2021

Endam Home of Hope empowered female refugees with catering kits and start up catering business.

Background In December 2020, EHOP had the privilege of meeting and discussing with some female refugee residents in Abuja and part of Nasarawa state Nigeria. As we engaged in discussions, we became interested in finding out what most of them were doing for living and sustenance. The response we got were rather disturbing as most of them opened up to us that with the situation they found themselves, they had no choice but to engage into prostitution as ladies, in order to meet up with their needs particularly with the increasing price of commodities in the market due to hyperinflation, need for shelter and food. Worst of all, some informed us that the hardship was becoming unbearable and they have other responsibilities which the funds from prostitution were helping them meet up with. However, some conferred in us that if they have other options, they are ready to stop prostitution, because they are not comfortable doing it. This situation was so disturbing and after discussing with some of our members, we resolved to come out with the Female Cameroonian Refugee Empowerment Project (FC-REP) including skill acquisition training and information campaign schemes that if properly coordinated, will bring and equip most of the female refugees with life serving skills and knowledge, thereby diverting their attention from prostitution to a more productive and benefiting life changing skills and lucrative business. The Female Cameroonian Refugee Empowerment Project component is three folds: Skills acquisition training on catering skills Information campaign/empowerment session Follow-up monitoring post-training progress Objectives The main objective of the Female Cameroonian Refugee Empowerment Project is to provide skill acquisition training, information, and follow up monitoring which will help to empower targeted female refugees become self-reliant. To achieve this objective, EHOP envisages that: • Training is conducted for trainees without compromising their livelihood; while putting food on their tables and meeting up with their personal needs without them engaged in negative coping mechanism, while leaving them with smiles. • Training is conducted with due respect for dignity and privacy of female Cameroonian refugees in consideration for avoiding stigma. • Training will support female Cameroonian refugees in making decisions to stop the habit of negative coping mechanisms (i.e. Prostitution) • Training will help to ease pressure on Nigerian government in providing durable solutions for refugees. • Post-training close-monitoring and follow up actions taken to make sure that participants are settled and self-reliant. Targeted participants Participants to this project is targeted as below: • 20 Vulnerable Female Cameroonian Refugees residing in Abuja, FCT Catering Skills Acquisition Training Objective: The objective of the major catering skills acquisition training is to provide female Cameroonian refugees culinary skills training as well as busines ethics training with the ambition to see the dream of removing female refugees from prostitution and find alternative durable solution. Details: Date: From the 10th day of May 2021 to the 10th day of June 2021 Venue: Training – Eneje, Mpape. Graduation ceremony: Boulevard garden, Maitama. Trainees: 16 Female Cameroonian refugees residing in Abuja, and 4 Nigerian females. Trainer(s): Culinary experts on African and intercontinental dishes (Syrian, Pakistan, Nigerian and Cameroonian facilitators) Content: Culinary training and business aspect of catering and its ethics Funding: In carrying out this task, we encountered numerous challenges, ranging from transportation of trainees, accommodation, feeding, buying of training items and compensating the facilitators. Despite the challenges, we were able to meet up with part of our objectives which ended with a successful graduation of the trainees. The people and organizations who supported the major skills acquisition training program were private donors and organization: Dr. Sabi Titus, Mr. Dennis Akuro Tanya, Fon Petra, and Aboh Hope for Widows Foundation. EHOP finished the training successfully as planed and graduated the trainees. Health Information Campaign for Empowerment of Female Cameroonian Refugees Although the vocational training was successfully completed, due to the limited resources, EHOP was not able to immediately conduct information campaign to empower the graduates. EHOP had spent funds collected in the purchase of training materials, refugee transportation, feeding and accommodation during the training period. Moreover, the budget scheduled was a little higher than what we intended. Objective: The main objective of the information campaign is to educate participants on risks involved in engaging in negative coping mechanism (i.e. prostitution) and encourage the female refugees to seek alternative solutions based on the training they have received. Key messages: In line with the context mentioned above, EHOP envisages to develop and carry out a strong communication campaign in order to raise awareness on risks involved in prostitution, covering topics such as Sexually-transmitted diseases (STD), Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), with emphasis on the protection measures and services available. Date: Tentatively proposed to be 14th August 2021 Agenda: 10:00​Opening remarks 10:30​Health Education Campaign (subject to availability of experts) STD SGBV PSEA ​​12:30​Closing remarks Funding: Graduating the trainees from skills acquisition training and provision of would not mark the end of our objectives since our main objective is to empower the trainees. The last two components of the project has been delayed due to insufficient fund to buy all the items required for the empowerment of the trainees particularly because the main source of income use in running the NGO’s activities comes from private donors and the sales of Borngreat Soyamond Powder and proceeds from sales of books written by the CEO of the organization. Due to the limited resources of EHOP, funding for this information campaign is limited to provision of following: • Venue (100,000 Naira) • Snacks (500 Naira per person x 25 participants including 16 trainees) • Transportation for participants (1,000 Naira per person x 16 participants) Additional resources required: • Start-up kit for participants (288,775 Naira per package) • Guest speaker(s) expert on STD, SGBV, and PSEA • Transportation/honorarium for the guest speaker(s) • Condoms for advocacy (200 pieces) • Stationary (notes and pens) (25 pieces each) If we could also receive support for venue and snacks it would greatly be appreciated.