Stepping Stones Child Empowerment Foundation

The families of 34 street children were traced while nine were successfully reunited with their parents. The number is better appreciated if we remember that these children have been accused of witchcraft and that it takes unimaginable work and will-power to reunify a child into a safe family. A total of 40 children have been successfully reintegrated into their families by SSNCEF since 2009 and all were regularly monitored by SSNCEF during the year.

We supported 77 disadvantaged children in public primary schools with uniforms, sandals, books, and other school materials during the year. Although education is free and compulsory in Akwa Ibom State, many children still do not have uniforms, sandals and books and end up dropping-out of school. Three older children were supported to enrol in vocational training.

48 street children received healthcare support facilitated by SSNCEF’s medical team and thus had their right to good health upheld. Out of this number, 17 received direct hospital treatment and referrals, facilitated by SSNCE, including a case of tuberculosis of the spine, and kidney infection.

33 vulnerable parents have been trained on various livelihood skills by SSNCEF and at least half of them are generating income for their families. Nine of the parents received micro-grant which they used to establish small businesses. 56 families were prevented from abandoning their children through direct family counselling and family life education.

SSNCEF, in partnership with Stepping Stones Nigeria (UK), Oron Union Cultural Troupe, and the Nigeria Humanist Movement (NHM) successfully carried out the ‘Prevent Abuse of Children Today’ (PACT) Operation Enlightenment in Akwa Ibom State during the year. The Campaign featured floating schools and communities with the innovative PACT materials – live theatre, music CDs, films, posters, stickers, posters, books, and generally raising awareness that stigmatising children as witches and abusing them is immoral and illegal. In Akwa Ibom State, accusing a child of witchcraft has been criminalised according to the State’s Child Rights Law and offenders are liable to ten years imprisonment. More than 62 schools and 50 communities were reached and over a 60,000 persons were reached directly.

Community Sensitisation Meetings were also held in four communities namely Unyenge in Mbo, Uya-Oron in Oron, Eyetong in Oron, and Upenekang, Ibeno. SSNCEF will continue to engage these and more communities until they become models of child safeguarding. SSNCEF continued to lobby relevant duty bearers across the state – government officials, religious leaders, community leaders, across the state with a view to influencing policies and mobilising action to safeguard children.

We presented a joint memorandum with Stepping Stones Nigeria (UK) to the Akwa Ibom State Commission of Inquiry into Witchcraft Accusations and Child Rights Abuses; presented a position paper at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs Technical Meeting on the Stigmatisation of Children as Witches, Abuja; became foundation members of the UNICEF Child Protection Network in Akwa Ibom State; participated in the RETRAK Conference for Returning Street Children Home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; participated in the South-South Zonal Conference for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in Nigeria among others.

We were live on air at the Radio Nigeria Atlantic FM, in a phone-in programme, fielding questions and speaking to the public about child stigmatisation and abuse, the Child Rights Law, and child safeguarding. Radio Nigeria Atlantic FM covers a 150km radius and is received by 5 million regular listeners plus 2 million other listeners spread across Akwa Ibom, Abia, Rivers, Cross River, Imo, Anambra, and the Republic of Cameroon. (We thank Radio Nigeria-Atlantic FM for donating the airtime).

Returning to the PACT Campaign, the PACT Coalition was launched during the year (October 2011) in South-South Nigeria and we became the Ambassador for Akwa Ibom State. Member organisations were trained on child safeguarding, fundraising, litigation, and monitoring and evaluation (www.makeapact.org). Four organisations in Akwa Ibom State have joined the PACY Coalition in the last three months.

The Niger Delta Child Rights Watch Project was also launched during the year. The Project is being implemented in collaboration with Stepping Stones Nigeria (UK), Bar Human Rights Commission of England and Wales (BHRC), the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), and the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative. The Project entails monitoring, investigation, documentation and litigation of cases of child rights abuses in the four states of the Niger Delta – Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa States. It also has a victim support component.

The highpoint of 2011 was our winning of the STARS Foundation ‘Rising Star’ Award for Africa and

Middle East (www.starfoundation.org.uk). SSNCEF was selected “for its work in defending child rights in the Delta Niger”. According to the STARS Foundation Africa and Middle East Programme Officer, Samia Zoued, “the organisation provides drop-in and outreach psycho-social and welfare services and support to vulnerable children who have fallen foul to a form of extreme violence which is symptomatic of a more serious problem at the community level, deeply linked to a phenomenon of generalised violence against children”.

To cap the year, SSNCEF was elected Secretary of the UNICEF Child Protection Network (CPN) in Akwa Ibom State.

SSNCEF would like to say a big thank you to all those who have supported us over the past year. Without you we simply couldn’t do what we do – thank you! We count on your invaluable support in 2012!!