Community participation for school Improvement

With support from Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) a Cambridge Education Group program, DEDASRI conducted community forum in 39 communities in Enugu State to sensitize community members on the importance of their participation and monitoring of school services in their community. 

This will enhance the quality of delivery in the Education sector as well as ensure transparency and accountability. Different members of the community were sensitized on this project in Enugu State.

As a way of sustainability, School Based Management Committee (SBMC) was inaugurated to be a link between the different community based organisations and the school. This group monitors directly what happens in the school and report back to their organisations as well as source resources to contribute to the needs of the schools and ensure the protection of the children. 

The members are drawn from different segments of CBOs and pupils in the schools.

Survey on Female inheritance in Nigeria

Despite the supreme court judgement on female inheritance, the reverse is the case. Thus, Gender and Social Inclusion partners with support from SAVI, DFID conducted a survey in Enugu State on citizen's perception of Female inheritance. The findings were revealing.

More pictures of the activity

ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY IN NIGERIA: THE CHALLENGES at the 2015 Law week/Family Day

Invited as a guest speaker by the International Federation of Women Lawyers at the 2015 Law week/Family Day on 20th Dec. 2015.

Speaking at the event Ms. Ogechukwu Enwelum, the Executive Director of DEDASRI said that Women Gender Equality issues has become a global core commitment because equality between men and women is just fair and right. The attainment of gender equality is not only seen as an end itself and human right issues, but as a prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development.

She went further to say that Nigeria like other countries in the world is responding to the clarion calls made variously by the United Nations to rid societies of all forms of discrimination especially gender based discrimination. But to achieve this, she advised that a development process which takes women and men as partners in development, and more importantly that which challenges the structure which continues to produce gender-based inequalities in the society, and balances power relations between women and men both at micro and macro levels is inevitable. 

she recounted the consequence of  unequal status between men and women to include high level of economics and political powerlessness among women, powerlessness in turn retard development of any level, politically, economically and socially.

Ms. Ogechukwu Enwelum said that achieving gender equality is imperative to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nigeria especially FIDA is therefore called upon to be part of global trend towards gender equality. We should demonstrate more sensitivity towards the plight of Nigerian women. Further researches should however be channeled towards discovering the reasons why most Nigerian women have exhibited and continue to exhibit high level of complacency even in the face of flagrant and persistent violation of their constitutionally guaranteed rights.

She also calls for the domestication of CEDAW, Uprooting of all Obnoxious Traditional Practices that Impede the Rights of Women, Empowerment of Women among other recommendations as other measures for gender equality. 

The Enugu State Deputy Coordinator of FIDA presented a gift as FIDA's token of appreciation to Ms. Ogechukwu Enwelum after the presentation.

2016 Children's Day Commemoration

Representing the Chairperson of Child Protection Network in 2016 Children's Day Celebration on 27th May, 2016, Ms. Ogechukwu Enwelum, Executive Director of DEDASRI at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium expressed dismay at the increase of violence and abuse against children in Nigeria. 

She called on all the stakeholder's to protect children everywhere. Also prayed that the Child Rights Law before the floor of the State House of Assembly will be given speedy passage so as to provide a legal instrument to prosecute offenders and lay out structures to positively affect the lives of children in the state as well as guarantee a secured future where they can compete with their contemporaries across the globe.

⌂Home » News » Nigerians Must Not Vote For Corrupt Leaders, Says Enwelum

Group Urges Voters To Shun Corrupt Politicians In Future Elections

Executive Director of Divine Era Development and Social Rights Initiative (DEDASRI), Ogechukwu Enwelum, has advised Nigerians not to vote for corrupt leaders if they want to break the circle of corruption in the country.
Enwelum stated this in Enugu at the 2nd Enugu South Governance and Security Forum, organized by CLEEN Foundation with the support of Ford Foundation.
She noted that by depriving the nation of legitimate revenues needed to provide public services, corruption can affect the capacity of the public sector to carry out its constitutional responsibilities and service delivery, such as education, water and good transportation system.
According to Enwelum, when these services are not provided, the result will be underdevelopment.
She further described corruption as a social problem that impedes national development and robs the people of opportunities for any meaningful economic and social advancement, even as it leads to undermining of public trust in public institutions, which disproportionately affects the poor who cannot afford the payment of bribes to obtain services.
“Through the distortion of government decision-making, it leads to wasteful investment projects, non competitive and uneconomic allocation of public funds.
“Again, corruption has the potential and capacity to restrict investments, slow down economic, social and political developments as well as endanger democratic values and increases distrust among the citizenry and investors” she said.
Enwelum stated corruption increases the chances of instability in the society and increases income inequality since it permits particular individuals or groups of individuals to take advantage of state activities at the cost of the rest of the population.
On the way forward, Enwelum explained that breaking the circle of corruption in the society means ‘seeing something, saying something and doing something’.
“It means that we all in our little spheres of influence should eschew corruption and fight against its spread. It means enlightenment of the masses on the hideous consequences on our nation, both locally and internationally.
“It means refusing to vote in or idolize leaders who are corrupt. It means we the populace taking part in recreating our own history bearing in mind that nation building is a tortuous but rewarding exercise by demanding accountability from our elected leaders,” Enwelum said.
Also, one of the participants and State Coordinator of Justice for all Programme, Evans Ezeugwu, noted that CLEEN Foundation had organized programmes for them in policing skills, resolving conflict and organizational management, which culminated in the marriage between the police and Neighbourhood Watch.
Ezeugwu added that every month, meetings are held between the police and Neighbouurhood Watch where reports are given on happenings in the communities with respect to security.

Also, Programme Officer of CLEEN Foundation, Ifeanyi Anyanwu, recalled that the first Forum was held in August and it was agreed that the second forum would be held in November.
Anyanwu, who also made a presentation on “Conflict Prevention and Management,” said that the objective of the forum was to teach the participants including representatives of Neighbourhood Watch Organisations, Town Union leaders and security agencies, how to hold elected leaders accountable, promote good governance and security.
He stressed the need for the participants to think out how to sustain the project on their own if they want to contribute their quota to good governance and security.

A cross-sector response to sexual and gender based violence in Nigeria

S
SARCs are one-stop-shop havens for survivors of sexual violence, providing expert medical and psychological support as well as assistance in seeking redress. In the face of weak security and justice structures and social stigma around sexual assault, survivors of sexual violence in Nigeria face many obstacles in reporting crimes and receiving the medical and legal assistance they require.

Women protest over the killings of their people in Enugu State

  DEDASRI, a member of WIPNET with other Civil Society Organizations stage protest in Enugu State.  The women strongly condemn the killings, rape, abductions and maiming of our people in communities in recent past, especially the killings on April 25th at Nimbo Community of Uzo-Uwani LGA that claimed several lives. The protesters went to the Governor and State House of Assembly to register their anger over the alleged Fulani herdsmen attack on the people of Ukpabi- Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State. 

They urged the Governor and the State House of Assembly members to quickly take urgent actions to protect the lives of Enugu residents.  Also they asked for shelters for the victims who lost their homesto the disaster and quick action to bring such onslaught to an end.

THE KILLING OF INNOCENT PEOPLE OF ENUGU STATE BY FOREIGNERS ALLEGDED TO BE FULANI HERDSMEN

On April 25^th, 2016, the Nimbo community of Uzo-Uwani LGA experienced a great massacre of its people and destruction of properties by foreigners who were alleged to be Fulani Herdsmen grazing cattle in the community and its surroundings. The onslaught was alleged to be as a result of the community’s reaction over the continuous destruction of their farm crops by cattle and raping of their women by these foreigners. It was alleged that the foreigners informed the community of their invasion of which the Governor and the security officers in Enugu state were duly informed. The security personnel was said to have mobilized force and went to the community but could not stay longer as expected and at the time they left the community, the attackers strike and tainted the lives of many people including women, youths and children. Properties which include churches were also destroyed.

DEDASRI strongly condemn this nefarious attack and call on the government which have the mandate to ensure the well-being of its citizens to do everything within its power to bring the perpetrators to book in order to deter future occurrence across the country.

DEDASRI also note with disdain the lapses in the security sector and pray to the authority to take serious measures to cushion the gap and enhance the capacity of the sector to implement on its mandate.

Signed

Enwelum Ogechukwu

Executive Director

Too Young to Consent and Too Young to be Judged

Education is Our Future

Girls in Their Own Voices