FJDP Empowers Change Agents for Effective Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement in Benue State – Nigeria
In a bid to enhance local CSO ability to be positive and responsible change agents in Nigeria, FJDP partnered with Caritas Nigeria to improve public accountability, transparency, and sustainable service delivery in Nigeria. As part of the activities aimed at achieving the objectives, FJDP contributed in strengthening managerial, financial, and advocacy capacity of civil societies, traditional and religious leaders to engage citizens to influence the Government of Nigeria in key development reforms at national, state, and local levels. These engagements focused on incidence of Child Early and Forced Marriages (CEFM) and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) which continues to grow significantly in Nigeria, with activities of insurgency, insecurity, poverty, and communal and religious violence.
FJDP also conducted a baseline assessment in Naka, Gwer West and Taraku and Aliade in Gwer East LGA of Benue State on the knowledge, beliefs and practices around SGBV and CEFM and elicited key information that informed capacity-building priorities and guide the implementation methodology best suited to the existing needs of beneficiaries.
Conversely, FJDP in the past one year has carried out Stakeholders mapping, community entry meetings, built capacities of key State-level Civil Society Organisations in prevention of SGBV and CEFM, prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA), Psycho-social Support (PSS) for SGBV and CEFM survivors, Referral Pathways for SGBV and CEFM and Monitoring and Evaluation to contribute to enhancing civil society with the ability to influence, be positive and responsible change agents in Nigeria.
Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) is a USAID funded project, implemented by Palladium in collaboration with Caritas Nigeria. FJDP therefore, partnered with Caritas Nigeria in the implementation.
