Greetings dearest reader and welcome to the first edition for 2023!

December and January have been months of non-stop action, flying by faster than we could have ever anticipated. From new beginnings to exciting developments, these months have truly been one for the books. Keep reading to catch up on all that has been happening!

We bid farewell to 2022 with a successful launch of the Compendium of Social Justice Learning. The event brought together various key stakeholders, civil society groups, government agencies, and media organizations to witness the unveiling of the resource document developed by the Social Justice community of practice supported by Voice. The compendium of learnings on social justice aims to guide other players in the social justice field. Over 130 attendees registered for the virtual launch, with 70 participating live.

If you missed it, catch the recording here.

Click here to access and download the compendium on the Voice Nigeria platform. Also, check out our article marking International Human Rights Day here.

The Youth Conversation for a New Nigeria (YANN) Consultative Town Hall Meetings have been held in Lagos and Jigawa State, with the goal of gathering youth opinions and ideas towards building a better Nigeria. Over 60% of Nigeria's population is youth, and it's important to hear their voices in shaping the future of the country. A manifesto titled "A Nigeria for the Many: A manifesto for Nigeria" will be published after all the YANN conversations have been concluded. Read full stories for both the Lagos and Jigawa editions.

Using Nnekata Performance Art as a Tool to Draw Political Awareness

In Enugu State, Arinze Okafor, a Speak Up Stand Out (SUSO) activist, used Nnekata performance and art to engage and educate the youth about voter registration and the importance of political participation. Nnekata, means “a never ending stare” in English, but in this case refers to “body art” with afro tribal inspired inscriptions. This art tends to attract stares from viewers, hence the Nnekata performance and art. Through face and hand painting, the young people were drawn to the event which made it easier for Okafor to communicate and guide them on how to obtain their Permanent Voter's Cards.

Find out more about this impactful event here.

Raising Young Female Peace Builders in Underserved Lagos Communities

Ruhamah Ifere, a Speak Up Stand Out (SUSO) activist based in Lagos, shares her experience working on the #RethinkingGenderViolence project in underprivileged communities in Lagos. She believes that young people have a crucial role to play in reducing and eliminating sexual violence against women and girls. By understanding the root causes of violence and how to access support, 25 young women in the Oworo Ferry community of Iyana Oworo have already benefited from the project. Read the full story here.

In the case of SUSO activist Bisong Busaosowo, he shares his journey by using on air and physical engagements to raise awareness and engage with stakeholders in the fight against drug abuse. Read his testimonials here.

Aliey Abbas, a SUSO advocate, writes about the power of social media in preventing electoral violence in Nigeria. He reflected on the fear many faced during election times and the importance of using social media to create change. Read more of Aliey's thoughts here.

The ARTvocacy Festival

The Street Project Foundation ARTvocacy project funded by VOICE held the highly anticipated Artvocacy Festival in Abuja and Enugu. This youth-focused event aimed to provide a platform for young people to use their creative art to speak up about the social justice issues they care about.

With highlights such as the screening of short films, stage plays, mock elections, and the launch of a photo storybook, the festival was a celebration of the power of youth voices and a call to action on pressing issues facing their communities. Key stakeholders also participated, showing their support for the ARTvocacy movement and its mission to empower young people. This took place just as January approached and more editions are to be expected.

Here is a link to read more about it.

CODE - Project Sabi

Project Sabi sets up the very FIRST club called, Boys Against Gender Violence club in New Bridge Junior Secondary School Enugu and Voice was there to stand by them.

The #SheyYouSABI project, led by Connected Development (CODE) and Boys Quarters Africa, aims to educate men in the informal sector and raise young allies in schools to fight against sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls. By setting up the Boys Against Gender-Based Violence club in secondary schools, the project addresses the root cause of patriarchal norms and encourages boys to not only not engage in harmful practices but also to speak out against them.

The project team is excited about the positive change to come. Here is a link for more.

South-East Voice Grantee Visit

To wrap up the month of January, Cognito and NINE, the facilitators for Voice Linking and Learning,, conducted a field visit to the southeast. This visit was aimed at documenting learnings and innovations deployed by grantees to empower, amplify and influence rightsholders based on grantee projects. Audiovisual materials were also collected in the form of interviews.

The organizations visited were Intergriti/YWC (Yes we can), YSAD (Youth and Students Advocates for Development), CSAAE (Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy, and Ethics) and an impromptu stop at CAPIO (Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organization). Upcoming visits to grantee organizations are to be expected.

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. We hope you found it informative and engaging. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Finally, I urge you to stay curious, stay connected, and as always, stay awesome!

Until next time,
Kim.

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 2023

Don’t forget to follow @voiceglobal @oxfam_in_nigeria @wearecognito @infonine and also all the grantees on the Voice program, on social media.

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