When we got the news on the 27th  April that Azare parish house was gutted by fire, we felt very sad. First, because of the huge loss and damage, to the occupants and the Diocese, secondly, because the only Youth workshop for Azare community this year planned in our programme for  30th  April to May 1st  was going to be cancelled. Indeed it was and painfully too. Thanks to  Kenneth, the Azare youth President who kept pressing the SELL Team until an alternative date of 13th - 14th August, 2010 was fixed, given that Noel was going to be around to support Moses. Thanks also to Frs. Cyril Shuaibu and Job who squeezed an accommodation for the Team at the weekend.

When we arrive Azare, after a journey of two and half hours by road, the burnt house stared us in the face. It was an eye soar. Everything was totally burnt down. What a pity! We wish them well as they continue the process for insurance.

Away from the house, we went to the workshop venue and behold these well prepared youth  were there to engage the team for the weekend. It was truly great! The turn out was 40 on register but 38 on the average. The youths were not just there in number but actively  participated  in the Community Building unit of the  SELL  programme.  Initially,  they  struggled  with  the  statement  that  the programme  was  open  to  other  spiritual  sources  of  inspiration  like  the  Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and the African Traditional religion and how to build a true community in a highly tribal and fragmented society like Nigeria. But as the unit unfolded, the team was able to challenge their thinking on concepts like Identity, Attitudes, fixed perspectives, Values and beliefs, perceptions and misperception, and Gender.  At the end of the workshop, many participants truly confessed that hitherto,  Gender  to  them  simply  means  issues  around  women.  But  with  this workshop, many were able to distinguish between Sex and Gender. The male folk were seriously challenged to think differently especially as the Web of  women’s oppression and the triple burden of work for women in our society were presented to them. Participants collectively reasoned that both Men and Women are equally important and could only function well to bring about the needed change in society when they work interdependently. Lastly, they joined with Confucius and were able to say:

I ‘promise to oppose bravely all that is stupid and bigoted and cruel’ and that ‘Tolerance is the highest virtue, while humility comes next. Even though our bones molder and become the earth of the fields, the spirit issues forth and lives on high in brightness, mystery and delight. God is the common father of all human kind’.

Other Events:

Bauchi Diocesan Youth Rally started yesterday, 18th August 2010 at Gombe, Gombe State. Noel and Moses will be there on Friday to cheer the youths up and support the Youth chaplain, Fr. Cletus Ikpa who had to cut short his annual leave to come for the rally. High point of the  occasion will be the election of new Diocesan Leaders. We hope that the lessons learnt in the  Leadership unit of the SELL programme will help the youth in deciding who directs their affairs in the next two years.

Still this weekend, James Olorunmolu and Taiye Mofolorunsho, both facilitators in training, kick off a workshop on Social Justice with the students of Polytechnic, Lokoja Kogi State. James will give us the update when he comes. From all of us, we wish you success. Before I forget, Leo, Maria and Jonathan are still carrying out the training of facilitators in the Ashanti region,  Kumasi in Ghana. The training which started last week will end on Sunday, 22nd   August 2010.  To  the team at Ghana, we say ‘akigba’ ! Well Done!!

Moses: For the SELL Team

Hello friends,
Upcoming events on the blog Last week were the workshop at Boi, in Bogoro Local Government Area, Bauchi State and Input on Sexual Health at Miya. Am glad to say that both events took place simultaneously. While Moses, Jonathan and Jacob went to Boi to deliver the Leadership Unit of SELL with the Youths over there, Noel who recently came back from studies drove to the country side of Miya. The weekend at Boi was quite fulfilling. About 33 young adults including Fr. Henry Dabang took part in the reflection on Leadership. As a rural community, their responses and grasp on the unit was impressive. Part of their challenge was how to evolve a humanist model of leadership in a hierarchical society like Nigeria. As usual, the sexual health piece was very lively, given that they live in a community where discussions around sexuality were seen as ‘taboo’. 

Noel is here with the report on Miya.

At the invitation of Fr’s Likoko and Kisabuli, I went to give an input on Sexual health, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS at Miya. It is a rural community, about 60kilo metres away from Bauchi town on the Kano road.

The parish in fact is a Pastoral Area, so this was the first time that the youth of that area gathered for such an event. There was about fifty youths and scores of children. I used the DVD with three ten minute dramas brought out by Voluntary Service Organisation, VSO using our projector and Lap top, with a generator to supply the power. I processed each of the dramas in turn to bring out the information and facts. 

As I was part of a programme I only had an hour, so we had half an hour questions, and answers clarifying the information and mis-information. 

We were all surprised by the lack of awareness among the youth regarding the basic facts on H I V. I gave out a fact sheet to each participant and a bookmark for them to take home to their parents. The hour given was enough for the group; there is no doubt that the area has been neglected by government programmes and activities around World Aids day will need to be organised. 

Other activities by the SELL team during the week include the journey to Kumasi, Ghana for the Training of would be SELL facilitators in that axis. Jonathan and Maria left Bauchi on Monday 9th August. As at the time of compiling this report, I got a call from them to say they were about leaving Accra via OA transport to Kumasi. Leo is already there to prepare the ground. We shall keep you posted on this after the training.  

Also during the week, Moses attended a briefing at Rockview Hotel, Abuja on the New funding scheme by Misean Cara, one of the funders of the SELL programme. It was an interesting session. And I hope to update you on the outcome soonest. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Workshop at Azare on Community Building: Date 13th – 14th August 2010.

Report by Moses and Noel

For the SELL Team.