Apply for a global competition:‘End Gender Discrimination Now!’

Do you know about an organization that’s changed the way it works in response to demands from its women clients or employees? Have you seen a community break silence and taboos to challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes? Has your organization introduced a policy or training to stop sexual harassment in a way that has produced notable results? Have senior managers engaged directly with women workers or women clients and then changed the way their organization does business? Report about how change is happening in organizations to build cultures of equality.

This global competition called ‘End Gender Discrimination Now!’ is seeking ideas and experiences about ending gender discrimination.  If your submission is selected, you will not only get an opportunity to highlight your work, but also get support to attend events related to tackling gender discrimination around the world.

The competition is organized jointly by Gender at Work, the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), BRIDGE, and Gender Society and Policies Area, Facultad Latino americana deCiencias Sociales – FLACSO Argentina, this competition aims to gather both formal and informal strategies for tackling gender discrimination. It is interested in how the internal cultures of organizations change, as well as how the impact or products of an organization’s work become more gender equitable.

There are three categories in this competition:

• The GenChange Award: Stories about changes that organizations are implementing that are chipping away at gender discrimination in your workplace and in your communities.
• The GenTruth Award: Stories about strategies that have been implemented and why they have not worked to reduce gender discrimination in your organization, community or country.
• The Gen-novation Award: Your ideas about innovative ways to end gender discrimination that you haven’t yet had the opportunity to try out.

If your entry is selected, your example will be featured on the websites of AWID, FLACSO, BRIDGE and Gender at Work, and in Gender at Work’s upcoming publication: Making New Rules: Secrets and Stories from the House of Gender. Winners will also be supported to attend and/or feature their experience at: a) a Gender at Work Collaboratory, a venue where practitioners, activists and academics working on gender equality issues meet to share strategies and build collaborations, OR b) the AWID Forum 2016, where they will have an opportunity to present their experiences during a relevant workshop. Winning selections will also receive a year-long subscription to the IDS Bulletin and a back catalogue of BRIDGE publications.

Submissions will be accepted from any individual or organization that has a good story to tell about gender and institutional/organizational change. You do not have to be working in the organization to tell the story.

Deadline: 15 October 2013

For more information, visit this link.

My mini-project but satisfactory outcome

Addressing the children, encouraging them to stay for their height and weight measurement.

Nutritional Assessment of children (under 5years) through Anthropometrics (Height and Weight) Survey and Provision of Nutritional Supplements for malnourished, underweight and stunted children in Ekulu-Pottery Community, Iva-Valley Enugu state, Nigeria

I decided to share with you a community project I conducted sometimes last year. It was conducted as a result of my interest  in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Ekulu Pottery in Iva Valley is a locality located in the city of Enugu in Enugu State. The community is named after a valley in the area which bears the same name. The locality is the site of the Iva Valley Coal Mine. The community is under Enugu North Local Government Area, a LGA that covers the most civilized areas in Enugu such as; Independence Layout, New Haven etc. Iva Pottery Community is a remote area, rural area to be precise. The community has just one health centre. They have a large population size, it is a community where a 24year old girl is already  married with two to three children, Most of the women I discussed with said that their community is blessed with children and so they don’t need family planning because children are God’s gift. Common occupation for their men are: sands excavating, loading of gravel and breaking of brick stones for building constructions while most of the mothers are involved in petty trading, others are unemployed.

The objectives of the activities are as follows:

• 1To assess the nutritional status of the Children under 5years in the community.
  2To check the availability of food the children
  3To provide nutritional supplements to children found to be malnourished, underweight and stunt.
  
  Below are some pictures captured during the intervention.

    

Ikeme Amalachukwu (assistant), CPC Chairman - Hon. Ikechukwu Anikputa and the Oluwagbemiga Abiola (Project officer)

Visit to Rev. Father Kenneth Obodagu of the Catholic Church in Ekulu Pottery.

One of the children on a weighing scale

Abiola positioning a child for an accurate height measurement

Using WHO (2005), Standard of reference, 33 out of the 113 people were found to be underweight, undernourished and/or stunting. Prevalence result shown: Prevalence of global acute malnutrition (<-2 z-score and/or oedema) is 8.0%, Prevalence of underweight (<-2 z-score) is 9.1% and the Prevalence of stunting (<-2 z-score) is 13.0% using ENA.

One can easily tell from the physical look of the 33 children that they are underweight and malnourished, a parent had two of her kids among and one other parent had three of her kids among. They both testified that their children have been sick, one of the parents said that a friend just advised her to get Vitamin for her kids.

Intervention

•         big sachets of milk were distributed to 33 children
•          multi-vitamin syrup also distributed to them
•         tablets of Multivitamins given to each child
•          iron tablet given to each child.
•      thereafter there was an interactive session with the caregivers/ parents on the findings

some parents and children that benefitted from the project

A community Volunteer helping in giving drugs to the 33 children

A prevalence of wasting or acute malnutrition between 5-8% indicates a worrying nutritional situation and prevalence greater than 10% correspond to a serious nutritional situation (SCN, 1995). The prevalence of acute malnutrition of this survey is 8%, this I consider a worrying situation. The parents were all advised to always give their children good diet to ensure sound health. 

My intention was to monitor these children and possibly access them after the period of 3months but I couldn't make it happen due to lack of fund. the project was conducted with the little resources I had as their was no financial support from the organizations my proposal was submitted to. 

It feels so good to help better a life around you. I found the fulfillment!!! and I look forward to doing more of community projects that will positively affect lives.

I cherish your 'comments',  'likes' and shares' so do not hesitate to do that. In case you want to do similar project or any community intervention and you need a hand, kindly contact me. 

I leave you with this  'Help a life today'.

Opportunity: Innovation Prize for Africa 2014: $150,000 Prize For Innovative Solutions To African Challenges

The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) has announced the call for entries for the 2014 Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA). The prestigious Prize aims at encouraging innovations that contribute to sustainable development in Africa. The winning submission will be awarded a prize of USD 100’000, with two additional USD 25 000, one for the runner up with an innovation with the best business potential and the other one for the runner up with the innovation with the best social impact.

In an effort to drive African-led development, the IPA invites African entrepreneurs and innovators to propose projects that unlock new African potential under one of five categories which include:

• agriculture and agribusiness;
• environment, energy and water;
• health and wellbeing;
• ICT applications;
• manufacturing and services industries.

Prize

The 2014 IPA will consist of three Prizes, which will be given following the criteria outlined above:

• First Prize (USD 100,000): This prize will be awarded to the innovator with the overall best innovation that meets all the above mentioned IPA criteria with clear business potential.
• Runner-up Prize (USD 25,000): This prize will be given to the selected innovator with a commercially driven innovation. Beyond the aforementioned five criteria, this category of Award will be assessed on its marketability potentials and will be awarded to the innovation with the best commercial/business potential.
• Special Prize for Social Impact Innovation (USD 25,000): This category of award will be assessed on its particular social impact in the community/country and will be awarded to the innovation with the best social impact.
• Finalists: This is a group of IPA participants who will be invited to the face-to-face interview and to the award ceremony. All finalists will receive certificates, and the IPA secretariat will work with them to mobilize in kind support to facilitate next steps for their innovation.

Deadline: October 31, 2013

For more information, click here.