Development Education Center

DEC ENUGU 2023 ANNUAL  REPORT.

ALL PROTOCOLS OBSERVED.

   Despite   the   situation   of insecurity in the  South East states  and the serious economic situation creating poverty among majority of our  people,  DEC Enugu have  continued to strive in a bid to achieve the objectives  for our on-going projects in communities in the South East and North Central Nigeria.
Highlights of the Outcome of our Interventions in the 25 Partner- communities  during  this period under review are as follows:

ON WOMEN’S RIGHT EDUCATION & EMPOWERMENT: 

   DEC in 2023 is working in 25 communities. They are partnering with DEC in her human capital and women empowerment programmes. 
 During this period, series of consultative meetings and workshops  were conducted by DEC Programme Managers in these communities. Town Hall meetings   took place in five (5)  new communities in Isikwuato  LGA of Abia State,  3 communities in Ofu LGA, 4 communities in Idah LGA and 2 in Igalamela/Odolu all  in Kogi State, North central Nigeria.  This  intervention was carried out by DEC Program managers and community development officers (CDOs) resident in the 4 LGAs of  Isikwuato in Abia State, Ofu, Idah and Igala mela LGAs in Kogi state. 

 It is  sad to put on record that DEC  withdrew her intervention from 3 communities in Benue State and Ogwudasa community in Isikwuato LGA of Abia State  after working there for nearly one year due to circumstances  that do not comply with  DEC’ organization policy; with respect to DEC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which form  the base of DEC Intervention in all her Partner communities.

The  Outcome  of  DEC’ Sensitization workshops at the community level includes;

• evidence  of greater awareness in these communities for demand of women’s right and women inclusion in community governance structures by women and community stakeholders.
• Cases on denial of Women/widow’s inheritance right, as reported by  DEC’ PIC members  in both old and new communities and they were  handled by  the traditional ruler’s  council and at times by the 100 women Central body; as was the case in Aforachi and Umunekwu in Kogi and Abia States respectively.
• The signing of MOU  by DEC Enugu with  new  partner communities,  is now  DEC Policy which states  that  any new community with the interest of working with DEC Enugu must sign a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) with DEC.
•  During this period 120  women   were sworn-in as members of Projects Implementation Committee ( PIC) at an official Inauguration  of DEC WOMEN AND COMMUNITY Empowerment  Program in 12 new communities under the coordinating  leadership of 24 Conveners and  6 CDOs resident and working  in these areas for a follow up on the implementation of DEC programs at the community level.
• Today, 1,500 women Chiefs are members  of Traditional rulers councils in all DEC Partner communities and some communities not actively partnering with DEC Enugu. One significat thing to observe in this intervention is that; these women were  elected by the village /Community Women Assembly  as requested by the EZE in Council, and the names forwarded to the Traditional Ruler  for his council’s consideration and approval. After the council’s approval, the women leaders are officially invited and instituted as Chiefs and bona fide members in the Community traditional ruler’s council and given a Certificate of Membership in an open well attended ceremony in the community.  This is a welcome development, however the number of women in this very important community governance structure when compared to that of  men in the same cabinet/councils remain  very low.  This situation still affect these women in voicing- out on sensitive issues at council meetings like; land matters, selection of Traditional rulers, etc . 
•  In October 2023, a one  day consultative and capacity building workshop took place at DEC Headquarters in Enugu for  women chiefs in the traditional rulers council from all DEC  partnering communities. The topic of the workshop is ; the Role of women chiefs  in Traditional Ruler’s Council  and  how to present bills in their  council meetings . More than 60 women  chiefs from 20 partner communities attended the one-day workshop, where the traditional ruler of  Itchi community in Igbo Eze South LGA of Enugu State was  in attendance as a Resource  person.

IN THE AREA OF ACCESS TO  QUALITY HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN DEC PARTNER COMMUNITIES;

 In the  area of referrals from DEC mobile clinics of  serious patients like;  surgery cases to  specialist hospitals  to access quality health care services from consultants. During this period, more than 60 persons were beneficiaries of this program which included eye surgery cases, provision of eye glasses, Hernia repair surgery, etc.

 Our plan next year is to give access to at least 100 persons  from DEC partner communities  the opportunity to benefit from this Referral program. 

  Also the inauguration of a Five (5) member Gender sensitive Health committee in all partner-communities is to carry out effective mobilization of community members for active participation in health education/talks during Health advocacy visits  by DEC’ Health Program officers and DEC medical mission team to  their communities.

• In consultation with the Traditional rulers of these partner communities, the members of the community Health committees  deepen lobbying of high profile individuals from  their community who helped them in convincing the LGA’ authorities to post trained Health workers to their  community health centers, while some of these Health committee members also convinced their Town Union executives  to  be financially responsible for the Community’ employed  health workers  on a permanent basis in their Health center without waiting for the  government as the case  in Amaekwuru community and Ngada Umuelem communities in Isikwuato LGA. 
• DEC  in line with the MOU signed  with  new communities, inaugurated  functional Health committees in these Partner communities. 
• These 5-committee members in each community is responsible for monitoring the drugs donated to the health center by DEC, as well as ensure that community members patronize their health center  through  greater community sensitization. We are happy to report on Verifiable evidences of the effect of this Drugs donation in Eluamah and Ogbogbo communities in Abia and Kogi State respectively, where the number of persons that now  access these health centres have risen to more than 30%. This Intervention by DEC Enugu have made the Igala mela/Odolu Local government Area Health department to rise up to their responsibility, because the Local government later sent trained Nurses and more drugs to Ogbogbo Health centre.

On Disadvantaged young women and girls  who managed to start their Professional carrier as a consequence of their acquired professional competences;      

During this period, DEC  graduated 20 out of school young girls in December 2022.  In 2023, DEC Skill acquisition have 23 trainnes undergoing regular courses in the skills of ; Sewing & fashion designing, Hair dressing and make-up artistry, Catering, bakery, cosmetology and event planning and shoe and bag making for male and female. 

It is disappointing that only one (1) graduate of 2022 batch came back  for her starter pack and is doing well in her business. The fact is that She was encouraged by her guarantor to DEC Skill training  to come up and access this starter-pack gift. You can see that this is  a serious   problem and has resulted in the low number of new entrants in this program for out of school female youths.   The option of   carrying out this skills training workshop at the community level for un-skilled young mothers is a welcome development, especially for young mothers resident in rural communities. 

 In October 2023,  a Two (2) weeks intensive Skills acquisition workshop took place in Ochadamu community for DEC partner-communities in OFU LGA . The training is in the area of Cosmetology,  Bakery of confectioneries, Bag and shoe making, etc.   

Forty (40) young mothers from Ochadamu community were beneficiaries of this training.  The unit has  conducted a  Tracer  study exercise and monitoring of the graduates of  this crash program by DEC’ PME officers,  in December 2023;   two (2) months after the training. This tracking exercise gave us the opportunity  to discover those interested in making a living with the new skills  acquired; no matter how small their  production is.

 DEC will today  support   twenty (20) young mothers  who were found worthy of continuing in these skills they were empowered with. The Twenty(20)  young mothers shall be granted starter-packs to support them in their newly acquired professional competencies.  The starter packs to be granted to these young mothers will enable  them to engage in entrepreneurial activities to earn income and create wealth for themselves and their families.    

 The 10 young female out of school graduates of DEC regular courses which lasted between 1 to 2 years, will be given a 6 months-grace for any interested graduate among them,  to come up and access her starter pack  only with an evidence of being able to get a place where to carry on with her newly acquired skill or getting  Her GUARANTOR who brought her to DEC initially to surety for her.  These graduates will be granted sewing machines and Gas cookers  today. 

DEC Enugu during this period under review is partnering with an experienced Partner and Trainer  with more than 20 years experience in Tailoring, Textile Design, etc . He has Skill Training Centre at Ugwulawo in Ofu LGA.  
He is currently  training  DEC’ assisted out of school female youths  from  Ofu, Igalamala/Odolu , and Idah LGAs.    At moment Three (3) Female youths from the area are already in Training at the Centre in Sewing and Fashion designing for both male and female clothing.

PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED IN THIS PROGRAM INCLUDE:

-Lack of follow-up commitment by the community partners who  originally recommended these trainees to DEC Enugu to undergo this training for Skills acquisition  professional competencies                     
-Some beneficiaries migrated out of their communities without trace, some abandoned the vocation completely, while others are unable to start the profession ostensibly because of inability to rent shops to enable them  access DEC starter packs. We now consider the release of these Starter packs to graduates who are serious in taking up their profession as soon as possible. The only qualification now is a GUARANTOR’ S LETTER FROM their Community  leader  and the DEC PIC Committee leaders in her community, guaranteeing that she must operate with this equipment for at least one year and where she is operating must be accessible by DEC’ PMEL Officers responsible for this programme.   This criteria still seems not to be working as none of them is interested  in  guaranteeing  their wards in accessing these starter packs.

ON DEC Micro Credit Operations

 The operations of the DEC  MFI since the start of this  year is not in operation of LENDING NEW LOANS due to the economic situation of  Nigeria today. Some of the challenges include; the effect of the Naira Swap, the general elections that took place in February and March this year and the insecurity situation ravaging the whole of South East region.  DEC MFI disbursement of loans to her clients took off in March 2023 after the Presidential Elections.  As regards the mobilization of new clients which performance rate is NIL when compared to their activity report of the loan disbursed and revolving as at  March 31st 2022.   For example, the number of all clients as at September 2023 is 200 clients only  with N30m revolving when compared to N60 million revolving as at 30th November, 2022.  This is a great blow to the DEC NGO MFI in particular and the DEC organization in general. However, the client groups that braved the challenges during this period became the best  since the last 5 years of operation as it concerns repayment.

 This year the loan repayment as of 30th November 2023 is 99%, and with  economic stability gradually coming back, DEC NGO MFI will scale up her loan clients to more than N60m as previously done.

  In conclusion, I crave your indulgence  to state an obvious fact of  one Significant  unintended effect of DEC Enugu Women Empowerment programme in North Central Nigeria; And this is the full support of His Royal majesty, the Atta of Igala Kingdom, who not only approved of the programme to be carried out in all Igala land, but also set up a committee from his palace to be a part of the team working in his kingdom for proper sensitization and coordination of the various districts and local Government Areas in the kingdom;

This singular involvement and commitment of the Atta of Igala land in the implementation of DEC Women empowerment programme in his Kingdom made it possible for these traditional rulers who would have opposed the programme based on tradition and Patriarchy  reason to now buy-in  to the implementation of the programme.  

 We therefore call on all other Traditional rulers in Nigeria to emulate him in his commitment for Gender equity, justice and Women Empowerment towards a more inclusive sustainable  society .
Finally, may I use this opportunity to recognize the efforts of 3 DEC’ Community development officers; Mrs. Eberechi in Isikwuato LGA of Abia State, Mr Francis in Idah and Igala mela/Odolu LGA  and Mrs Christiana Musa in Ofu LGA of Kogi  State. I will like this August audience to appreciate you all with a loud applause, while your incentives for hard work will be granted to you during  the end of year Staff party next week before our  Christmas holidays.   Once more Congratulations!!!

Thank you all for listening.   I wish you all a Merry  Christmas  and  a Prosperous New  year!

Dr.  Cecilia U. Asogwa.
Executive Director, DEC Enugu
Dated  15th  day of December, 2023.