EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT
 ON THE 22ND ANNUAL CONVENTION OF
DEC WOMEN GROUP LEADERS

The Chairman of the occasion, special guests, distinguished ladies and gentlemen. 

The year 2010 has become another successful year for DEC-NGO.  During the year we went up in vital performance indicators in the delivery of both financial and social services to our clients in more than fifty communities in Enugu and Ebonyi States according to the recent Evaluation Report of DEC 2005 – 2010 by an External Evaluator to DEC in June, 2010.  In the area of micro credit services, we disbursed more than N100 million to 99% of our clients who are rural women working in Self Help groups in our branches in Nsukka, Udenu, Igbo-Eze, Igbo-Etiti, Udi, Oji River, Awgu, Nkanu, Enugu East Local Government Areas of Enugu State and in Ishielu and Ezza Local Government Areas in Ebonyi State.  Our loan portfolio remained healthy with the portfolio at risk at 5%.  For brilliant performance by some group clients who paid back their loan as and when due DEC will make a pay back of N1million to 30 groups at this convention.

On social services, we were able to implement 98% of our 2010 budget’ plan satisfactorily which had brought a great positive effect on the lives of DEC members in more than 50 communities working with DEC Enugu though our main areas of intervention.

1. In Health Care Services, Mobile Clinic reached 2000 school children in her de-worming exercise.  We also attended to more than 2000 nursing mothers, children and disadvantaged  men and women through DEC Mobile Clinics carried out bi-monthly in DEC’ operational communities in    Enugu and Ebonyi state.  DEC Enugu trained and are working with more than 50 community based health workers in Enugu and Ebonyi States.
2. DEC-NGO was able to reach out to 10 new communities in Enugu and Ebonyi States in 2010, where more than 20,000 women were inaugurated under DEC’ 100 Women Group Democracy and Governance (D&G) initiative of speaking out with one voice on issues that affect them in their    community including politics and economic development.  DEC have sown Democracy and Governance (D&G) seed using her 100 Women   Group initiative in more than 500 communities in the states of Abia, Enugu, Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi since 1998 when the Democracy and  Good Governance (D&G) programme was introduced into DEC programme by CEDPA/USAID office in Nigeria.  The impact of this very innovative programme in these communities is better experienced than imagined.
3. In the area of community mobilization of resources and development, DEC is happy to announce the completion of two community development projects identified by these community Based Women Organisations (CBOs) as their priority need.  These are the 40 market stalls built by the D&G Women Ogboli in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, which was commissioned in July, 2010 and the Examination Hall at the Community Secondary School, Ndeabor being constructed by the D&G Women of Ndeabor in Aninri Local government Area of Enugu State.  The project is 90% completed and will be commissioned in the first quarter of 2011.

You can recall that these two (2) Community Based Women Organisations were financially supported with a seed grant of N500,000 each by DEC Enugu during the Prize/Award Ceremony this time last year 2009.   They have done a good job and we commend them for their effort.

I use this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of all other Community Based Women Organisations in order to bring about good governance in their communities. I call on the Local Government Area Council authority to work in partnership with Civil Society Organisations and credible NGOs like DEC’ working at the grassroot if this arm of government is serious in bringing democracy dividend to the people.

DEC will like to mention specifically the collaboration between DEC’ assisted D&G 100 Women Group of Imilike-Etiti in Udenu Local Government Area and the Udenu Local Government Council under the leadership of Dr Godwin Abonyi, for accepting the responsibility to make an already completed Health Centre by the Imilike-Etiti women functional before December, 2010.  This Health Centre/Maternity project was constructed by the women of Imilike-Etiti through the financial assistance of DEC Enugu and officially handed over to the Chairman Udenu Local Government Area in August, 2010 during an impressive ceremony in the community.  We are still waiting with hope that the Chairman of Udenu Local government Area will live up to his promise.

4. In the area of Basic Literacy Programme for Adult Women, DEC in the out-going year has more than 600 adult women attending classes in the rural communities.  Thirty (30) literacy workers are supported both financially and in building to enhance their effectiveness.

In 2010, twenty-five (25) adult women who have passed into the Secondary (UBE) classes from DEC basic literacy classes are given scholarships to encourage them in their decision to further develop themselves educationally.  Twenty-five (25) out- of-school female youths graduated this year in Computer       Programming, Textile and Fashion Designing and Catering.  DEC will make available micro credits to interested ones among them as well as business development services to assist them become self employed.

5. Year 2010 was a great success for DEC as we continued to consolidate our women empowerment programme at the grassroot.  The success is due to the excellent services provided by DEC’ staff, we remain grateful to all of them for their hard work, dedication and professionalism.  It should not go unnoticed that because of the remote rural focus of DEC Enugu, many of DEC staff especially DEC’ social mobilizers work in extremely challenging conditions and the consistent exceptional results they continue to achieve are truly remarkable.
6. In 2011, DEC will be working on a 5 – YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN (2011 – 2015) with the assistance of our Consultants.  In this strategic plan, DEC aims at gradual expansion through replication of her programmes in 10 other states in Nigeria.  This strategy will be to work through selected credible NGOs who will be  ready to adopt DEC principles of working with women at the grassroot using her 100 Women (D&G) Group Initiative.
7. In the area of Micro enterprises DEC plans to support annually from 2011, one hundred (100) individual women entrepreneurs with a special financial package that will enable them establish a small or micro enterprises of productive nature with N250,000 each.  This plan is to discourage the only buying and selling business our women do engage at the moment.
8. In the area of politics and women participation, DEC will put all logistics at her disposal in ensuring that all eligible women, men and youths are well registered for voting during the upcoming exercise in January, 2011.  DEC Enugu through her mobilizers and self help group leaders will be assigned with log sheets to enter the necessary data of persons she contacted during the exercise to register in her ward.    This log sheet will be submitted to DEC officer in charge of mobilization of political participation immediately after the exercise for collation and follow-up action.  Each woman leader is expected to contact 500 persons to register and obtain a voter’s card.  DEC as a respectable civil society organisation with more than 25 years experience owe it as a duty to work for a credible election in Nigeria. And with our women resident at the grass root in more than 500 communities; if well mobilized and educated will contribute effectively to our nations’ democracy.

In conclusion, l know that 2011 will bring new challenges, but through challenges emerge opportunities, we look forward to confronting the challenges head-on and taking the advantage of the opportunities to make 2011 and beyond another year of achievement and success.

It is with delight and sense of gratitude that l acknowledge the support of institutions that have been part of the success of DEC Enugu. I am particularly grateful to CEBEMO now CORDAID in the Netherlands for believing early in DEC dream, and later by EED in Bonn, Germany for their consistency with DEC and all our correspondent Banks in Nigeria, especially the DEC Enugu Microfinance Bank Limited and the Intercontinental Bank Plc among others who have supported us all these years with excellent services. Thank you all.

Finally, l would like to express my thanks to the Board Chairman and the entire Board members for their strong support, guidance and leadership.

Thank you all for coming and God bless you.

Dr Cecilia U. Asogwa
Executive Director
DEC Enugu