SELECTED SCD SUCCESS STORIES

?SUCCESS STORIES

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SOCIETY FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTS TO BOOST INTEREST OF YOUTHS IN FARMING

“We Are Now Productive”

Hello, Luka James is my name. I am 17 years from Kayache, a community with a population of about 2000 people. The people of my community are mostly farmers and they grow maize, corn, yam and plantain.

In the past only our parents go to farm and work, while the youths go to attend social gatherings and sometimes go for visits to our friends in the neighboring communities, not giving much priority to supporting our parents with either domestic chores or farm work.

When SCD came to our community, they organized us into an Activista group and trained us on how to mobilize ourselves as change agents to support in strengthening the existing structures in our community towards developing it in different ways. In each community in my local Government Area where [SCD] is working, there are two [2] activista members who report directly to the organization on the successes and challenges of these structures and how we have supported in solving issues as the activista members.

In my community, I got involved in enlightening our fellow youths, alongside a few of my peers, on the need to get ourselves involved in farming activities on our parents farms, especially after school hours and on weekends, and seeking ways on how to improve the farming system towards greater farm productivity. We formed ourselves into the YOUNG FARMERS CLUB.

From the outset, only 5 youths embraced the idea because most of them felt it was a taboo for a young person to go to farm; to them, farming is meant for the Old. However, gradually others began to join because we kept moving forward and our parents and SCD gave us every support we needed. We became useful to them and to our community; farm produce increased interestingly, more income was generated, our club became a cynosure in the community as we met regularly, encouraged group savings and supported ourselves whenever the need arose.

Now, most household in my community can boast of having a young farmer supporter, who contributes to feeding and income generation for the family. Thanks to SCD and Actionaid for helping to form the Activista, a pre-shoot of our Young Farmers Club.

SOCIETY FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTS WOMEN LEADERSHIP & ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

“It was a victory for women emancipation in my community”

“My name is Kande Tanko. I am 40 years old with 5 children, from Jiwa community of about 3500 people in population, I was a Deputy Speaker in the Supreme Parliament of the Area council [AMAC] in the Federal Capital Territory. I did my primary and secondary education in my community JIWA and obtained my NCE certificate at the college of Education. I am a farmer and I grow perishable items like tomatoes and cabbages. Each month I sell 10 bags of the produce to support my family and pay my children’s school fees and keep the rest of the produce for consumption. My husband works with a construction company and earns N20, 000 which he uses for house keep purposes and then save some to support me in the next farming season.?

In the past 4 years I have had interest in politics but women in my community lived in total seclusion because we are not allowed to be voted or vote for our right choices, this issue has discouraged a lot of women from coming out to vote during elections and has made the process to be rigged every time as the position of the men as the heads of the households is supposedly unquestionable and we did not have education on how to solve this problem. In-fact, our husbands tells us who to vote for and who not to, we had no choice but to obey. Now we know the Truth!

SCD in collaboration with Actionaid trained?about 30 women in my community on how to organize ourselves and contest for elective positions, how to cast our votes rightly and for their choices, how to check voters register, what to do on election day, why our votes are very important, how to prevent election conflicts and how to influence our husbands positively. SCD also trained the participants on peace and trust building to ensure peace in our community. Though our men were not ready to let go of the usual practice, however with much sensitization by SCD vis-a-vis consultations with the elders of the community; WE FOUND OUR VOICES (women).

Owing to my active roles in community mobilization and rights advocacy; my community members requested that I represent them at the Area Council level for the position of Councillor. Indeed, the election was a reflection of our resolve to be heard; over 2500 women came out to vote during elections and vote for their right choices.?I yielded the call for service to my people and Yes; I won! I won. Now, at the Area council, with boldness, I opted for the position of Deputy Speaker, I got it. This was about the first time a female has ever won such an extolled position in my community. It was a victory for women emancipation in my community.?I advocate on behalf of my people for good roads, improved farming system, good schools, hospitals and adequate drugs,

?income generating activities for women etc. and I am happy that I attained a position that enabled me influence policy decisions towards developing my community.

I want to appreciate?Society for Community Development (SCD) for the trainings and encouragements they gave us, the women of my community, to boldly and actively participate in politics. This has helped to improve the lives of about 2000 women in my community in terms of Self Esteem, Confidence & Bold Aspirations.

Thank you SCD for this great support.

AISHA BELLO - Leading The Edge: Becomes A Community Leader (JIWA COMMUNITY, Abuja Municipal Area Council)

My name is Aisha Bello, I am a 56 years old farmer and Politician. A widow of eleven children and several grand children. Today I have risen to prominence in my community by the grace of God as the MAGAAJIA OF ANGWA HAUSAWA in the Jiwa community. I didn’t rise to this enviable position in just one day. I used to be very timid, always in my compound not being able to associate or??speak in the public until I started attending the peer education sessions, which SCD introduced in our community, and got exposed through the lessons shared on women empowerment and the need for involvement in decision making. But gradually, I started finding my voice, gained confidence and discovered that I had innate leadership qualities which I had never put to use.

“before now, I am always afraid to speak in the public for fear of been laughed at”

With my zest during the peer education sessions, I gradually became a voice which people wanted to listen to; an influencer and a figure people seek to solve their problems. I can now communicate in public effectively, mobilize women to achieve a task and due to my various activities at the community level, I was appointed by the Community head and the COUNCIL OF CHIEFS as the Magaajia to lead my Angwa (Hausawa) with the responsibilities of mobilizing ?

the people, especially the women, take charge of women issues, settle disputes and coordinate the entire women in the Angwa. Thank you SCD for helping me discover myself.

REBECCA JOHN -???EMPOWERED TO EMPOWER

?????(GAUBE COMMUNITY, Kuje Area Council)

My name is Rebecca John; I am a 32 years old farmer, mother of 7 children and married to a local school teacher. I used to be very withdrawn, always spending my time indoors but with the introduction of the Peer Education lessons, where I learnt about personal development, building family and community relationships, economic empowerment and other life changing topics, I started interacting with my environment with my increased level of confidence. Now, I know my rights, I now teach other women in my Angwa [ community ] as a Peer Education Facilitator. Before, I cannot sell my farm products, since I don’t have any numeric skills but now I know how to calculate my proceeds and use my little funds to make greater profits. SCD opened my eyes to see; I now know how to dress well to impress my husband. Before now, I could not read or write but since I started attending the adult literacy class and the peer education sessions, I can now read communicate and write. Now, if anyone buys something, they cannot inflate the?price, I will ask them for receipt. I now know how to control my family, organize people in my community; God will help me to control an Area Council. I am now looking very good.

SCD supports ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

“I make up to N15, 000 monthly” (LEI-LEI GWARI COMMUNITY, Kwali Area Council)

My name is Asabe Sally. I am 31 years old, have been married for 9 years and I have two children. I started learning fashion designing where I was before I got married but I could not complete it. With the sewing machine support our community got from SCD; I took advantage of the opportunity to complete my training. Before now, I just remained indoors after spending several hours on my farm but with the available machine, I started going for the training, learnt new skills and acquired more knowledge. Today, I have completed my training and have been able to purchase my own sewing machine. I make up to N15, 000 monthly especially during festive periods. Now, I support my husband with our children’s school fees and every other financial need in the family. I no longer depend solely on my husband for money, I fend for myself. My esteem in the community has increased since I am now a trainer of people and when I talk, people listen to me. I also make more money from those I train as they pay up to N5000 for their 3 years training period. Today, I am a happy mother, a responsible wife and a community influencer.

LARABA SHUWAIBU????????(KUCHIBUYI COMMUNITY, Bwari Area Council

I am Laraba Shuwaibu, a 35 years old farmer with 5 children (2 girls and 3 boys). I have been farming for many years on groundnuts, corn and I also sell firewood. With the SCD support to build a community women centre and the provision of sewing and knitting machines; I took advantage of the opportunity by learning how to make clothes. It didn’t take me too long before I completed my training. I am indeed grateful for that opportunity to our community.?Before now, I take my clothes out for sewing and mending but I now do it myself. I

also make clothes for other people and earn up to N1, 500 every week. Now, I support my husband with our children’s school fees and other needs of the family. My social esteem has increased tremendously and I am fast become a popular community person; not just as a skill acquisition trainer but also as a teacher.?After SCD’s intervention, we went to inform the government that we now have an adult literacy class which led to the employment of a teacher who after sometimes left. Then, since I am a SSCE holder, they requested that I teach the women (temporarily) with a N10, 000 pay monthly. Ten (10) women were initially registered into the adult class; three (3) have graduated now and they teach other people too.

“things have changed; when visitors ?come to our community now, we can now speak and communicate with them well without fear”

For me, I am happy because I can now afford to send my children to school and they are doing well there. I am also going back for my NCE so that I can have more employability standing and to further help my community’s development.

COMMUNITY LIFE

My name is Jambo?Gwarzo;?I am 42 years old from Leleyi Gwari community married with two wives and seven children.

In my village we celebrate during a festival called Dambe, which means traditional wrestling. It is a form of boxing associated with wrestling. Historically, Dambe includes a wrestling component but today it is essentially a striking art as this entertainment piece is dominated by the Gwandara tribe butchers cast groups. The contest is mostly among the Gwandara butchers groups drawn from a specific lower caste of the society who were the only ones that can ritually slaughter animals and handle meat as they form their boxing team according to their various rank.

It was also traditionally practiced as a means through which young people meet their partners as the winner of a tournament openly declares his interest to marry a girl and also as a way of getting ready for war.

At the end of the event, these company of boxers?will then run round the community displaying the primary weapon which is the strong- side fist which is known to be the spear as it wrapped in a piece of cloth covered by tightly knotted cord.???

CHILDREN’S CORNER

“OUR PARENTS NOW KNOW THE EFFICACY OF EDUCATION’’

Hello, Hamza?Ashana is my name from Bassan Jiwa community. I am 14 years old and a primary 4 pupil. At age 9 I used to hawk wares to support my family and did not attend school because my parents probably didn’t see the need to send me to school, since the funds were not even available. We only had enough to feed so we can do our farm work.

However, with SCD’s intervention on education awareness campaign and sensitization vis-à-vis its efficacy; people in my community began to enroll their children in which I was privileged to be among. Things have now changed because over 300 children including girls in my community are now going to school, and we are doing well in our studies.

We thank SCD for showing our parents the way to development through education.?

SCD SUPPORT TO EDUCATE COMMUNITY PEOPLE ON MALARIA PREVENTION

My name is Yohana James; I am 39 years old and father of 6 from Kilankwa community with a population of about 2700 people. I am a farmer who grows soya beans and sell to support my children school fees and for household consumption.

In the last 2 years, Malaria used to be a major problem we faced in my community and it infected many people especially pregnant women and children and our surroundings were dirty. We relied on herbs and concoctions for cure which often aggravated the situation.?We were adamant about seeking medical attention in the clinic because we taught it would amount to waste of money.

SCD came and distributed treated mosquito nets to people in my community including myself and encouraged us to go for testing and treatment in the hospital the moment we feel the symptoms of malaria which include body weakness, headache, nausea, fever, vomiting, body pains etc.??

Over 400 people now sleep under treated mosquito nets and keep their environments clean.

Salamatu Dalha, 43

She is a thriving polythene bag trader in Jiwa community, Abuja. She is one of the fortunate women in the community selected for the SMILE cash transfer. She carved a niche for herself as an uneducated woman with investment skills acquired from caregiver’s forum. She thanked CRS/SCD when she was being interviewed.

Living has not always been stable for the mother of 5 (Gambo 19, Hajara 17, Muhammadu 15, Barahatu 13 and Yezidu 11); wife to Saidu Dalha, a poorly paid office cleaner with the Municipal Area Council, for the past 18years. Salamatu’s resilience got her to start-up petty trade with 800 grams of Fura (millet cake), a local delicacy eaten with nunu (fresh cow milk). The 300 naira (0.83 USD) daily sale did not make any significant change in her livelihood. “In 2006, we had to sell our farm land to raise funds to care for our children’s health and education. The money soon got exhausted because we did not invest any part of it. I watched helplessly as my 5 children left school”-narrates Salamatu.

She received 20,000 naira (57 USD) cash transfer in November, 2016, 2 years after her vulnerable household was enrolled as a project beneficiary.?She invested 10,000 naira (29 USD) polythene bags business. She also makes 700 naira (2USD) daily. “One of my happiest moments in life was in January 2017; all my children went back to continue their education. My big boys, Gambo and Muhammadu, are also retailers, supplying polythene bag to expand our income, after school hours. We make a profit of 2,000 naira (6 USD) daily and collectively plan on family spending. My boys want to become big merchants after completing their education but young Yezidu insists on becoming a lawyer”.

Positive about my Dream!

Blessing Emmanuel is a 12years old in primary 6 at LEA Primary School Tukpechi. Blessing’s parents were unable to buy her sufficient note books and other writing materials to make her studies easy; even with her dream of being a Lawyer in future. She continues to study hard without sufficient school materials like; books, pen and pencil: “I feels sad most of the time” says Blessing. She said, “SCD came to our school for a gift fund program, during the program, we were encouraged to be a good student and to excel in our studies”. SCD distributed free school materials (pens, pencils and notebooks and football) to all the pupils in the school. “Since I have been given the school materials, I copied note timely and study with ease. I thought I won’t be able to have complete notes, but now all my notes are complete and I am very glad and positive about my dream of becoming a Lawyer in future” says Blessing.

Picture of Blessing Emmanuel with Joseph Bala posing in front of other school mates

?“We make our family members smile by meeting their needs”

Over a decade now farmers in Killankwa II had been facing serious challenges on the fertility of the land and inability to have access to resistant varieties of farm inputs (seeds and cuttings). Killankwa II is mostly agrarian community located in Kwali Area Council of Abuja, FCT, but the farms were not finding it easy as their expectations were not met in the past few year.

Iliya (42) a member of Kilankwa Farmers Association said “I am happy when each members of Kilanwa Farmers Forum sold minimum of 15 and 10 full load ‘pick-up’ van of Maize and Cassava respectively during the last harvest. This is the first time in over a decade that farmers in Kilankwa II will have such a good harvest on an hectare of land”. He (Iliya) continues “before the support from SCD and ActionAid through training and linkage creation to the improved varieties of farm seeds and cuttings, we used to harvest 7 and 5 load of Maize and Cassava respectively due to the practice of our traditional way of planting local maize and cassava without treatment. During the training we were told to stop planting Cassava cuttings in a straight but, at a 45 degree to the ground; as it’s a major reason for the low yield we have been experiencing. We were trained on how to treat our maize seed with pesticide in order to retain the seed viability. Also SCD and ActionAid liked 43 farmers in Kilankwa II with Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) for quality and affordable farm inputs”.

“I and other members of Kilankwa Farmers’ Association were grateful to SCD and ActionAid for their support. The good harvest helped me to pay my 3 children school fees and provides for my family daily needs like other members do; our wives and children are happy with us as we make them (our family members) smile by meeting their needs. I am also expecting bumper harvest from my maize farm and my newly planted cassava field” says Iliya.

Happy prepare meal for my family

Fatu Yunusa has this to say about her daily life “my name is Fatu Yunusa (35), I have 4 children and I’m the first wife out of four wives to my husband. I live in Tungan Nassara community in FCT. Everyday, ‘uhhm’ I take care of my children by bathing and dressing them up and cook for them every morning before leaving for school. I do engage in house chores and I prepare my husband food as he always leave for farm very early every day; he must meet his delighted food (Tuwo) whenever he comes back. By the time I finished all that, time would have gone and I will manage to take my bath, eat and I have about 2 hours rest before my children comes back from school”. She continues “another round of work start as they comes back from school. I have to prepare afternoon food for them and to watch over their movement and play. In the evening, I cook ‘Tuwo’ for my husband and my 4 children while other wives cook for their children and themselves; this enjoy do because I am good at making ‘Tuwo’ but it’s a stressful work!”

“My husband and I were among the community members that attended the Reflect Action where issues of unpaid care work were among things discussed when identifying challenges in our community with the support of SCD and ActionAid. As a result of the knowledge of unpaid care work, my husband now show me respect, though, I still prepare ‘Tuwo’ for the household but my husband do appreciate my cooking whenever he is eating; this motivate me to do more! The older children in the house also support in the house chores. Thanks to SCD and ActionAid for helping women in my community” says Aisha.

Facts and figures on Girl Child Education in Dakwa

Dakwa community in AMAC Area Council of FCT has a population of over 1100 people (200 men, 350 women and 550 children).

·?????90% of men in Dakwa community are famers while the remaining 10 are traders or work as foremen at a construction company

·?????Before now, Children in this community hardly go to school and stay in school regularly; most of them play skiving due to the support of their parent.

·?????The only school (Tungan Dalatu Primary) in the community that serves other 2 communities (Gwalada and Kokwepe) has six classes with four out of it in poor state.

·?????The school that have a population of 290 pupils (112 girls and 178 boys) do not have perimeter fencing which made the less motivated pupils to run away from school at any time of the day.

·?????Girls enrolment in Dakwa is poor as only 2 out of 5 attends regularly

Through your support, ActionAid and partner SCD

·????????Organised a 3 day training on girl child education and role of SBMC for male champion in the community which the community chief (Seriki Shuiabu Samu) and other 3 community members (male) were present.

·????????Also organize a state of education dialogue with the government stakeholder in education during School Based Management Committee (SBMC) meeting where over 40 people were in attendance.

·????????The community chief was able to use his role in the community to meet with his community members and encouraged them to send their girl child to school and ensure they don’t leave school until closing time.

·????????2 blocks of 2 classrooms and 1 office each were renovated by SCD and ActionAid Nigeria

·????????The school enrolment and retention had improve as the school recorded increase in the number of girls in school with 45 girls and 23 boys while over 70% of the school pupils stays in school till closing time. It is believed that the number will increase after the erection of the school perimeter fencing.

·????????Tungan Dalatu Primary School Dakwa, currently have an enrollment of 358 pupils (157 girls and 201 boys); an increment with 23.5% (40.2% girls and 12.9% boys)

·????????The AMAC Local Education Authority promised to help the school with perimeter fencing as well as establishing a secondary school in the community

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?‘Gbinake’ Festival in Kilankwa II

My name is Bulus Dantani (30) a native of Killankwa II in Kwali Area Council of FCT. The community has a population of about 1,400 people. My community predominant occupation is agriculture and this made us to have festivals called ‘Gbinake’ between March and April and ‘Kuchi’ between September and October (optional). The festival (Gbinake) is done when rain refuse to fall between March and April of the year. It is our belief that whenever we did the ‘Gbinake’ to appease the gods of rain, rain will begin to fall even before the end of the ceremony. Everybody in the community are allow to participate in the festival; including women and children. The ‘Gbinake’ is also used to create fear in the heart of children who are disobedient or urinate on the bed whenever they sleep; this is the most fun part of the festival!”

Bulus further explain that four people must wear the ‘Gbinake cloth/costume after they must have rubbed their body with ash. Aside the community people, Drummers and dancers follows and cheers the people in the costume as well sing to the gods of rain. The team moves round the community 2 times and must pass through the only stream in the community the 2 times. He later informed that only two family lineages are allowed to wear the ‘Gbinake’ costume as it is forbidden for other family to wear it except they want the wrath of the ‘Gbinake’ god.

“The rain must begin to fall shortly before the team complete the movement round the community second time or immediately after the second movement is completed’ says Bulus. Bulus later said “on the other hand if the rain fails to stop in August / September, the community organize the other festival called ‘Kuchi festival’. ‘Kuchi festival is very discipline and strict as only men participated; women and children are forbidden to witness the festival. The festival is of sober reflection and is organized in a high level way. While people laugh and celebrate during ‘Gbinake’, ‘Kuchi’ is done in sober mode. Pictures were not allowed to be taking and no celebration during ‘Kuchi’ festival. Also ‘Gbinake can be used to entertain visitors during formal event in the community or outside the community while ‘Kuchi’ is strictly done in the community. Immediately the rain begins, community members celebrate the more and children dance in the rain, while the parents prepare for the farm activities that will commence the following day”. ?

Blessing Magaji (16), an indigene of Manchiku in Kaura LGA of Kaduna state wants to be a medical doctor but her dream hit dead rock has a Fulani crisis force her and her family members to run for their dear lives. They were internally displaced as a result of the Fulani crisis in Kaduna state in the year 2014 and find refuge in Kayace community of FCT. “We had to leave all our property in Manchiku as we ran for our dear lives” says Blessing. On their arrival to Kayace, the family of 7 sought help from neighboring homes and churches for the family to stabilize and the children to be enrolled back into school. With the help of the LEA Primary School Kayace (Buzunkure) Headmaster (Mr. Ayuba Luka), Blessing’s younger ones were enrolled into school (Mary (5) Pry 1, Bantess (7) Pry 1 and Fdausi (5) Pry 2) and it looks impossible for Blessing to continue schooling has her parents had exhausted the little they have on her siblings; Blessing’s mother is House wife while her father keep searching for daily menial job.

The Magaji’s family was find it difficult to meet some basic needs and Blessing father opted for the option of placing Blessing as house-help in a foster family house. He believe, putting Blessing in foster house where she will be collecting N4000 monthly will solve the family problem but he failed to plan for the future of his child. Has the agreement was about to be reached with the foster family, Mr. Ayuba was pressed to request for the update on Blessing’s education from her father and the father narrated his plans to the Headmaster. The Headmaster whose capacity had been built through various SCD and ActionAid intervention in his school as regards girl child enrollment and retention as well as strengthening SBMC immediately requested for Blessing and took her to the Principal of Junior Secondary School Kayace who enrolled her with some school waivers but without school uniform and Textbooks.

SCD later came to the aid and supported Blessings education with school uniform and essential Textbooks (Mathematics and English) and she is now confident of herself and happy. “I will forever be grateful to ActionAid and SCD who empowered Mr. Ayuba Luka ‘my saviour’ on girl child education. He has helped my dream in coming through, I my now back in school, I am so glad” says Blessing

News Bulletin Page 4

Women empowerment in FCT 3 Communities

In the bid to empower reduce poverty among women in FCT, SCD and ActionAid, organized Income Generating Activities training for 90 Women (30 each) in Dakwa, Gaube and Kayace. The women were formed into group according to the community and based on their choice of business, ActionAid empower them with 3 sets of Canopy and 110 Chairs each except Dakwa who has 80 Chairs due to the community population. “I and other women in Kayace are very grateful to ActionAid and SCD for this gesture. We spend over N40,000 to rent and transport Canopy and chairs from Kuje to Kayace as a venture like this is not in our community which I know is the same situation in Gaube and Dakwa. Have this business; it will help families to save money for transportation and help women in the community to have money in the group account. We shall also have money to send our out of school girls’ child to school” says Awetu Elisha.

Budget Analysis

SCD with the support of ActionAid Nigeria organized step-down training for 17 women and 11 men small holders’ farmers in FCT on budget monitoring, tracking and Advocacy. The training organized had broadened the horizon of the community farmers on budget, monitoring and tracking (with focus on Agriculture Budgeting) in FCT. The farmers were also empowered on Human Right Based Approach (HRBA) as a panacea to push for policies and budgetary changes in favour of smallholder farmers in FCT.

Women Peer Education in 2 other communities in FCT

SCD and ActionAid continue to strengthening family in taking full responsibility of the happenings and opportunities around them and in this regard, Women Peer Education model was extended to two additional communities in FCT (Tungan Ashere and Tungan Nasara in Abuja Municipal Area Council). A training was conducted for 30 women from Tungan Nasara and Tungan Ashere (15 women each) and each community were asked to involved 15 more women to make 30 women in the group. The Peer session is expected to be completed in 1 year as the women in each community will be meeting twice a month to discuss the Peer education manual. Each community had 2 facilitators each to coordinate the meeting and put other women through the manual. The peer to peer meeting will enable the community women to share ideas and learn from one another. The sessions will further empowered them on gender issues, Personal development, Family & Community Relationships, Civic and Economic empowerment.

I NOW HAVE ENOUGH VEGETABLES TO PREPARE MY MEALS

“Before now, vegetables in my community used to be like eating meat”. These were the words of Hajaratu Suleiman from Kawu Community who is one of the beneficiaries of the Nutrition and Hygiene component of the project funded by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) with support from USAID. The project is being implemented by Society for Community Development in four communities of Bwari Area Council in FCT, Abuja-Nigeria.

Targeted at improving 42,000 vulnerable households in the FCT, Sokoto and Kebbi states, the Nutrition and WASH component of the project makes use of 21 nutrition and hygiene key messages delivered to caregivers through the Caseworker Model where caseworkers receive quarterly training from implementing CSOs and step-down the messages monthly to liaisons and liaisons supervisors who in turn use the messages to counsel enrolled households during group sessions and household visits.

Hajaratu Suleiman who is also one of the beneficiaries of the project narrated the benefits she has derived from the project so far.

According to her, “before now, we hardly grow vegetables; eating vegetable in this community was like eating meat. One of my community member (Liaison) would always visit me to tell me about home garden”

?She narrated that during group meetings with other women in her neighborhood, they were thought about nutrition and hygiene and encouraged to cultivate vegetable gardens which has now turned around the richness of her family diet.

“Today, I have variety of vegetables in my garden which I harvest and prepare meals for my family. Kudos to SCD and CRS and USAID she said.

FROM INFERIORITY TO EXPOSURE: Zainab Tells Her Story

Gofidna is a remote community in Abuja Municipal Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.?Like it is typical of the inhabitants of remote communities, the people of Gofidna are mostly not exposed, especially the women folk who are bedevilled with early marriage and endless domestic chores.

It is not uncommon for a Gofidna woman to have spent all her life in Gofidna. In terms of social interaction, perhaps, the only man a Gofidna woman interacts with is her husband. In other words, it is out of place for a Gofidna woman to air her view in an assembly where men are.

Zainab is a Gofidna woman. She is married with five children. Zainab was a typical Gofidna woman who was not involved in any social activity. Her life revolved around her immediate family. She was not in any women or community group. She could not express herself in the midst of her fellow women, let alone in the midst of men.

However, the intervention of Society for Community Development (SCD) through the Local Rights Program has built the confidence and esteem of Zainab.

The Local Rights Program focuses on promoting awareness on rights of the people. Various programs, forums, workshops, etc. are being organised to build the capacity of the common person in communities. These activities are usually participatory, providing avenues for participants’ contributions. Being one of the LRP communities, the people of Gofidna benefit from these activities.

Zainab became an active participant in the SCD programmes, and this constant participation has exposed her to her rights as a woman.

In her words, “Before I started participating in the SCD Local Rights Programs, I couldn’t even talk in the presence of fellow women, much more before men. But now I express my views in public even before men! I am happy I am now a bold woman. I can stand up against humiliation for reasons of gender.

“My husband is happy that I can assist him with a second opinion on issues which I can’t utter a word due to inferiority”.

Presently, Zainab is the leader of the women group in Gofidna community.

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‘’I NEVER KNEW I COULD LIVE A NORMAL LIFE AGAIN…’’

?Six year ago, 35 year-old Patience Oko was left for the dead by her husband. What was her crime? Patience is HIV positive. He could not cope with her constant illness and also abandoned his 2 children (Obinna-10 &Chisom-7years old) to the mercy of friends and neighbors. By 2015, her viral load was shooting high, due to poor ART adherence, arising from lack of transportation from her home in Tasha 2 Community, to the health facility. She could not bath, eat or even seat on her own without support. This was a far cry from a once vibrant woman who runs a local-restaurant, with a monthly profit of 15,000 naira (41 US Dollars). Her sister in Port Harcourt took custody of Patience’s two children.

The stigma and discrimination added to Patience being psychologically and economically disempowered, before being enrolled into the SMILE program in May, 2016. She is provided with monthly escort services via transportation fare to refill her drugs, timely. The Care and Support Officer payed regular home-visits to provide adherence counselling and nutritional education to boost her immune system.

Five months later, Patience was found to be on the steady road to recovery. She can now bath, cook her own food (rice, beans and corn flour), walk outside to seat with neighbors, without any assistance. She misses her kids, and committed to adhering, resume her business and get her kids back home.

Wealth-; Ubaida Alhalidu 32

“If I was told that ordinary regular sanitation can save me money and stress of frequent visits to the healthcare centre, I would have found it hard to believe if I did not try it out. I live in Zaudna community with my five children (Amina 11years, Nafisat-9years, Zaliyu-5years, Balikisu 3years, Haliru-7years). ?Zuadna is a suburb with poor drainage and garbage is dumped indiscriminately.

Malaria was our constant visitor because one of the drainage system runs past my front door. No week passes by without 2 or3 of my children falling ill to malaria parasites attack. As a single mother, the money spent on medicine at the clinic and pharmacy was taking a toll on me. Worst still, my children’s academic performance at school was poor because they have missed several classes due to constant illness. I was desperate for a permanent solution.

Health education–WASH and Nutrition–WASH awareness at the CRS/SCD caregiver’s forum was our life-money saver. By 2016, I learnt to clean the drainage regularly, and to channel the stagnant water elsewhere.?All my children are active at the Kids’ Club and learnt to wash their hands before eating/after using the toilet. 6 months into 2017 and till date, I never knew that my children and I could live a month without visiting any clinic. I used the money formerly spent buying drugs to add to their school fees, as they are more regular and doing fine at school”.

AMAZING STORY OF CHANGE

According to Rabi, “I got married three years ago to my husband Sani and we have a son – Abubakar. Before now, I was not involved in any income generating activity as I only took care of the house and after birth, taking care of my son while my husband takes charges of the farm work such as planting, weeding, harvesting and taking the harvested maize to the farm for sale; he sold in wholesales only to retailers in the market. He made tremendous profit which was to a large extent able to take care of our small family.

Our lives changed when my husband had a road accident which affected one of his legs and ankle and he had to stop farming. Taking charge of the farm alone with no help from anybody was very overwhelming for me as I also took care of my child and husband amongst other chores. Soon, we were left with nothing having spent our savings on his hospital bills. We could barely feed, my son lost weight too because I was not feeding well. I was always tired from going to the farm, market, doing house chores and taking care of my family especially as we got very little from the farm. Before now, my husband farmed with support from labourers whom he always hired and we were living well but after the accident we started struggling to feed”.

In order to boost their income, Dakwa community women formed a group where they contributed N200 weekly. This total contribution (lump sum) is then given to a woman every week, to use to boost her trade. She was subsequently required to return the money after a given duration of time with 10% interest rate. It was difficult for the group to function well because most women hardly turned out for the meetings and some other women started defaulting in paying back their debt. At some point, the group folded up following series of disagreements and fights.

Rabi Sani joined the Dakwa Women group but was not consistent with the meetings and requirements. However, she always tried to meet up. She said “While I was in charge of the farm, I had joined the women’s group in the community and also involved in the weekly contribution of N200 with the intention of collecting a loan to start-up a business after being a member for 6 months as the law of the group states, but this did not work immediately due to unserious attitude of the group members”.

Expectedly, SCD reorganized the women’s group in the community through trainings on leadership, group dynamics, goal of groups, book keeping, business development and investment skills,. The women having been inspired by the trainings, decided to take their meetings and savings seriously. They elected their executives and began to meet every week unfailingly. This was done with constant supervision by SCD. They continued to contribute and gave loan to one another and soon became vibrant.

?“We were given N2,000 each at the end of one of the trainings by SCD?which lasted for three days.?I was very happy. I shared my business idea of starting a provisions store with my husband and he was happy about it. With the N2,000, I bought 63 tin cups of local rice and started selling in front of the house. I made an initial profit of N500 which I reinvested in the business. Meanwhile, I was also still working on the farm but reduced the amount of time I spend on the farm so that I can go to the market and return to my sale at home. My husband helped with the sale whenever I was away. After 3 months, I made a 100% profit of N2,000. I also started selling maize and other grains in small and large quantities from the harvest from the farm. My sales improved and so also did my profit. I could sell my farm proceeds because I invested in the farm by hiring labourers.

Subsequently, i renovated the frontage of an uncompleted building my husband inherited from his father so that I could expand my business. In the last one year, my business has greatly expanded. I have included sales of bread, biscuits, soft drinks, onions, beverages, beans, millet and some tubers of yam. I bought majority of these things in small quantities at first and when I realized I made good profit from it within a short period of time, I gradually increased my supplies.

From my profit, we were able to get my husband properly treated, even though he still leaps and cannot work on the farm for a long time.?Two weeks ago, I bought a land for N100,000. I intend to build on it and put it for rent. I still can’t believe the pace at which my life is changing. Few months ago, my child was very ill and we needed to take him to the hospital for treatment. It was easy to get him treated even though the amount involved was quite high. We spent over N11,500 in the hospital, an amount we would not have been able to afford before now. I am not the only person who has experienced this breakthrough, other women like Jemila and Ramatu are doing great. In fact, Ramatu alone takes care of her children’s school fees because she is a widow. But for her, her daughter Amina would have still been involved in serving as a maid, the job she took up few years back because of poverty. I am so fulfilled and grateful to SCD for improving my life and those of some of my fellow women and their girls”.

Ramatu Adamu, 19

When you first meet Ramatu, you cannot but notice the excitement as she showcased the neatly sewn gown made from African fabrics. As a committed apprentice tailor sponsored through the SMILE Project, she has made over five sets of tops and skirts, at 1000 naira (3USD) each. Apart from looking forward to receiving a brand new sewing machine from CRS/SCD, her goal is to become economically empowered to pay her way back to complete secondary school education. Why will a brilliant Mathematics loving primary 5 class-prefect, suddenly stop her education?

Ramatu narrates; “It is customary to give out firstborn-child to grandparents in my culture. I was given out at a very early age, by the time I returned home as a teenager, my father who is a Police Corporal was not interested in my welfare. He pays my siblings fees (Habib 16, Abbas 14, Rukaya 11 &Safinat 5.) whenever he wishes. In 2012, I dropped out of primary 5, as the burden of school fees was heavy on my mother. She makes an unstable monthly profit of 20,000naira from selling sharp-sand for construction purposes. She also cultivated yam, melon and guinea corn and received high quality protein maize from CRS/SCD. I felt depressed, troubled and unloved”

She channeled all the thoughts into gaining vocational skills in tailoring, and with time accepted the situation, with plans to save-up enough to complete basic education in the nearest future.?“I still want to be a nurse to take care of the sick in the future” She concludes.

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“Agric is Business”

“My name is Jemila and the name of my husband is Ibrahim. My children are Aisha, Ibrahim and Hassana who are 10, 6 and 4 year old respectively. With the arrival of our first daughter Aisha, the issue of regular feeding and sustainable income made me and Ibrahim restless. As a woman I wanted to help my husband. When the other children started coming, things became worst. We could hardly feed and sometimes we go to bed hungry”?

The Public Finance in Agriculture project (PFA) is being implemented by SCD in partnership with other stakeholders and seeks to strengthen the capacity of smallholder farmers (particularly women farmers) to be economically empowered through agro-business schemes, and to engage government MDAs directly at the local, state and national levels with a view of publicizing government budgetary provisions, their levels and line items in current budgets, assessing effectiveness of the utilizations of such provisions, and advocating for allocations that are more targeted to smallholder farmers specific needs.

Jemila continues;

The opportunity to change our lives came with the coming of SCD to Dakwa community to train smallholder women farmers. I learnt how to be financially literate by generating income from farming. We were told that with discipline we can save money in small bits from profits we make during sales of harvested crops. Most importantly, the importance of enrolling and retaining our female children in school was always emphasized.

Before the sensitization by SCD, my children were not enrolled in school. Infact, my husband and I have planned to give out our first daughter who was about 6years old as soon as she turns thirteen as our culture demands so that she will not be corrupted before adulthood. I was able to convince my husband that if we want our children including the girls to make it in life we should send them to school. To my greatest surprise he obliged. But the issue of money for school fees gave both of us sleepless nights.

?In order to make our dream of giving our children good education, i started planting maize, beans, green vegetables and yam. This was more difficult than I expected due to poor farm yield from low soil productivity. I needed fertilizer to boost my harvest but where is the money to buy? A bag of fertilizer is sold for 8,000-13,000naira. We cannot afford this. In early 2016, Aisha and Ibrahim were sent back home due to lack of payment of school fees. This was distressing.

The training from SCD and Agric Development Project showed me how to use and produce compost manure from the refuse in our environment. This was very helpful in changing our circumstances for the better. Dakwa community was the host for training forty-four other smallholder women farmers drawn from other local communities were present. Therefore, the compost used for practicing was sited in our community. I made judicious use of this opportunity. We shared portions of the manure of which I applied to my farm. The results were unbelievable.

I cultivated two mudus of beans (18 tin milk cup measures) which was bought at 350 naira per mudu ( measure ). After applying the compost manure, the 2 mudus yielded 140 mudus (1,200 tin milk measures) of beans. Concerning the green vegetables I planted, I bought 2 mudus of seedlings for 1000 naira, and when harvested it was sold for 6,500. The bike rider that supported me in transporting the goods was paid 500 naira. I made a profit of 5,000 naira which I have put in the bank account i opened for my business as directed by SCD. I hope to reinvest this in the rainy season. I have sold some of the beans and also preserved some for the future.

The profit I made was used to pay Aisha and Usein’ school fees because my husband does not have much. I feel very proud as a wife to be able to bring my money to support my children and husband. Am always joyful when I hear my daughter Aisha stating that she wants to become a nurse to help our village women and children. Agric is good business if you have the right support like that given to me by SCD. I would not have imagined making good profit from ordinary farming. All my appreciation goes to SCD for making me a proud housewife, mother and business woman”.

“Water is giving us new life”

“Water is said to be life. This is an understatement if you imagine how the absence of water in Kuchibuyi community?has made housework more burdensome. It is true that 24 hours is not enough for a woman due to many things to take care of. I am Laruba Shaibu, a farmer and trader. Since I got married in 1985, I get water for cooking at the village stream which is very far from our house. I have to travel several trips to get water to use for cooking, washing and drinking. Am always feeling very tired and ill because of the distance to fetch water..

Kuchibuyi community is located at Bwari Area Council of the FCT Nigeria. The over 2800 inhabitants rely on solely on self-water supply from shallow wells, river, short-lived streams and rainwater since its creation over 100 years ago. These sources of water supply are generally situated at 10 kilometres from the nearest household. This has left many households vulnerable to many health problems and other water related diseases, such as diarrhoea, cholera, ring, hook and guinea worm infections and typhoid fever. The people, especially women are mainly subsistence farmers with low income.

Laruba concludes her story;

“SCD facilitated the formation of advocacy committee and trained the committee in my village to demand for water supply and other social services which are our rights. I was privileged to be part of the community women leaders chosen to participate in the training. We the women were at the forefront during the several visits we made to our Area Council at Buhari. It was not easy taking into consideration the time and cost involved but we persisted because our women and children are suffering health related problems from drinking unsafe water. We categorically emphasized this to our council chairman and councillors each time we visited to demand for safe water.

We the women of Kuchibuyi are very grateful for the advocacy trainings received. By 2016, our area council eventually installed five boreholes located at different points in the community. Now I have more time to engage in my maize flour business which requires the use of water to mix and cook the flour. At my suggestion, my husband bought a very large plastic container for us to fetch and store water as a result my daughters Miriam and Rashida who are now 17and 13 years old have time to study outside the compound because they finish assigned house chores on time. We now have ample water to drink, cook, wash and bath”. I feel very happy and I now have the time to meet, play and do business with other women in the community ( laughter )

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Agriculture Enhances Girl Child Education ?

“My name is Aisha Bisamu, I was born in this Dakwa village. My great grand-parents were also born here many years ago. My husband is a small scale farmer who plants yam, maize, millet and beans. The seasonal harvest is not enough to sustain our feeding through the dry season. We are left with little or nothing after harvest hence there was no means for me to generate money to start any business. My desire is for all my children, especially my daughters Salamtu and Sadia to get good education because I am an illiterate who was not given the opportunity to get education.”?Aisha Bisamu is a smallholder farmer, trader and member of Dakwa community, a rural settlement at Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) with over 1000 women and girls.

Sustainable agriculture is one the strategic intervention SCD is using to ensure women achieve their right to food security/nutrition. In 2016, through the Public Finance in Agriculture Project (PFA), about 1000 smallholder women farmers in AMAC, Bwari, Kuje and Kwali Area received trainings on how to make, save and reinvest from profit made after harvest., best crop spacing methods, pest control, use and production of compost manure and were supported to access improved maize seedlings that can be planted four times in year including the dry season. This was achieved with technical support from the Agriculture Development Project (FCT ADP).

?“Our community did not have a school in the first place. The boys are permitted to attend Arabic school at the local mosque in Dakwa. Other than that, they join their farmers to cultivate and harvest crops. Sometimes I wonder what the future holds for my sons too, I want them to be successful business men. But the shortage of farmland and the fact that my husband has many children to feed make things difficult. The same farm land is used year in year out and this has reduced the yearly annual harvest. We are only left with food for sustenance only.

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Things took turn for the better when SCD started using the PFA to engage women and girls as their main focus. Through several dialogue meetings and peer education sessions, Dakwa men and women were sensitized on importance of education especially for our female children. But then there was no school blocks for children to learn.

In 2003, SCD finally built a school for us. Teachers were supplied by our area council in Abuja Municipal Area Council. I made sure all my five children were enrolled in the new school. Salamatu, Sadia, Abdulahi, Ibrahim and Musa were all enrolled at the age of 6. The school built was no longer large enough to accommodate all the children due to the rapid enrolment rate. After paying several advocacy visits to their office with training from SCD, the area council responded by building two more standard school building with equipped chairs, tables, books. A play ground was also put in place..

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We the smallholder women farmers were trained on how to space our ridges and crops during planting and how to use and produce manure to improve the farm yield. We also learnt how to save and invest the profit from farming. This was very helpful at a period when our farm was experiencing poor harvest and when Salamatu and Ibrahim wanted to write their West African Examinations (WAEC). Money was very difficult to come by; hence Salamatu was always crying that she does not want to miss the WAEC examination in 2012 because of she learnt from Society for Community Development how girls and women beak away from poverty with education.. The WAEC registration fee was 4, 500 naira. I was able to contribute money from my farm harvest sales to add to what my husband had. I felt like a proud mother and wife. Today I make an average profit of 6,000 to 10,000 naira ( $20 US dollars ) monthly from my harvest after learning to produce compost manure from the training by ADP in 2016”.

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My first daughter Salamatu is a graduate of college of education at Zuba. She is a qualified school teacher in the town.?She made me proud as a mother and Sadia who is in primary 6 wants to become like her too. Abdulahi is still in school studying biology education; Sadia is planning to write her junior WAEC in 2017”.

According to Salamatu, “without my mother and father’s support I would not have become a college graduate. My dream of becoming a responsible woman in the society began in that first school SCD built for Dakwa community. ?As an economist, I am using my skills to help other young women and to advise my mother on how to manage her income. Sometimes, the money is not always there to pay school fees or buy textbooks but my parents, especially my mother will sell her last tuber of yam or bag of beans because she wants to empower our household through our education. I reciprocate SCD support by providing financial aid for my mother to expand her farming business.?My gratitude goes first to my mother for believing in me and for SCD for giving girls like me the opportunity to be educated like other children in the city

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My name is Hauwa Ibrahim a mother of five children. My husband’s name is Ibrahim from Jiwa community. I married at a very young age and I was never opportune to be literate. Since I got married to my husband I have always been a complete house wife tending to chores in the house and my children. Before now my husband was able to send some of our children to school because we couldn’t afford to send them all to school, we had no income generating source, eating was difficult as most times we could barely afford 3 square meals. My husband didn’t have any means of income that could sustain us.

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Early 2015, I was seated in my house one faithful day when someone within the community came to discuss about a project called SMILE by SCD funded by an American organization. I was told the project is helping women and children and that if I must benefit I would have to be enrolled I quickly said “saka ni oooo” meaning “include me”. Little did I know that God was about changing the situation of my family? Late 2016, I was visited by the same lady who informed me that I was shortlisted to benefit from cash transfer, could barely understand until she said I will be given money in cash I was very happy, I prayed to God and patiently waited for that day to come.

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Since after the cash transfer in Nov 2016, my life and that of my family has taken a new turn. As I used the cash given to me to start dried okro business, I started by buying a bag of fresh Okro at N2000, cut them all into small sizes to dry then pound manually for sale. I make profit of about 500-700 naira per bag. Currently, I do over 2 bags of okro per month, from the profit we have been able to improve our feeding. My Daughter Suwaiba who was withdrawn from school because we could no longer afford to pay just when she was about entering JSS class is now back in school and my other daughter Munira now in primary have started school too all from the cash transfer.

I thank Society for Community Development for making my dream come true and for wiping away my tears because they have helped a lot of women and children in my community.

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MY JOY IS COMPLETE …NOW I FIT SLEEP WELL…

“I am happy that I can now rest without thinking of what my children will eat or how we can survive another day. Knowing that there was a time we could barely get a cup of garri to drink” this were the words of Aisha James the widow of late Aminu James who reside in Bassan Jiwa community FCT.

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we were so happy living together, even when things were so difficult for me, my husband and seven (7) children. My Husband (Aminu) was a driver with a contstruction company, even though sometimes they barely pay him for services rendered we do not complain but manage and hope that tomorrow will be better; until death struck my family; one morning six (6) years, three (3) months ago, I was at home waiting for Aminu to bring whatever money he can get so that we can at least feed, when two men from his office came to call me that my husband had an accident and he was been rushed to the hospital. When I got to the hospital I was told by the nurse that “ madam sorry him don die”. Right there it was as if the air around me has been paused or had stopped moving,” Oh death why you come take away my husband, where person like me go start from, how I go come care for our seven children, wey Danladi (first son) never even reach thirteen years ” those were my questions Aisha said.

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?Living was like waitng for the last breath to be taken away in our sleep says Aisha, since she and her seven ( Danladi, Kabiru, Mohammed, Lucky, Nafisat, Esther and Mercy) children most times slept in hunger; but God kept their live and at some point, Aisha had to send three of her children to the village, since she could not completely cater for all of them ( Aisha and her seven children)

Aisha’s situation moved from bad to worse, that at some point she had to beg neighbours, relations and friend to put at least a meal on the table for the family to eat “haaa I suffer no be small”

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Three years ago, while hawking plantain that Aisha uses to support the family, She was accosted by her neighbor (Binta), who narrated how she was enrolled two days back, by some persons working for a project and asked her if, the same persons have come to collect the information of her and that of her children and she said no, but her friend informed her that the lady promised to check back, according to Binta her friend the lady (community volunteer) said it is a project called SMILE, one that wants to support women and their children that are poor.

Aisha, was enrolled two days after with her entire children and immediately she was introduced to SCD SMILE project Caregivers forum where she started to receive teaching on how to be a good parent and what not to do as a parent to your children; also because of Mercy (Aisha’s last child) Aisha joined the Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) forum and here she was thought and given adequate information on ways to provide adequate and nourished food to your ward, one that will in turn help these children to progress in good health and development in regards to meeting their nutritional needs.

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One day through the IYCF forum Aisha attended the food demonstration practical as carried out by the Nutrition officer for SCD SMILE project, where she was made to understand how to cook her locally available food in the community and start up home garden around her home, she became interested and in no time she started a small garden with the small vegetable seed that she was given by the project, behind her window and Aisha said she like the idea, because it has help her have a continuous access to vegetable and this she started to sell alongside her plantain. Not so long, that she joined the caregivers forum, she was shortlisted as one of the beneficiary to benefit from the cassava stem distributed by the SMILE project and here Aisha said “I come ask myself watin I go do with the stem”, since she does not have a place to plant them, But after discussing with Binta Her friend, she was told to use both their land behind the house as they would both be enough to plant the stem and gladly she accepted, but was so surprise at the quantity that the stem she planted yielded.

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When I see say the cassava wey comot plenty, I happy then I come turn am to garri, we chop some and I come start to dey sell the rest… Na the money wey I make from am, na him I take buy the second grade grinding machine wey I dey use grind for people and he don dey help me take care of my family” Aisha said

?Now Aisha is so happy that she has not only put food on the table for her children, she has been able to bring together all her children and through the small profit from grinding she has brought three small cattle last year, which she is been rearing…. Aisha said my first son wey don grow small?dey help me sell with him brother and sometimes if he no fit, he go help me take care of him brothers and sisters wen I go sell, I happy say I join SCD project oooh because he don help me know how to help myself, now i fit sleep well…

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