SIRP to the RESCUE!
SIRP is an
acronym for Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP), an NGO based in
Nigeria that is pragmatically committed to ending FGM in Nigeria.
It was set up in
response to the urgent need for philanthropic support to address the various
issues confronting vulnerable persons (women, children, disabled persons and
youth) especially in rural areas of the country.
Since inception,
the organization has been adequately supporting vulnerable people in rural
areas of Nigeria, through poverty alleviation and rights advocacy.
SIRP is one of
the sterling organizations that have thrown their weight behind efforts to
eradicate the potentially deadly practice of FGM in Nigeria.
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Background information
about Society for the Improvement of Rural People
SIRP is an NGO founded in
1988 but officially registered with Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission
(CAC) in 1999. Its registration number is 371,555. The organization aims to
support vulnerable people in rural areas of Nigeria through poverty alleviation
and rights advocacy, with a key focus on sensitization programmes to end Female
Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the communities where it is still practised. It has worked on the Targeted Education,
Communication and FGM Training Programme in the South-Eastern states of Enugu
and Ebonyi (with funding from RAINBO UK).
This has involved advocacy and sensitization visits to five communities,
the use of discussion groups, radio programmes and poster campaigns, and the
distribution of information and education materials, which was followed up with
evaluation to understand what impact the work has had. Following on from the success of this
project, SIRP hopes to extend its work into other communities in the South-East
of Nigeria and this has informed this request for funding support.
In Enugu State, FGM is
usually carried out on the eighth day after birth, to coincide with the child’s
naming ceremony, which is a festive event with gifts and refreshments. The naming and cutting are linked. SIRP found that poor mothers could not openly
resist their girls undergoing FGM because it would also mean there would be no
naming celebration.
SIRP last year with
support from The Girl Generation (TGG), a Donor Agency based in Kenya
introduced the sponsorship of naming ceremonies for children whose mothers
showed a commitment not to cut their infant daughters. These women went on to become SIRP’s FGM
Abolition Champions and Peer Educators in their communities, working hard and
often facing social persecution.
‘It is the resilience and
ownership of the campaign by these women which has contributed to the
sustainability of our work to end FGM’.
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Title of the proposed
project
Using mobile technology to
reducing the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Prevalence rate in Enugu State, Nigeria
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Goal of the project
An Enugu State of Nigeria
in which FGM is ended and the human, health and sexual rights of the girl child
respected and protected.
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Project context
Most FGM interventions in
Nigeria has in the past and also presently centered around the use of various
traditional methods i.e. training workshops, seminars, dialogue sessions and
awareness campaigns. Nobody has ever thought about using mobile technology as a
means to ending FGM in Nigeria. This is rather unfortunate because of the fact
that mobile technology is widely used in Nigeria. To further buttress this fact,
Nigeria currently has a mobile phone penetration rate of 81% and also an
internet penetration rate of 53%. Just last year, the Nigerian Bureau of
Statistics (NBS) through a report from the Nigeria Communications Commission
(NCC) disclosed that active telecommunication subscribers in Nigeria was put at
149,249,510 and out of this figure 92,424,736 were active internet subscribers;
this simply means that such subscribers had phones which are connected to the
internet.
Also, from this report, we
discovered that in Enugu State there are 3,096,071 subscribers and out of this
figure 1,873, 467 had internet enabled phones. The reason why we have decided
to bring out this statistics is to show 2 things.
I.
That mobile technology has indeed permeated into Nigeria
and;
II.
That the use of mobile technology is a veritable tool we
would employ in our effort to ending FGM in Enugu State.
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Project problem
FGM is widely practiced in
Nigeria, and along with its large population. Nigeria currently has the highest
absolute number of cases of FGM in the world, accounting for an estimated 20
million women and girls who have been mutilated. This number represents 10% of
the global total. Globally, it is estimated that 200 million women and girls
have been mutilated.
FGM poses great physical
and mental health risks for women and young girls. According to a World Health
Organization (WHO) study, FGM can be likened to increased complications in
child birth and maternal death. Other side effects include severe pain,
hemorrhage, tetanus, infections, infertility, cysts, urinary incontinence,
psychological and sexual problems.
In Nigeria, FGM has the
highest prevalence in the South-west (77%) (among adult women), followed by the
South East; where we are currently working (68%) and South South (65%) and then
the North (55%). Nigeria has a population of about more than 180 million people
with the women population forming 52%; and yet this sizeable proportion of
Nigeria is on a daily basis subjected to horrendous violence against the women
in the form of female genital mutilation.
In Enugu State, a random FGM prevalence assessment was
carried out in the 174 communities of
the State. It was found out from the assessment that the FGM prevalence rate in
Enugu is 65%. It was also found out that FGM was so much prevalent in Akwuke,
Awgu, Mpu, Odume and Okpanku communities of the State.
In Enugu State, FGM is
normally done due to the patriarchal system which is obtainable in most
communities in the State, which ensures male dominance over women. It is seen
as a way in which the male folks subject and impose themselves on women.
Another reason is that FGM
is also often considered a religious/cultural obligation e.g. rite of passage
into adulthood, Female Genital Cutting as part of Naming ceremony etc. In most
communities in Enugu State, FGM is usually carried out on the eight day after birth,
to coincide with the child’s naming ceremony, which is a festive event with
gifts and refreshments. The naming and cutting are linked. We have also found
out that poor mothers could not openly resist their girls undergoing FGM
because it would also mean that there is no naming ceremony. All this has
helped this practice to thrive in Enugu State.
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Project approach
SIRP intends to set up a
FGM support hotline. This hotline will be serviced by a call centre located in
our office in Enugu the capital of Enugu State. The main features of this system
shall include automatic call and distribution, call monitoring, call queuing,
blacklists and call recording.
This initiative which will
be the first of it’s kind in Nigeria will be staffed with
qualified phone operators, coordinators most of whom will be professional
psychologists and social workers trained to address cases relating to FGM.
These staff members will also receive comprehensive training on a range of
issues relating to FGM.
This hotline which for a
start will only be operative in Enugu State will provide information on FGM
guidance, advice and support for women and girls in various remote communities
of Enugu State. Through this hotline, any woman whose girl child is to be
mutilated or has a relative, friend or acquaintance in this situation can
therefore call “2030” for our intervention. We
chose this number because the entire World and not just Nigeria currently has a
target of ending FGM by 2030.
In establishing this free
toll-line, we will be liaising with various mobile companies, media groups and
also with the Enugu State Government. Through this partnership we will be able
to ensure the success of this project. Also, through this partnership we will
also be able to raise awareness about this hotline and the types of support
available at the call centre. We will also conduct community events and media
campaigns on the television, radio, and on billboards all in a bid to raising
awareness of this hotline.
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