Positive Chants For Nigeria in Collaboration With CONGOS To Train 65 NGOs In Edo
…Says chance of building safe haven for Nigerian children is possible
By Simeon OSAJIE
A group on the umbrella body of Positive Chants For Nigeria, (PCFN) in collaboration with the Conference Of Non-Governmental Organisation (CONGOS) said it will train 65 non-governmental organizations in Edo State to help tackle issues relating to the wellbeing and safety of the Nigerian children.
The Country’s Director of the group, Amb. Obeahon Precious, disclosed this while addressing Journalists in Benin, Edo State capital.
She said when the NGOs are trained, they would be able to look out for children who are going through one form of abuse or the other and help out.
According to her, “This day, we have children who do no longer feel safe at home because they are either violated, they don’t have enough food to eat or they are witnessing parental separation, or witnessing a family member going to the correctional centres as we call it or just not feeling loved, not having enough food to eat.
“These are common things that happen to children in our society but If we neglect the need of our children, they can actually grow up and become adult who lose a sense of belonging.
“So, we want to be able to rise children up so that they become active members of the society but before they can become active in the society, they have to be active in their own lives. An adversity tends to separate children from experience they are supposed to be having in their own lives.
“So, we are hoping that we are able to create a safe space where children have safe people they can talk to and not just their parents but their teachers and even community members around should be able to contribute positively to what happened to the children.
“We should not close our eyes when we see a child does not have enough food to eat if the parents don’t have food to eat, there should be somebody around that want to help out. The burden should not be on the parents alone but on the society and the community.”
Going further, Amb. Precious said building a progressive Nigeria requires all NGOs to come together and work in synergy, drive the process of taking care of the Nigerian children and not working in silo.
On the purpose of the event, she said it is to build the capacity of 65 NGOs and CBOs in Benin City and the South-South region of Nigeria to effectively integrate Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs), UNICEF’s thematic focus areas, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their programming.
She said the training will also enhance the ability of organizations to implement data-driven Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) strategies, improve collaboration, and increase impact.
She maintained that at the end of the training, participants will: Understand and define ACEs, PCEs, and their long-term impact, Map their organization’s work to UNICEF thematic areas and relevant SDGs, design and implement trauma-informed, resilience-building, and SDG-aligned programmes.
She added that they will apply practical MEAL tools and frameworks for evidence-based programming, use digital storytelling tools for community visibility and policy advocacy.
Also speaking, the President Conference Of Non-Governmental Organisation (CONGOS) Comrade Dr. Bartholomew Okodo, said the press conference was to unbundling the monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning for 65 organisations in Edo State.
According to him, the project is geared towards making organizations to assess themselves and know whatever they are doing if it is impactful and to be able to get the outcome of what they doing.
