FAWOYDI - Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative (FAWOYDI), is a nongovernmental, nonprofit making, non religious organization which was established and registered with CAC in 2005. RTI/LEAD selected FAWOYDI in 2015 as a result of ending poverty in vulnerable states in Nigeria as revealed in an appraisal conducted, which Bauchi State happens to be among the selected States. FAWOYDI under the RTI/LEAD Programme is working and implementing its program in Six (6) communities (Ganji, Nasaru, Gadar Maiwa, Dogon Jeji, Jama´are Township and Hanafari.) of two(2) LGAs of Ningi and Jama´are. FAWOYDI is focusing on two thematic areas, which include Health and Education.

COMMUNITY 1 - NINGI LGA : Ningi local government is located in latitude N 11º4´ 17.885" and longitude E 9º 34´ 22.481" – with 18 wards occupying the region. It has a Land Mass of 4,625skm2 with a population of 387,192 people (2006 census).

The people of Ningi generally communicate in Hausa language but also have a major local language of Fa´awa with other minor local languages. They are hardworking people with farming as their primary occupation/major source of income. They also engage in petty trading and irrigational farming as secondary means of livelihood. They have well functioning health facilities and the health status for the last 5-years has really improved. FAWOYDI is privileged to work with 3 wards (communities) under Ningi, which are Ganji, Gadar Maiwa and Nasaru.

COMMUNITY 2 – JAMA´ARE LGA
Jama´are local government is located in longitude E 9 55´ 42.051" and latitude N11 40´ 10.866" with a landmass of 117,883 and # wards occupying the region. Jama´are also spelled Jamaari, town and traditional emirate, Bauchi state, northern Nigeria. The town is situated along the Jamaari River, which is a tributary of the Katagum, and at the intersection of roads leading from Wudil, Azare, and Faggo. Most of the inhabitants of the emirate are members of the Fulani, Shirawa, Kanuri, or Hausa peoples. They cultivate peanuts (groundnuts), cotton, sorghum, millet, cowpeas, and vegetables, which they grow on the floodplain; they also keep goats, cattle, sheep, donkeys, and horses.

PURPOSE OF VISIT : The purpose of FAWOYDI intervention under RTI/LEAD is to improve the opportunities for these communities in areas of initiating and monitoring skill acquisition centers and educational programme in order to tackle the poverty situations by the horns.

TARGET GROUP: The Targeted group involved in the project are Adolescent girls within the age range of 10 to 16 years, Children under the age of 8 also, Instructors, Community and LGA Stakeholder in the communities of NINGI (Nasaru, Ganji & Gadar Maiwa) and JAMA´ARE (Dogon Jeji, Hanafari & Jama´are Township). The selection of the communities and the target groups was on informed basis and included the following criteria: Adolescent girls of age range 10 to 25, no matter her level of literacy and also kids below 8 with also no concern of their level of education.

Before intervention: FAWOYDI during its advocacy and survey visits found out that over the years, poor education standard, poor infrastructural facilities, unhealthy children, poor environmental condition, low enrolment and attendance of pupils at the community´s schools, low/no level of literacy and child hawking has been the major alarming challenges which has to be addressed.

During intervention: Advocacy and sensitization visits created a good relationship amongst FAWOYDI and the Community citizens, which provided a medium through which Children under 8 where enrolled into a club (kid´s club) to create a good perspective for them towards learning, improve their psychosocial state of mind and also couple them for higher studies. Adolescent girls were also enrolled into the program and tagged with instructors for skill acquisition, capacity building and literacy learning class. Skill acquisition centers was formed and instructor´s employed, capacity building for LGA personnel and community stakeholders on good governance

After intervention: FAWOYDI under RTI/LEAD has highly impacted change in the Ningi and Jama´are communities in areas as stated below:

• FAWOYDI has been able to develop the communities on proper school record keeping which has led to a proper record keeping habit adapted.
• Also due to the enrollment of kids under 8 and the adolescent girls skill acquisition Centre there has been a change in the perspective of girl child education which led to an increase in female enrollment in schools and also the skills acquired through the skill acquisition can be used as another means of livelihood.

Challenges:

• The major challenges were Gender mainstreaming mostly due to community cultures and laid down rules.
• Low literacy level among community members

Solutions: A high need for awareness creation and sensitization campaign.

TARGET : The project is targeting to see a society free from poverty ensuring that the adolescent girls and kids are able to access quality education even in the absence of schooling, be able to live above total poverty through the skills acquired at the cause of the program, know their citizenship rights and be able to defend it.

MODEL STRATEGIES

• Advocacies
• Community Mobilization and Sensitization
• Partnership
• Capacity building

LESSON LEARNT :

• There is Hope for the Hopeless
• The skill acquisition centres has motivated some of the adolescent girls to not rely on their educational pursuits.
• Sponsorship activity impact greatly on the educational skills and knowledge of a child.
• Continuous capacity building of community members has enhanced their engagement with their policy makers at State and LGA level.