October Newsletter

Dear Reader, welcome to your monthly update for October 2022

In this edition, we bring you updates on the fourth linking and learning event that happened in the third week of October in Abuja. We also bring updates on how different rightsholder groups have been taking the incredible lessons and insights from the event and putting them into action.

This month, at Cognito we also recorded our first live podcast. The podcast was focused on how civil society organisations can use storytelling appropriately to tell their stories and cause societal change.

Listen to the podcast: Here

Also, at Cognito, we shared a short thread on how to tell stories effectively. Click here to learn more.

A person's ability to cope with the stresses of life and work effectively can keep them healthy. Every year, the 10th of October is designated as World Mental Health Day. In this year's edition, we hosted ARTvocates, artists of Street Project Foundation on Twitter. We discussed how they are able to cope with stress and disappointment as creatives and advocates. Listen to the recording here.

THE 4TH LINKING AND LEARNING EVENT 2022, ABUJA

On the 19th and 20th of October 2022, the 4th Linking and learning event was held in Abuja with the theme' ''Two Sides Of A Coin''. Linking and learning is the heart of the Voice Programme. It provides avenues for grantees and rights holders to share their experiences and lessons learnt from their innovative initiatives.

The fourth edition witnessed about 12 new grantees coming on board. This event was geared toward integrating the new grantees into the culture of linking and learning by deliberating and carving out avenues for peer learning between old and new grantees. This event also presented time to develop and reflect on learning agendas, methodologies, implementation activities and outcomes while strengthening grantee-to-grantee learning. For more updates on the two days event, follow on Twitter here.

In her session on “Knowledge Sharing On Data Use”, Peris Kariuki, Voice Roving Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Africa, Peris Kariuki, Hivos East Africa began by exploring what data means, how crucial it is to the development programs and how it should be harnessed to drive decision making.
In demystifying data, Peris led a session and gave practical examples of how grantees can get the best from the data they accumulate during the implementation of their projects. She instructed the different groups to come up with a flip chart of how they think data can be disseminated and utilised well using group discussions. A representative from the group represented each group’s final report. Each of the groups indicated ways by which data can be used and then presented a way by which they currently use data.

Rita gave a background on Value Proposition and how the Voice project has helped her organisation, Street Project Foundation. She asked participants what they think of sustainability for an organisation. Using an interactive discussion style, she engaged participants to know their ideas on how an organisation can scale and be sustained even after a grant period. Visit voicenaija for more on this

The Social Justice Community of Practice (CoP) recognizes that social justice is the fulcrum of human needs and aspirations as it is a solid foundation required for nation-building, peace and progress. The CoP published a report that contains the details of a 3-day event on Social Justice they had in June 2022 with the support of Voice Nigeria. The event was held between Wednesday, 20th June 2022 to Friday, 22nd June 2022 at Bolton White hotel in Garki II, Abuja FCT.

The CoP published the report on the Voice Naija Platform in October.

Read the full report here.

The Community of Practice on Elderly Care supported by Voice Nigeria did a cross-sectional study between November and December 2021 to identify the level of awareness of the needs and challenges of the elderly population in Nigeria. Read the research report here.

WATCHALUV WEBZINE LAUNCH

Street Project Foundation launched the second edition of the Watchaluv Magazine in October. Ambassadors, Uzoamaka Asiegbu, Pelemo Nyajo and Blessing Idoko were guests on a Twitter conversation on The Power Of “This” Ability. At the event, ambassadors discussed how they have found strength in their disabilities and how they are championing change in the s ociety. The conversation was used to mark the launch of the magazine. Listen to the recording here.

YANN CONVERSATIONS IN OCTOBER 2022

YANN Conversations were held in Port Harcourt, Owerri, Abeokuta and Ibadan last month. The conversations are aimed at recording the voice of young Nigerians in the States about their idea of a new Nigeria. Present at the conversations were concerned Nigerian youths, activists, youth leaders, and student leaders discussing challenging issues in the country. This activity is part of our #FromProtestToAction project funded by Voice that seeks to leverage the increased passion of young Nigerians to demand accountability from all levels of government as well as take forward some of the learnings from the shortcomings of the #EndSARS protests.

Read more about the events here:

Port Harcourt. Abeokuta. Owerri. Ibadan.

Have you filled out the YANN’s Nigerian Youth Voice Survey?

If not, kindly take 7 mins to fill out the Nigerian Youth Survey and by doing that you are adding your voice for a New Nigeria

CARE ADVOCACY VISIT

The Center for Ability Rehabilitation and Empowerment (CARE) paid an advocacy visit to Abuja Broadcasting Corporation Ltd, Aso Radio and TV, Katampe Hill, Abuja and NTA Abuja Channel 5 on Wednesday to solicit for collaboration in creating more awareness for the ongoing accessible aviation campaign.

The Executive Director/Founder Dr. Chike Okogwu stated that his personal experience of discrimination as a person with disability by an airline at the Abuja airport which has been resolved, inspired the establishment of CARE which is working hard to change the narratives around persons with diasbility.

Read the full visit report here.

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Kindly watch out for updates on the Voice Naija Platform (www.voicenaija.org) as the Voice grantees have started uploading exciting updates from November activities.

Please do ensure to follow @voiceglobal @oxfam_in_nigeria @wearecognito @infonine and also all the grantees on the Voice program, on social media.

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