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HIV/AIDS A MATTER OF EDUCATION

11/29/2013

BUSY BEES THE SELL RESOURCE TEAM IN WEST AFRICA (II)

11/8/2013

Hello there! In this blog, you will be reading “busy bees”- the SELL Resource Team in West Africa (II) and in it is a report of over 10 SELL Programmes, hope you stay with us.

In September 2013, the following programmes held:

The Jos community Trainees converged at the Youth Formation Centre (YFC), Bauchi for their second community training. The training took place from 4th – 8th and a total of 14 active participants attended the training, the unit covered was the Justice unit of the SELL Programme.

On the 6th – 7th, Mary James was supported by Mathew from the SELL Community Team in Bauchi to run the SELL Programme with a group of young people in Azare. Before this workshop we had worked in Azare and about nine (9) of these young persons experienced all the six units of the SELL Programme and got their certificate of participation from SELL Foundation. At that time they requested that since some of the sessions in the programme are reviewed, they would like to start another round of the six units; so this workshop is the first unit of the second round of workshop for Azare community. We congratulate the first set of participants for their efforts and pray that the insights they have learnt from the program will continue to be felt in their lives and in their community. For some time now Azare town has suffered various degrees of ethno- religious crises and sectarian attacks. We pray that normalcy returns to the town permanently. Those that came for this workshop were 8 ladies and 12 young men and Self-Awareness was the unit covered.
For the Resource Team, capacity building is what we continue to yearn for. In that regard two members of the Resource Team Isaac and Mhishap took it upon themselves to do a research on two topics; Environment and Gender. After their research, they shared with other members of the Team. The need to give the input on these two areas became imperative because these two topics are among the issues that are evolving and need some attention. On the input on Environment, Isaac gave a background information on how SELL Foundation can help young people get involved in environment struggle. Two crucial areas were penciled down: environment education (sharing information and increasing knowledge) and environment engagement (taking responsibilities and protecting the environment). Also three (3) of the units of the SELL programme were seen as an entry strategy. Justice Unit: getting young people equipped with advocacy skills, lobbying and design of Information Education Communication, IEC materials; Community Building and Wisdom of Traditions: promoting indigenous knowledge in protecting our environment. The input on Gender given by Maria was basically a general introduction and understanding of what Gender concepts are. They include the following; gender definition; the way gender is perceived in our culture and society; gender roles; key determinants of gender roles; gender perspectives; gender blind; gender bias, sensitivity, equality and the empowerment of women. All 5 Resource Team members were present for the input.
In Kaduna state North West Nigeria, two workshops were held in the weekend of 20th – 21st. One was at the Hope for the Village Child Foundation (HVCF) with a group called ‘the Rural Youths’. This is the second time the SELL Foundation is meeting these. The first time was last year, 2012, then, the Community Building unit of SELL was shared, this time around it was the Peace Building Unit of SELL. Sharing the Peace Building unit became a need because some of the communities where the youths came from recently experienced some violent sectarian attacks. Follow the link below to read more on the Kaduna attack; http://www.nigerianorth.com/boko-haram-kill-many-in-fresh-attack-on-kaduna-police-station/#. As a result of this attack, some youths in the area and neighboring communities decided on a reprisal attack which also claimed some lives. Mary from the Resource Team and Tommy Hayden one of the Resource Persons of the SELL Foundation were the facilitators for the workshop with the Rural Youths and had 26 participants. An account from that workshop which is more like an immediate impact was an instant reconciliation by youths of two different communities who had tagged themselves enemies and were ready to fight any time an opportunity availed itself. During their reconciliation which they voluntarily did after the anger management and problem tree sessions of the Peace Building unit of SELL, they said “our communities still remain backward because we have failed to forgive, we are in charge of our emotion and when we don’t forgive, we are doing ourselves more harm than good and the bitter poison of revenge is eating us up”. I see this as a very powerful testimony.

The second workshop that held same weekend in Kaduna was facilitated by Beji and Isaac at an area called Ungwan Boro. The unit that was explored there was the Justice unit of SELL and recorded 31 participants. At Ungwan Boro the SELL Programme has being delivered the 5th time over a period of five years now; one unit each year.

Bauchi/Gombe Community Trainees also had their second training from 25th – 29th on Community Building unit of the SELL Programme. The training had 14 persons in attendance and they challenged themselves during the training to go back to their various communities and run more SELL programmes effectively than they have done in the past year.

October 2013 was also a good month for the SELL Resource Team, we had the opportunity to meet and share the SELL Programme with a lot of young people. Below is the summary of what happened:

Our first experience of gathering in the month of October was meeting with the Community Leaders of SELL, which took place at the SELL Foundation office on the 5th. The Community Leaders met with the SELL Resource Team and discussed about a lot of issues that concerns the SELL Programme. It was also an avenue to discuss about the ongoing community training in their various states and the challenges they encounter as the plan for the trainings and deliver the workshops. The total attendance was 10 persons, comprising of the community leader from each of the 6 communities and four member of the SELL Resource Team.
The following week was a beehive of activities with the Senior Secondary (High) students of Immaculate Conception Secondary School (ICSS), Bauchi. Starting from Wednesday, 9th to Friday 11th. On each day, we worked with a separate group, the first and second days was the ‘Life Choice Programme of SELL’, with the key focus of Laying bare the implications and benefits of the various choices the students make as young persons. The attendance on the 9th and 10th was 42 (22 male and 20 female) and 32 (17 male and 15 female) respectively. The third workshop with the students of that same school was on ‘Foundation for Effective Leadership’, particularly, the work was with the prefects of the school who were all 18 in number (10 female and 8 male). From their evaluations, the prefects said they have been equipped with tools that will guide them in their leadership tenure and subsequent leadership positions in future.

The following week on the 17th Leo and Beji; Resource person to the Foundation and a member of the Resource Team respectively, went to Tafawa balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria. The duo went to Tafawa Balewa town to deliver the SELL Programme to the teachers of Presentation Brothers Secondary School (PBSS). The SELL Programme that was shared there is titled ‘SELL Programme for Teachers’. The aim was to assist them with skills on how to be imparting teachers and be a role model to the students they teach among other things. The teachers were 22 in number.
In Gombe, a state in the North-East of Nigeria, Moses and Mary from the Resource team went to deliver the Life Choice Programme of SELL to students of two different schools. It was a replica of the programme done with students of ICSS, Bauchi as reported above. The first Life Choice Programme in Gombe was at Billiri town on the 23rd with Students of ALL Saints Secondary School and had 26 participants. The second Life Choice programme was in Gombe town on the 24th with students of Anglican High School and recorded 58 participants.
Lastly on report of workshops for this update, on the 25th Mary of the Resource Team, after the two workshops with students, stayed back in Gombe to deliver another SELL Programme while Moses returned back to Bauchi where we work from to face other official issues. Mary was supported by James of the SELL Team in Gombe, this time around with a group of young people from St. James Parish in Gombe town. The workshop took place on the 25th – 26th and it was the Leadership unit of SELL that was explored there. 22 participants took part in it.

I will like to say a big well done to the “busy bees”, who after this loads of encounter with young people, are still very vibrant and energetic. Also want to inform you our reader that while the Resource Team was busy delivering this SELL programmes, Community Facilitators were also, and are still doing a great job delivering the SELL programme in their various communities in the North-east and Plateau State of Nigeria. Reports of the SELL programmes they delivered will be brought to you subsequently.

Stay Blessed!

Maria (Mhishap),

Communication Desk, SELL Foundation

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HIV/AIDS A MATTER OF EDUCATION

BUSY BEES THE SELL RESOURCE TEAM IN WEST AFRICA (II)

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