Gender Equality Nigeria Project #51264

Support female survivors of Boko Haram in Nigeria

by International Alert

Support female survivors of Boko Haram in Nigeria

Project Report | Jun 16, 2022
Youth Resolving Conflict

By Ollie James | Project Assistant

Dear friends,

International Alert Nigeria has been working with youths to build their peacebuilding, conflict sensitivity, conflict resolution, facilitation and mediation skills to increase social cohesion and reintegration of survivors of abduction and sexual violence from armed groups.

Together with our partner, Taimako Community Development Initiative (TCDI), this month we have facilitated 89 youth dialogue sessions with 245 participants (130 male, 115 female). In these sessions, participants discussed conflict issues in their local context such as rape and stigmitisation of survivors, land disputes between communities, drug use by idle youths and increases in school drop-outs due to poverty and stigma especially towards girls. The dialogue sessions were led by youths trained as peace mentors who will continue to work with youth groups to sentisise communities and raise awareness of the issues youth and survivors of Boko Haram face by amplifying their voices.

In one youth dialogue session, participants identified a local conflict issue between neighbouring communities regarding a refuse site. The conflict escalated to violence when youths from one community confronted youths from the other group to demand they stop dumping as it had blocked water ways and led to flooding and erosion.

The project team responded by organising dialogue sessions and youth initiatives in both communities. We ran community sensitisation campaigns on peacebuilding and resilience building and youths from both communities worked together on a sanitation initiative to resolve the long-term grievance between them. They agreed to collectively evacuate the pile of refuse waste to restore water ways and create a different dumping site in a more preferred location.

The team succeeded in reconciling the two communities and successfully relocated the refuse dumping site to a safer and accessible location for both communities with consent of traditional and youth leaders. After the community clean up, TCDI’s WASH team supported by disinfecting the communities of cholera and distributing aqua tabs.

Thanks to your support, vulnerable youths are learning to identify and resolve the root causes of conflict in their communities while also ensuring that victims of Boko Haram violence reintegrate with their families and feel safe and valued in their communities.

On behalf of the whole team at International Alert - thank you.

Yours in peace,

Ollie

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Feb 18, 2022
Training Peace Mentors and Showing We Care

By Ollie James | Project Assistant

Hi friends,

I hope this email finds you well.

International Alert Nigeria have had another busy holiday period working with communities affected by conflict. Here are some highlights of our work from the last three months.

Alert trained youth Peace Mentors in conflict and gender sensitivity and mediation techniques to help to prevent, mitigate and manage conflicts within their circles of influence. After training, these youths independently carried out peer-to-peer learning sessions in their communities to discuss peacebuilding and civic responsibility. They have identified local conflict triggers and are now working with stakeholders to prevent conflicts from becoming violent.

A positive unintended outcome of the Mentors' community learning sessions was the increased enrollment of young out-of-school street hawkers and drug addicts in school.These youths have also committed to being agents of change in their respective communities thanks to their engagement with the Peace Mentors.

The team also supported vulnerable communities at risk of recruitment by Boko Haram by supporting them with peace grant initiatives such as touch lights, solar panels, hygiene equipment etc. to improve their wellbeing and resilience. According to community members, these peace grants were timely and made them feel loved and cared for. Alert also provides financial support and income opportunities, support for youth protection programmes and dialogue spaces to address the underlying drivers of violent extremism in Nigeria.

“The youths in our community engaged themselves in politics due to idleness and the politicians took advantage of their situation. However, this intervention has changed their behaviors and attitude positively. The welfare and peace grant items will help in engaging more youths in community development activities”.

Zanna Abba Kaka, Community leader.

Your donations help to provide the skills and services that can prevent violence and transform vulnerable lives. Thank you once again for your ongoing support and commitment to peace.

Yours in peace,

Ollie

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Oct 22, 2021
Peace Day: Turning enemies into friends

By Ollie James | Project Assistant

Credit: Babagana Ferobe Isa - International Alert

Dear Supporter,

On 21 September, International Alert celebrated International Peace Day with the communities we work in and with the international peacebuilding community.

In Nigeria, we marked the event by hosting celebrations of peace and reconciliation across our project sites under the theme “Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world”. The celebrations were attended by project participants as well as community leaders and political figures who remarked on the importance of peacebuilding. Audiences were treated to theatrical performances, cultural dances and debates that reinforced messages of peace and cooperation.

In Yobe State, northeast Nigeria, International Alert was able to mediate a dialogue meeting between two conflicting ethnic groups (Fika and Potiskum) that have a long-standing rivalry. The two groups live in close proximity (2km apart) and experience high levels of competition and tension. Social interactions between the ethnic groups such as trade, business deals and inter-marriage are heavily discouraged and tensions have often flared into violence. Legal disputes have also been escalated to the Nigerian Court where they are currently being deliberated.

Utilising the momentum of the event, International Alert invited the heads of the two councils to join the Peace Day celebrations. Through an engaging dialogue process, both parties were able to see the rivalry from a new perspective and committed to resolving the conflicts between them. The two leaders embraced each other and ate from the same plate as a symbol of reconciliation.

The team will continue to advocate for peaceful resolution to conflicts between the parties and will closely monitor the situation as it develops.

Thank you for your continued support in these difficult times. With your help, peacebuilding interventions in Nigeria can continue to support the communities who need it most.

Yours in peace,

Ollie James

Credit: Williams Ubimago - International Alert

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