REPORT ON ACTIVITIES OF THE DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION CENTRE (DEC) , ENUGU, NIGERIA , ENDING LAST QUARTER 2011.

PROJECT TITLE: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT OF
WOMEN IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA.

This report will capture activities performed in line with the objectives stated, outcome and impact recorded so far, challenges faced, testimonies from participants and case stories.

The activities are as follows:
1.10: WOMEN EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT.
1.20: COMMUNITY BASED HEATH EDUCATION & PROMOTION.
1.30: LITERACY PROGRAMME FOR ADULT WOMEN.

1.10: WOMEN EDUCATION & EMPOWERMENT
OBJECTIVE:
Community-based women group leaders act as agents of social
change in their communities.
Activities carried out within the period under review:
• Spade work to new communities to meet with decision making leaders, opinion leaders and other community stakeholders
• Community sensitization and awareness building workshop sessions was held for persons resident in eight (8) out of ten (10) new communities planned to be reached in Ebonyi and Enugu states in line with the strategic action plan . These communities are: Oji River LGA=1, Ezeagu LGA= 1 Awgu LGA =3, all in Enugu state and Three (3) other communities in Ishielu LGA in Ebonyi state.
• Capacity building: The unit organized Leadership Training workshop for Sixty (60)community based Women group Leaders to build the capacity of these leaders to perform better in their respective communities.
• Official launching of DEC (D&G) programme and inauguration of 100 Women Groups Initiative in two (2) new communities out of Six(6) new communities slated for this period.
• Speaking out rallies/Town hall meetings in 12 old communities where issues bordering on inheritance and property rights of widows and women, civil rights, women participation in politics and decision making bodies, as well as some obnoxious and harmful traditional practices against women were extensively discussed.

OUTCOMES:

After the successful completion of the above mentioned activities, the following Outcome were recorded:

• Out of 6,000 persons sensitized in 18 Communities, 60% of the participants are women. The sensitization talks took place in 12 old and 6 newly intervened communities respectively. The sensitization/Advocacy exercise was in the form of ONE to ONE discussion, speaking out rallies and Town hall meetings. This exercise brought together all community stakeholders in a forum, viz: Traditional rulers, Local government representatives, women group leaders, different religious leaders and the youth. The program sensitized these stake holders on the need to involve women when taking important decision in the community, especially in cases that affect women and their children, encouraging women to take part in active politics and advocacy for women and widows right to inheritance and the need to fight injustices against women by some members of the community like; forceful inheritance of widows and her properties by her husband relatives on the demise of her husband.

• A total of Four thousand Seven hundred and thirty two (4,732) women and One thousand seven hundred and thirty two (1,732) men from 18 communities are now well informed of their fundamental human rights in the society, especially how to use the 100 women pressure group to work for the promotion and defense of women human rights.

• Out of the 4,377 women reached during this exercise,109 women and widows have testimonies of how their participation in DEC programme have equipped them with the skill that enables them to demand for their rights . Most of these women due to their level of awareness are currently engaging with the men and the custodians of culture on some of these burning issues like the Property inheritance rights that are denied women due to obnoxious tradition and culture.

• In Eight (8) communities out of the eighteen (18) communities under review, there are evidences of involvement of women in the decision making process in their communities. For example, in Nkalaha community of Ebonyi state, out of the 25 committee members of their Town union executives, FIVE of them are women. In Ehandiagu Community, only FIVE women are non-executive members of their Town Union, where they have 20 executive members all Men. At Imilike-etiti community, out of 20 members of the Town Union Executives only 2 women are members of the executive.

• Women Involvement in Politics:
The fact remains that there is still poor participation of women in politics. The reason being that of culture of silence on women, poverty, illiteracy and ignorance. However with greater awareness creation on encouragement of women to be involved in politics, there are little changes, but more needs to be done, especially by the government who will ensure that 30% of all government appointments should be women. With this law in place it will be a stand point for both Traditional rulers, Local government authorities and other influential persons in these communities to take a cue from that and encourage such practice in all decision making bodies in our society.

Some of the evidences of poor involvement of women in politics and decision making bodies in our communities can be clearly seen in this Impact Indicators stated herewith: For instance in Seven (7) communities comprising of Ugwuleshi, Nkalaha, Aguamede, Opi, Obinofia- Ndiagu, Nkwe and Affa monitored recently only TEN (10) women leaders have executive post as woman leader in their different registered parties. The 100 women group leaders have taken it as a point of duty to encourage more women to register in political parties as this is the first step of getting the women into political position. However, during this period under review, more than 200,000 women and their families obtained voters cards in all DEC operational communities. There was a 100% turn out by our women during the just concluded general elections in April 2011. Even though the number of women that won elective posts are still minimal and nothing to write home about, due to the reasons earlier mentioned. But the concerted efforts carried out on sensitization by DEC and all other NGOs in coalition, enabled majority of women to come out en-masse and vote for President Goodluck Jonathan, who got 98% of all the votes cast in the South East states of Nigeria.

• On the abolition of obnoxious cultural practices in the communities, sensitization visits were conducted in Ten old and 2 new communities with periodic monitoring. The people were sensitized on the ill-effects of female genital mutilation, harmful traditional practices by the people. As a result of this, some communities like Amaezu and Obeagu communities, both
in Ebonyi state have instituted in their D&G constitution the inheritance rights especially of their properties on the demise of their husband.
* They also campaign seriously against Female circumcision which are
Still practiced by some people in these communities.

• Before the coming of this program, cattle owners in Amanasato Oduma in Enugu state and Amaezu in Ebonyi state do practice free range system of grazing to fatten their cows. In this process, a lot of farm crops are destroyed, but on inception of this program, when the women have been sensitized on their rights, it became the task of the 100 women D&G pressure group to ensure that anyone who fail to obey the law governing cattle grazing in the community, will be made to pay whatever they will charge him or her. Today in Amanasato in Enugu state and Amaezu in Ebonyi state there is a stipulated fine for cow rearing defaulters.