Nigeria Trip Report

[ukeme okon]

FRONTIER PROCESS TRIP REPORT

Location: Nkoro/Diobu (Rivers District)

Date: 20^th August-28^th September 2010

Team (leader underlined)

Adeola Oloke

Blessing Ekpo

Sunday Akpan

Jasper Onouha

Deprieye Deprieye

Hope Yakubu

Chjioke Ezeagba

Ukeme Okon

Esther John

Adoration Nwachukwu

Funke Aborishade

Messiah Messiah

The Team arrived at diobu for the orientation which lasted for 5days. The Orientation served as an insight of what is expected to take place during the process and of the participant when the process commences proper.

The Frontier process offered opportunities to experienced young facilitators from strong community demonstration to be hosted in communities where responses were just emerging; for the purpose of longer term (6weeks) facilitation support to deepen the process, especially with the view to rapidly scale out integrated Psycho-Social Support (PSS).

After the orientation the team visited the state house to source for Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials since the one we took to the community had the address of Lagos General Hospitals, HIV counseling centers and where PLWA’S can be referred to for treatment. The team went on awareness campaign around Diobu to sensitize the community members on the effects of HIV/AIDS. The team paid a courtesy visit to Plant Parent Hood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), the organization elaborates on services they render to community and that they welcome partnership from any organizations. The project officer also laid emphasized that the organization also registers people with the sum of five hundred, free libraries and games for members of the club. The project officer also encouraged the group on their volunteerism and asks the team to keep up the good work.

The team later visited the ministry of education to ask for the permission from the board so as to have access into schools in Nkoro, we discussed with him why we were in the State and on our plan to visit Nkoro kingdom. He encouraged the group and also challenge us to know that the work we are about to carry out is not an ordinary work so we should do it diligently because our reward is not here on earth but our reward is in heaven.

The team set out to Nkoro to stay their for the remaining four weeks, it was a task the team would have to face in a new environment and have to familiarize itself with the community members.

The team met with the community chiefs to discuss and to also seek their consent for staying in their community and the team’s mission in their community. The team went out on visibility profile in the community; this was to inform the community members of the team’s presence. The team was in Nkoro to demonstrate a working culture of the facilitation team. During our visit to the community, the paid an advocacy visit to the corps officer to inform him on the importance, aims and objective of the programs and for him to be our link to the head of the kingdom to seek for permission in other to carry out our mission in the community, which will enhance the competence of the community.

WHAT WAS DONE

• Integrated mission
• Partnership visit
• Capacity Building on HIV/AIDS, HCT and PSS/OVC
• SALT visits
• Team building (inclusion, expansion and transfer)
• Visible profile
• Prophetic prayer
• Intercession
• Prying the bible
• Mobilization, Advocacy and sensitization
• Next Steps
• Documentation and Measurement
• Lesson learnt

During the process the team visited several houses and people in the community. While in the community it was discovered that the community lack adequate information on HIV/AIDS, this moved the interest of the team to carry out intense visits into homes.

The team also went on a SALT visits (community and home visits) to converse with the relationship with the people, interact with them using strategic questions, to identify and explore concerns.

The Approach used by the team was SALT approach;

S -Share

A - Appreciate

L - Learn

T - Transfer

The team conceived a weekly calendar to help the team with their indoor (spiritual and social discussions) and outdoor (Salt visits) activities. The team comes together every for their morning and personal devotion.

During the community visit the team alongside the community facilitation team identified concern such as;

• Cultism
• Lack of pipe borne water
• Teenage pregnancy
• Lack of road
• High cost of living
• Lack of market
• Lack of HCT and treatment centers
• No HIV/AIDS information
• Lack of care Orphans and Vulnerable children
• Lack of foreign investors
• Lack of social amenities
• Lack of electricity

Strength discovered;

• Literacy
• Care for OVC by the Corper
• Primary health care center
• Fisheries
• Provision of Generator for the community by the leaders
• Hospitality

After four weeks of the process proper, The Salvation Army Territorial Leaders, Community Leaders, District leaders, members of the community and church leaders came together for the one week Debrief. During the debrief, an overview of the frontier process was carried out, for the leaders to know what happened in the Frontier.

Outcomes

• Two youth becoming A Salvationist
• Kids club formation
• Anti Aids Club strengthening in schools and formation in churches
• 13youth becoming strong Local Facilitation Team
• One of the team mate starting up a Peer Project for Young girls
• Partnership with River State Agency for the Control of AIDS (RIVSACA)
• Partnership with Plant Parenthood Federation of Nigeria

Next Steps

• Follow up by the Local Facilitation Team to the state house
• Sending of The Salvation Army Action Committee on AIDS profile to the Rivers State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (RIVSACA)
• Rivers District to partner with Linus to work on his Pet Project.
• To also partner with Christian Association of Nigeria, Rivers Chapter. To facilitate HIV/AIDS in churches.
• To debrief with the Leaders.
• Local Facilitation Team to meet every two weeks, to discuss way forward.
• Facilitating HIV/AIDS in the River District youth camp.
• Establishment of Anti AIDS club and kids club in schools

[Virgilio Suande]

hey brother

It is good to learn that you as team you have drawn some lessons from the community.

Greetings to the team

Virgilio

[ukeme okon]

Dear Rituu,Jean and All,
Some of the strengths found in the community were
1. Provision of School fee for an OVC
2. Income generating activity
3. Hospitaility
4. Sharing of OVC's to their relatives for care and support
5. Young people taking care of their younger siblings e.t.c

Lessons Learnt

1. That communities have the capacity to respond to issues affecting them
2. Seeing young people with great energy
3. When people are given opportunity to participate, reponses are acheived
4. With the use of the team building methodology (Inclusion, Expansion and Transfer), it leads to increament and shared responsibility e.t.c

Quantitative Analysis

No. of Men reached =203
No. of Women =371
No. of Youth 109
No. of Children 99
No. of OVC =34
No. of HIV+ =7

Thanks for the comment.

Warms Regards.

Ukeme

[Rituu B. Nanda]

Dear Ukeme,

Thanks a lot. What were the strengths you found in the community?

Warm regards,

Rituu

[Jean-Louis Lamboray]

Thanks Okeme! Please share with us two things you and your team have learned from this mission, and the you will put into practice in the future.