OUR IMPACT –

 

1. FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS: IDS has distributed food, nutrition and non-food items to over 10,000 vulnerable populations (IDPs, Host Communities and Returnees) affected Boko-Haram insurgency to save lives in northeast Nigeria.

IDS Livelihoods intervention focuses on Family Business Scheme(FBS), Village Saving and Loan Association (VSLA) and vocational skills training (tailoring, hairdressing, bead making, detergent/cosmetics, bakery and decoration. Others are; entrepreneurship development, record keeping and business plan development. The intervention also involves; provision of market access and financial linkage services and start-up capital to vulnerable beneficiaries who have no collaterals securities to obtain loan from financial institutions for their businesses through revolving credit scheme (RCS) and conditional cash transfer (CCT). The food security and livelihoods initiative is supported by the United States of America Ambassador (SSH) Project Abuja 2010, African Women Development Fund (AWDF) Ghana 2013, Street Child UK 2017 to date and Too Young to Wed (TYTW) USA 2019.

IDS also trained and empowered over 8,000 smallholder farmers and their cooperative society in Abuja and Borno State on Agricultural productivity and profitability focusing Agribusiness management, marketing/entrepreneurship development, productive value chain and provision market access with financial linkage opportunities. Other support by IDS to boost agriculture in emergency and address the issue of food security and nutrition including provision Agro input, onsite technical support and extension services farmers targeting more on women and youth households affected by emergency to boost income generation, create employment opportunities, poverty alleviation and to tackle youth extremism with grants from the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of the Transition Initiative (OTI) through Creative Associate International Incorporated/North East Regional Initiative (NERI), Victims Support Fund (VSF) and Street Child UK with activities focusing on:
Administrative/Financial management training
Agricultural productive chain analysis,
Marketing and entrepreneurship development,
Saving mobilization and revolving fund management,
Business plan development,
Provision of conditional cash transfer (CCT), and
Provision of farm implements including tractors, herbicide, pesticide, improved seeds and genetically modified animals and provision of market access and technical support to smallholder farmers to improve on their Agricultural productivity capacity and profitability.

Still on Agricultural production from 2017 till date IDS in working in partnership with The Nigeria Foundation for the Support of Victims Terrorism (Victims Support Fund-VSF) implementing mega Agricultural intervention project aimed by supporting victims of Boko-Baram insurgency that involve community mobilization and registration of the beneficiaries using a combination of electronic and manual data collection tools and provision of technical support and empowerment of 10, 000 households affected by insurgency in Hawul, Biu, Askira/Uba, Mobbar, Konduga and Kukawa local government areas of Borno State as at 2019 with plans to expand the scope of the intervention to more LGA and other States affected by insurgency through facilitation of access to Agricultural resources including tractors, fertilizers, pesticides, pumping machines, improved seeds and improved breed of live stocks to boost Agricultural productive capacity of smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria.

2. PEACE-BUILDING, PROMOTION AND COUNTERING OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM (P/CVE) : IDS in 2013 conducted Advocacy and community sensitization meetings with state and non-state-actors focusing on national/state parliaments, Government executives, traditional/religious leaders and organized a 3day capacity building workshop for northern Nigerian women activists on basic skills to enable them mediate and address the issues of violence against women in the upsurge of Boko-Haram Insurgency with support from the Urgent Action Fund-Africa (UAF-Africa) Kenya and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Abuja. The beneficiaries’ activists are currently mediating on conflicts issues and providing peace building education and counseling services to women and girls across internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps and host communities in northern Nigeria, an area devastated by Boko-Haram insurgency and other conflicts. IDS is also working in partnership with Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) South Korea, Spreading the culture of peace across Nigeria.

Intercommunity Development Social Organization (IDS) Nigeria is also implementing a project titled Empowering Youth Leaders to Counter Violent Extremism in Nigeria an intervention aimed at Prevention and Countering Violence Extremism (P/CVE) in Borno State, Nigeria. The project is providing youth in the region with knowledge and skills to counter insecurity, violence and extremism threatening their communities, and counseling services to individuals, families, and communities affected by violent extremism. Muslin and Christian faith youth now have opportunities for information sharing, net-work and mentorship. The project is also advocating for policies and programs that will end youth extremism. The project is also build trust among youth and law enforcement agencies in the conflicts affected areas. Other important aspects of the project include; creating awareness on the negative effect of youth involvement in extremist activities and address physical and emotional challenges resulting to confusion and frustration amongst youth and their exploitation by ‘extremist’ elements. The project is funded by Global Center on Cooperative Security USA and Carefronting Nigeria 2019.

2. EDUCATION IN EMERGENCY (EIE): IDS is working in partnership with Street Child International UK and UNICEF Nigeria Country Office Maiduguri, Borno State promoting Right to Learn an education in emergency (EIE) intervention project aimed at supporting internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and host community’s children across communities affected by Boko-Haram Insurgents and other conflicts in Nigeria to have access to Basic Education.

IDS key EiE interventions:

Back to School Campaign: By carrying out intensive advocacy, communications and social mobilization efforts across states and local government level to re-open schools after the emergency. The intervention also involves dissemination of Back to school (B2S)n messages through radio, local TV Stations, internet and printed information education and communication (IEC) materials (Posters and leaflets) and holding of advocacy meetings with community/religious leaders, local government officials and parents to promote out of school children (re) enrolment to secure schools.
Increased IDPs/Host Community Children School Enrolment: IDS is currently Supporting over 2,000. 000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and host community Children across public and private schools in Abuja (FCT) and Borno States, an area devastated by the Boko-Haram insurgency and other conflicts by conducting Baseline survey across communities using a combination of manual and electronic data collection tools in mapping-up out-of-school internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees and host community children for basic schools (re) enrolments. The (re) enrolled children have their school fees paid and supported with uniforms and other educational materials. The physically challenged children are supported with basic medical and special education assistive devices (technology) after examination by a physician.
Accelerated Learning Programs (ALP’s): IDS have stabled 11 temporary learning centers (TLC) with a capacity to accommodate 1,100 learners every session to provide fast-paced coursework in multiple subjects in preparation for (re) enrolment to educational systems for out-of-school children in Biu and Damboa Local Government Area of Borno state. IDS also make making use of existing community structures such as town hall centers, mosques, churches and other public facilities available at the community level to provide quality education to children in humanitarian emergency. 21 community volunteer teachers (CVT) are recruited and trained on psycho-social and other teaching method to enable them work with traumatized children.
Family Business Scheme (FBS): Under the Education in Emergency (EiE) intervention, IDS is supporting over 1,000, 000 mothers with Socio-economic empowerment opportunities through training on livelihood vocational skills programme including entrepreneurship development, market access, small business management, record keeping and saving mobilizations and loan.
Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT): IDS is also providing conditional cash transfer (CCT) to support IDPs and host community mother’s to start –up own family business scheme (FBS) for jobs creation, poverty alleviation and above all to support their children education at the end of the project life span.
WASH AND HEALTH CARE SERVICES: WATER, IDS promote safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) through awareness creation and sensitization programs across communities and advocates on other public health issue to ensure healthy living of vulnerable women, youths, children at the community level, and committed to creating awareness and providing counseling services the people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and engages activities and promote the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women, youth(girls) and other minority groups in Nigeria. The intervention has received technical and financial support from Federal Ministry of Women and Social development Abuja 2009 to 2000 and African Women Development Fund (AWDF) Ghana 2013.

CHILD PROTECTION AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE (GBV): IDS is committed to promoting Right to Care (RtC) and currently working funding and technical support from Street Child International UK, Government of Japan, Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) and Too Young to Wed (TYTW) USA across communities affected conflicts. The intervention targets on rebuilding the lives of the insurgency affected people and communities, most especially the vulnerable women and children devastated by Boko-Haram Insurgency and other humanitarian crises. The project provides children with acute protection concerns, holistic support through case management, including MHPSS (mental health and psychosocial support) and appropriate interim alternative care where necessary, IDPs children, returnees children, vulnerable children from the host communities, and other children with protection concerns have access to meaningful and safe education in emergency and community-based child protection mechanisms through community based care. The intervention also provides family business schemes (FBS) to extremely vulnerable caregivers and households access to livelihoods training, grants (conditional cash transfer (CCT) and savings support to build increased resilience and ability to care for their children through income generation activity. The Project centered basically on the following streams.
Child Protection Intervention:

Case Management: Over one million (Male and Female) cases have being successfully identified, registered and managed. Cases managed ranged from Child abuse, Harmful child labor, child exposed to domestic violence, Neglect, Child with special needs( chronic health), Mental health needs , Vulnerable caregivers and Child’s parents who were killed as a result of insurgency and other concerns across IDPs camps, returnees and host communities.

Livelihood Support: Livelihood support was given to over a thousand households across Biu and Danboa LGA of Borno State. Beneficiaries were selected, trained and supported with grants to start-up own businesses. Beneficiaries businesses were also monitored which ranged from petty trading, groundnut oil and kuli-kuli making, selling of firewood, detergents, palm and groundnut oil and also animal fattening amongst others. Mentoring and coaching was also provided to beneficiaries. A village savings association was also established to help beneficiaries save their profits from the income generating activity weekly. Food and non-food items (FI/NFI) were also given to 5,000 female headed households across the five communities. Items given out included; bags of corn, mat, jerry can, millet, pots and cooking utensils, blankets, mattresses and wash kits.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS): IDS is currently carrying out Psychological assessment on children who were psychologically distressed. Children were assessed, nature of psychological distress identified and treatment carried out. During the assessment, some of the clients were discharging emotions (crying as a result of recalling the traumatizing experience they went through as a result of the insurgency. Some of the children witnessed their loved ones been slaughtered in front of their eyes. They were exposed to the memories of what they had gone through, remembering every details of it as they relieved the story of what happened). The MHPSS team successfully counseled the children using the therapeutic techniques which were psycho-education, group therapy, individual therapy to help children relieve them of depression, anxiety and PTSD. A total number of 2,000 (Male and Female) children were significantly better after the treatment. Child friendly spaces are established as part of ways to help children relief stress and anxiety. The children came once in a week to learn, play and relax. Some of the recreational activities played are football, volleyball, skipping and other local sport activity. The children also enjoyed singing and dancing. It also provide opportunity to interact with their peers group and learn from each other. Topics on hygiene, human rights and Gender-based violence were also discussed during the child friendly space activity. A total number of 3,803 children participated and enjoyed the activity
.

FTR (Family Tracing and Reunification): 70 (Male: 30, Female: 40) children have so far identified and registered for FTR. 35 identified had their families traced, after which verification followed and children were reunified with their families.

Community Base Care (CBC): As part of safeguarding children in the community IDS have a 125 member child protection committee who were identified and trained on child safeguarding policies across communities will work to provide and guard children in their various communities. Foster parents/ parents committee was also established across the five communities. Its objective is to equipped parents and caregivers with positive parental skills on how best to parent their children and foster children.
Gender Based Violence (GBV): IDS is committed to addressing the issues of violence against women and girls (VAW/G) in Nigeria and have carried out the following activities to mediate its impacts:

Strengthening of the supply-side actors (Magistrates, Police and Social welfare officers) capacities to effectively handle, document and prosecute perpetrators of violence against women and girls (VAW/G) in Nigeria.
Support and build capacity of the demand-side actors (NGOs, FBOs, CBOs and the media) to work jointly as a coalition against VAW/G and improve access to justice for victims of VAW/G by increasing pressure on the supply-side actors to facilitate timely arrest, proper documentations and prosecution of perpetrators of VAWG cases in Nigeria.
Establishment of violence against women/girls (VAW/G) National Telephone Helpline (080999363 and 08172702242) to provide advice, counseling and guidance to victims of VAW/G to seek justice and other support services
Including confidential counseling and socio-economic empowerment.
Increase awareness on the issue of VAW/G through production and airing of a TV documentary titled: Silent Faces (Zero Tolerance on violence against women/girls – VAWG) which can follow @ www.youtube.com/idsnigeria or www.facebook.com/idsnigeria/videos .
IDS also develop and distribute free IEC materials to promote the rights of vulnerable women and girls including those in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps, host communities and returnees in Nigeria with support from Justice for All (J4A) UK- Department for International Development (DFID) 2015.