PLEASE RELEASE OUR ABDUCTED SISTERS

Hello All, many thanks for keying up to our website today. Three weeks ago on this blog, I reported that over 200 young girls who were writing their final exams in the High schools were abducted in Chibok, Borno state, North-East Nigeria. As the effort for the search of these girls is being intensified, many Individuals, groups, organizations and indeed the International community is adding its voice to the call for the release of the Innocent girls by the abductors. SELL is a Peace building programme for young adults and so we cannot be left out of this call. This is the reason, the resource team mobilized the young people that attended the 3rd training at Yola last week to also call for peace and the release of the innocent girls, arguing that those who are aggrieved should always choose dialogue in resolving their grievances. So as you read this blog update, kindly forward it to friends and invite them to join SELL in calling for peace. 

It was another round of training for the SELL Community facilitators in Yola. The team of Mary, Beji and Berlyn  from the Resource team travelled to Yola to facilitate the training. According to Beji, the team explored the Community Building Unit. Each session was kindly followed with great enthusiasm and wonderful sharing and learning harvested in the process. The session on the Role of Women and Identity was particularly catchy as it brought about  very robust contributions and learning during the training and as beautifully captured by the  end of training evaluations; Nathan Thomas, one of the trainees said, “I was able to discover so many important that women play in the society as most of them were unknown to me before now”. For  Moses Bakari Paul, he said “I wish to sincerely state again that the SELL programme is not only timely but necessary in building a peaceful society that is egalitarian and accommodating to all irrespective of race, culture and religious background, social and political placement”. Having this training in Yola Adamawa State which is one of the states presently under the state of emergency as a result of the insurgency presently experienced in Nigeria, our heart sincerely go out to those who are mourning over the killings in Nigeria and the North east in particular at the moment.  The training recorded 17 participants, (5 female and 12 Male). Thanks to all our benefactors for supporting us to do this work. May your Jars never run dry.

Also last week Tommy Hayden; a resource person to SELL and another ally, Mr Clement Mallam held workshop with community leaders in Nabordo on the Hausa version of SELL, called Ilmin Kowa. According to Tommy, it was another great experience and opportunity for them to work with the group who showed serious commitment despite the rains came, and most of them as farmers were supposed to be working in their farms. He said 30 participants (14 female and 16 male) attended the workshop and promised to step it down in their various groups during the dry season.

This week, on 5th May, 2014 Beji and I travelled to Abuja and held a meeting with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Nigeria. It is an International NGO working in Nigeria. The Country Representative (Mr Christopher Bassey) and the Program Manager (Michael Hatch) were at the meeting. They were able to indentified from our presentation areas of overlap and expressed the willingness to work in partnership with SELL in the near future. 

Lastly, today 8th May, 2014 our youngest SELL programme facilitator, Master Rinna’an Victor Dagogot, the baby to our colleague Maria is one month old. We congratulate Victor and pray that God blessings be upon him and all the Dagogots.   

UP COMING EVENTS

7th – 11th May, 2014: Third training of SELL programme facilitators in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria.

9th – 10th May, 2014: SELL Workshop on the Wisdom of Traditions Unit @ Ungwan Boro Community in Kaduna State, Nigeria. 

Once again, we call for peace in Nigeria and the World at Large. Till we meet here again. Thanks.

Moses F. Alokpa