Foosteer Partnership and Collaboration Efforts

On the 24th of June, Foosteer Initiative engaged through a scheduled call on WebEx with team head @ciscoeducation portfolio.

Foosteer Initiative collaborates and engage in partnership opportunity to provide equitable and quality education, prioritizing the girl-child.

Our collaborative efforts delivers among others Open Education Resources to formal and informal education facilities, after school programming and virtual or in-person exchange programs.

Through our "TheWatchers NG" we establish data driven accountability and transparency in the education sector driving citizen participation in policy development and project implementation.

We believe strongly in using education to drive social changes including resilience building decent work and employability farm@school, solar@school which facilities vocational learning.

In achieving impact goals we partner education authorities, local and foreign, government and institutions.

#education
#ThewatchersNG
#FoosteerInitiative
#Nigeria

EQUITABLE AND QUALITY EDUCATION

Foosteer Initiative collaborates and engage in partnership opportunity to provide equitable and quality education, prioritizing the girl-child. 

Our collaborative efforts delivers among others Open Education Resources to formal and informal education facilities, after school programming and virtual or in-person exchange programs. 

Through our TheWatchers Initiative we establish data driven accountability and transparency in the education sector driving citizen participation in policy development and project implementation. 

We believe strongly in using education to drive social changes including resilience building decent work and employability farm@school, solar@school which facilities vocational learning. 

In achieving impact goals we partner education authorities, local and foreign, government and institutions.

WORLD SICKLE CELL AWARENESS DAY 2020

World Sickle Cell Day.

sickle cell anemia is not a death sentence if properly managed. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited form of anemia — a condition in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body...Normally, the red blood cells are flexible and round, moving easily through the blood vessels. In sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells become rigid and sticky and are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These irregularly shaped cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.

It is estimated that a total number of 3.7million persons have died from sickle cell, and a total number of 1.8millons are currently living and battling with this disease, hence the need to sensitize the populace to forestall further occurrences, because when people know better, the act better.. #foosteeerinitiative

#HealthAwareness

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic School Closure in Nigeria

One major effect of #covid19  pandemic in Nigeria, is stalled education, which has began to impact negatively on the education of children at the grass-root level. Watch this short video documentary on the effect of COVID-19 pandemic School Closure in parents and children.

#COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of Out-of-school children in the world. School closure as a measure to contain the spread of the virus, has led to stalled education in most part of the world.

#ThewatchersNG an initiative of Foosteer, is supported by AccountabilityLab @accountlab and MarAthur foundation
Seeks to promote access to equitable low-cost quality education for vulnerable children, living in marginalized communinties in Nigeria, through the use of open education resource (OER) technology.

Considering the rot& devastating condition of the Nigerian educational system, there is a need for paradigm shift from the normal to the new normal.


Nigeria prior to COVID-19 had the highest number of Out-of-school children in the world, according to UNICEF, about 10.5million children ages 5-14 years are not in school.

With the School Closure, an estimated 1.725billion learners have been affected globally says UNESCO, representing 99.9% world students population as at 13th April 2020.

Foosteer Initiative Energy Access Program

Sustainable Energy Access Development Program SEADEP is a project implemented in partnership with Young Women in Farming-YOWIF, under its sustainable energy access program. The project is aimed at providing access to clean, safe, bright and reliable solar energy for off-grid ikere rural women farmers of Ajaoukta LGA, of Kogi State Nigeria, for lighting their homes and small businesses.

Cross session of some beneficiaries of the YOWIF solar lanterns

Problem
Many people living in rural areas around the country do not have access to electricity, as such many households and businesses rely majorly on burning of fossil fuels, like kerosene, petrol and diesel kerosene in generating electricity, which are very expensive and harmful to the health and well-being of the people.

Demonstration of how to operate the solar lanterns

Solution
In an attempt to address this challenge, our organization Foosteer Initiative in partnership with Young Women in Farming-YOWIF multi-purpose cooperative, under its Sustainable Energy Access Development Program, designed a solution called YOWIF Solar Lantern Rental System, aimed at providing off-grid rural women farmers access to safe, clean, bright, reliable and affordable renewable solar lanterns for lighting their homes&businesses. 

50 families are currently benefiting from the program. A charged lantern goes for as low as N50.

Documentation of cooperative members

Brief overview

FOOSTEER INITIATIVE COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Links to the immediate public health consequences of COVID-19 pandemic are those of economic and food security. The pandemic has devastated households, communities and people across the globe.

As the world grapples with the COVID-19 crisis, there is an urgent need to build and strengthen vulnerable rural communities resilience in coping and adapting to the new ways of living and doing things amidst COVID19 &post COVID-19 pandemic era.

Foosteer Initiative in responding to COVID19 have being at the frontline working in rural poor marginalized communities where vast majority are illiterate and lack access to information, conducting door to door sensitization on COVID-19.

Our strategy was to educate the community about #COVID19 and personal hygiene while providing basic palliatives and personal protective materials(e.g foodstuffs, facemask, hand gloves&sanitizers) vulnerable groups.

Prior to our visit, over 70% of members of the community didn’t believe Nigeria had an outbreak of Corona Virus although learnt about it from radio announcements.

Findings from our activities showed increased worry, anxiety& hunger in communities.

Beneficiary of Foosteer COVID-19 palliative support

COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have impacted negatively on vulnerable households particularly women / children headed households who earn their income daily, but can no longer afford to feed their families.

We also observed decline in farming activities, most community Foosteer visited lamented of increased cost of basic Agricultural farm inputs such as improved seedlings, fertilizer and Agro-allied chemicals.

Smallholders’ farmers complained of none availability of government subventions for smallholders farmers at the moment due to a shift in Nigerian government focus to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.

Also children who ought to be in school are at home roaming about, losing out on an opportunity to learn at school because schools are shut down all over the country.

60+ households benefited already.

RAPTURE

Jesus is coming very very soon.

What is happening globally is a great reawakening for the body of Christ to put it's house together,

in preparedness for the glorious home going.

HOW PREPARED ARE YOU?

REPORT ON OPEN DATA CELEBRATION EVENT LOKOJA/NIGERIA

INTRODUCTION

This year’s International Open Data day was celebrated on 7^th March 2020 worldwide. It is an annual event that promotes awareness and use of open data. It takes place globally, usually in February or March. Typical activities include talks, seminars, demonstration, and training.

Haven received grant support of $300 from Open Heroine to organize an event to commemorate 2020 Open Data Day. Our team at Foosteer Initiative Lokoja were able to plan and execute a one day face-to-face meet-up to share local skills with Nigerian civil society women in open data on citizen participation in the government, through participatory budgeting. Highlights of the event includes; brief description about Open Heroine /and Open data day, facilitation session on meaning of Open data, Citizen Participation and participatory budgeting, diversity and inclusion in civil society, feminism and gender. The event had three (3) breakout sessions for brainstorming, group discussions and presentations. It was an interactive session for all participants with very rich discussion contribution from all.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The event which took place in Lokoja, Kogi state Nigeria, brought together 36 women from the six (6) geopolitical zones of Nigeria, representing a state each of the 36 state of the federation.

Participants were sensitized on the concept, uses and benefits of open data; particularly how open data can help streamline government services, stimulate economic opportunities, encourage innovation, improve public safety and reduce poverty.

Feedbacks from participants indicated that 90% of them found the program very educative as they had their knowledge increased as it relates to open data, Citizen Participation and participatory budgeting, diversity and inclusion in civil society, feminism and gender.

WAY FORWARD

As part of the feedbacks from participants of the event was to make the event as regular as possible, not just waiting till next year when it becomes another day for open data day celebration, we will like to make this a monthly or bi-monthly program, where my team and I will be able to reach out to more women in the society the message of open data, citizen Participation and participatory budgeting, diversity and inclusion in civil society, feminism and gender, thereafter expand to other states in Nigeria and neighboring African countries.

PHOTO GALLERY

FOOSTEER INITIATIVE 2019 REVIEW

Foosteer Initiative is committed to improving lives of vulnerable women and children in poor communities through the use of integrated innovations.

We are proud of the work we do, in partnership with some donor organizations, and would like to share  highlights of the work and our impact so far across our our focus areas: Health, Education, Energy Access, Climate Action, Leadership/digital security, Agriculture, Sustainable peace and democratic development.

Foosteer E.D (center) at Youth farm 2018

Since inception, Foosteer's drive towards achieving strategic impact goals can be measured by the following indicators.

HEALTH:
Through strategic partnership with primary health centers and ART centers (Anti-retroviral Treatment centers) 5000 PLHIV ( people living with HIV) have been educated on HIV positive living, approximately 15% increase in ART enrollment, increase in ARV adherence, increase in referrals and improved health and well being of vulnerable rural women and children living in low income communities. 

15000 in-school youths across secondary schools in kogi state have been sensitized on sickle cell anemia.  

3500 expectant young community women educated on early breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for atleast the first six months of life, 7000 young nursing mothers educated on infant health and nutrition, 3,500 expectant mothers educated on hypertensive disorder of pregnancy and PPD ( pst par-tum depression). Increased the rate of breastfeeding among 7000 young lactating mothers in kogi state. Raised awareness for mental health and drug/substance use and abuse among 2500 youths. Distributed 100 long lasting insecticide mosquito nets to community women in 3 low income resource settings of kogi state.















EDUCATION: 
Through strategic partnership with Khan Academy, teach SDG and Global schools, 3000 in and out of school children from 15 low income communities have been impacted with open education resource (OER), 5% increase in primary enrollment for the girl child in Ajaokuta community of Kogi State Nigeria.

ENERGY ACCESS and CLIMATE ACTION:
Through strategic partnership with power for all, energy for impact, GEF ( Global Environment Facility), energy practitioner network, Foosteer Initiative energy access program have brought 15-30% savings on household income in off grid, communities of kogi state, 95% increase in income and job opportunities. Approximately 50kwp capacity installation through solar lanterns, solar home systems and micro power grid. Educated 50,000 community men and women on climate change and planted 3,600 trees across kogi state.


AGRICULTURE: Through strategic partnership with young women in farming (YOWIF), Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk sharing system for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), and Farm Chique, Foosteer initiative have strengthened 500 rural women to launch successful agribusiness through the provision of micro and inclusive financing. 250 women accessed land and land use.

DIGITAL RIGHT and INTERNET SECURITY: Internet has emerged as the most empowering tool for 21st century. However, the new tool can also be subject to discords and confrontations with government of the day. Foosteer as part of its commitment to building a more just and equitable society works to increase capacity of press freedom organizations, media NGOs, media outlets, and several front-line defenders and CSOs through training on citizen media advocacy and legal defence.

SUSTAINABLE PEACE AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT: Over 30,000 citizens have been impacted through civic education, media advocacy programming, inter/intra earlier cultural programming, sustainable peace and dialogue as well as promotion of national unity and religious tolerance.

Fossteer E.D (right) with Ambassedor Sean Hoy (ireland Ambassador to Nigeria/ECOWAS) June 2018

Gender Equality: Coalision based-advocacy for women right, Gender-based violence awareness creation among 5000 indigenous community members, 1500 vulnerable rural women empowerment and improved livelihood. 500 women with economic independence and control over benefits. 10% reported gender-based violence cases handled satisfactorily by local task forces.

Enabling Digital Communication Wealth for Development

Internet has emerged as the most empowering tool for the 21st century. However, the new technology tools can also be subject to discords and confrontations with government of the day. There are already reports of government aiming to curb internet freedom. Since 1995, governments around the world are making efforts to balance a need to deal with serious issues such as security, internet freedom, internet accessibility, but repressive societies, these concerns often serve as convenient pretext to engage in censorship or surveillance of the internet that is stated to violate the right and privacy of users and threaten the free flow of information and access to internet.

Foosteer co-founder Emmanuel Obafaiye (1st from right) participating at the 2019 Nigeria School on internet governance 

Foosteer Initiative as part of its commitment to building a more just and equitable society works to increase the capacity of press freedom organizations, media NGOs, Media outlets, and several frontline defenders and CSOs by providing training on citizen media advocacy and legal defence.

This is made possible through partnership and collaboration with UN special Raportuers around the state of digital security, media  and advocacy experts.