals can support charities aside from donating cash. Yes, the cash is very important and the lack of it has stalled many charities in their efforts to help.

But you may be unable to make monetary donations, are weary of how your money will be spent or just want to do something more involved than write a cheque. If so, here are some great ways to support a charity.

1. Make Other Donations – Find out what materials the charity needs aside from cash. Often times you may already have it or can easily access it. If they have drop-off points then take the material to them. Requesting that they collect from you is something they may agree to but it will cost them extra to do it. Remember, for charities and their beneficiaries – every dollar counts.
2. Spread the word – Tell your social media network about the charity’s deeds and its needs. Ask others to pass it along. Mention it to your neighbours, at work and at religious gatherings. Start or sign online petitions in favour of the causes of charities and charitable organizations which you support. When you think about it – your voice is the charity’s the best advertisement.
3. Volunteer your time and skills – You don’t have to be particularly good at something to help get it done. Charities often need help with physical labour, mentorship programs and record keeping.
4. Give Money – Helping the plight of those in need will invariably have costs attached for which only monetary donations will suffice. If you have lingering doubts then seek clarification. Ask specifically what the funds are used for. Many charities will gladly tell you because they need and respect your help.

So don’t be afraid to volunteer, the good turn you do could mean a lifetime of opportunity for someone else.

Celebrate Youth Empowerment On World Youth Skills Day

Tokunbo Ifaturoti

The empowerment offered by skills training is embodied in the old adage: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for life.”

This is the basic ideology that seems to exist behind the United Nations (UN) adoption of World Youth Skills Day (WYSD). July 15 is designated for annual observance of the value of giving the world’s growing youth population access to training in marketable and life-changing skills.

This year marks only the second year since the day was officially added to the UN’s calendar of International Days. Since its inauguration, however, WYSD has generated  a great deal of interest among person who see the need for a push in the development of skills training programmes as  a  way to reach and teach youth, especially in areas suffering from conflict and in poverty stricken areas.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is encouraging persons around the world to use the power of social media to spread the word about the aims, objectives, merits and activities of WYSD. You may do this in part by sharing the hashtag #WYSD.

WYSD is built around two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, namely

• Goal 4: Quality Education – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
• Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

“Skills development reduces poverty and better equips young people to find decent jobs. It triggers a process of empowerment and self-esteem that benefits everyone.” — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

Give 67 Minutes Of Your Time On Nelson Mandela International Day

Tokunbo Ifaturoti

When? – July 18, 2016, Nelson Mandela’s birthday. This will mark the 7^th year of its observance, the day having been inaugurated in 2010.

Why 67? – The number represents the years Nelson Mandela spent devoting his life to public service. So in essence, you are being urged to recognize his contributions by contributing one minute of your time to the service of others to match every year he contributed.

Who can get involved? – You and those you spread the word to. The basic idea behind Nelson Mandela International Day is that everyone can make a difference through even small unheralded actions.

What can you do? – Anything and everything. From the smallest gesture to large full-scale projects. The year’s themes were announced at its official launch at the Dr Mathole Motshekga Primary School in Tembisa.  They include the four key areas of

• literacy and education
• food security
• shelter and infrastructure
• the environment

That allows you a wide choice of how to plan your project to stay in keeping with the theme of the day. However, if you can’t match the theme then don’t. Just give the 67 minutes in whichever way you can.

Want to reach others? – Hashtags associated with Nelson Mandela International Day are #time2serve and #mandeladay. You can register the action you plan on taking with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and take a look at some of the other inspiring actions that persons have committed themselves to undertaking.

What to remember? – “When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.” – Nelson Mandela

Needed Urgently

A Proactive Approach To Reaching And Treating Children Suffering From Malnutrition

Tokunbo Ifaturoti

The World Health Organization (WHO) provides the following key facts on child mortality.

• 9 million children under the age of 5 died in 2015.
• More than half of these early child deaths are due to conditions that could be prevented or treated with access to simple, affordable interventions.
• About 45% of all child deaths are linked to malnutrition.
• Children in sub-Saharan Africa are more than 14 times more likely to die before the age of 5 than children in developed regions.

These, surely, are alarming figures and the WHO’s subsequent statement citing “substantial global progress … in reducing child deaths since 1990” provides some comfort but does not erase the need for urgent intervention on the behalf of the world’s most vulnerable citizens.

The progress of which the WHO speaks, is a decline of approximately 53% in the number of under-5 deaths worldwide between 1990 and 2015. In real numbers, it represents 19,000 children whose lives have been saved, daily. It is reason for celebration, yes. But it is also reason for further interventions to be put in place – to save the lives of the other 16,000 children in danger of dying every single day.

Tackling malnutrition is one way to do this but there are obstacle in the way. Among these obstacles are

• conflict in regions where the children live
• limited means of transportation
• too few facilities and medical personnel that can provide the type of assistance needed
• cost to families to reach the help their children need to live

Treatment and food need to be brought to the children instead of the other way around as currently exists in many places.

Charities have the ability to do this and should be made to play a greater role in this effort. Charities integrate with communities at the ground level and have earned the trust of those they serve. Giving them the tools and resources to train and treat can literally be the difference between life and death for thousands of children.