INTRODUCTION

Nigeria has experienced heavy rains and devastating floods that have caused loss of life, population displacement and extensive destruction of houses, farms, and infrastructure. Since July, over three million people have been affected in 34 states in the worst flooding the country has seen in over a decade. At least 603 people have died and over 2,400 have been injured. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), over 1.4 million people have been displaced due to the floods as of 24 October 2022.

In Anambra State, the 2022 flood has been recorded as the most devastating since the state started experiencing floods. The flood affected seven (7) out of the twenty-one (21) local government areas in the state. The main factor for the flood is the overflow of rivers around the state.  More than 120 persons lost their lives while thousands are homeless, while agriculture, livelihood and social amenities have been lost and destroyed. The State government has created 27 IDPs in addition to the settlements created by desperate victims. These formal camps and settlements are densely populated with more women and children exposed to illnesses ranging from infectious and water-borne diseases to sexual exploitation

The 2022 annual flooding in Anambra state has accentuated the vulnerabilities suffered by women and girls. In particular the destruction of educational and health facilities exposes girls to loss of educational opportunities, well-being and dignity. In health they are exposed to communicable diseases, high rates of maternal mortality and even death due unmet reproductive health needs and facilities.

The several interventions by state and non-state actors at all levels are diminished by the high demand and weak capacities to access the relief. It is on record that while seeking access to government and philanthropic relief items, women and girls in formal and informal displaced communities are further exposed to risks of bodily and sexual exploitation. Women and girls in displaced and relocated communities are therefore in desperate need of food, shelter, clean drinking water, toilet and dignity items, psycho social support, legal intervention rehabilitation and relocation. These needs cannot all be met by any single entity, which justifies organizations and individuals selecting to provide according to expressed and affordable needs.

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WRAPA_Malala Flood Victims Support Fund Final Report.docx

Executive Summary

WRAPA in the last seven months has implemented a project Connecting Voices Against Child Marriage in Nigeria, supported by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in three Local Government Areas (LGAs), namely; Batagarawa, Charanchi and Kankia. Involving; Ajiwa, Dandangoro; Koda, Kuraye; Rimaye and Tafashiya communities respectively in the three LGAs of Katsina State, Nigeria.

The project which aimed at amplifying the associated concerns and practice of child marriage, gender-based violence (GBV), and harmful practices, adopted a multifaceted approach across various communities. Surpassing the intended outcome figures, a total of 1,055,268 comprising 578,565 females and 476,703 males were reached during the six-month project implementation cycle. The figures are also a buildup of physical and online reach three quarters with 184 in quarter one, 872 in quarter two, and 1,054,212 in quarter three as the data in tables 0.1 to 0.3 shows. The intervention empowered thirty-six 36 Youth Champions, and expanded its reach through U-reports, with the additional support of key social media influencers achieving an appreciable presence and following on the subject matter of child marriage. The strategy adopted, also included high-level in-person advocacy, and campaigns, aided by knowledge and community toolkits. This increased community awareness and understanding of the repercussions of child marriage. Most critically, it empowered child marriage survivors who shared their experiences thereby generating legitimacy for the demand to end the practice.

The conclusion of the report underscores the transformative impact of the WRAPA intervention and community change agents emphasising the need for sustained bottom-up advocacy, and sensitization also targeting traditional governance structures, as well. There is also a need for continuous recruitment and training of the youth champions. The annexures to the report offer additional insights, including innovative practices, human interest stories, testimonials, challenges, lessons learned, and a photo book. Human stories from Dandagoro and Tafashiya communities highlight how the project empowered individuals like Buhari A’ddau and Mufida Kabir and fostered community conversations leading to potential shifts and attitudinal changes. The testimonials from these project beneficiaries, including Tenniola Balogun and Salihu Ibrahim, offer firsthand accounts of the profound impact of the project in scaling up awareness and engendering commitment to social and practice changes. Overall, the report presents the project results, opportunities, challenges, and recommendations, underscoring the nuanced and dynamic drivers and barriers to reducing or eliminating child marriage and other harmful practices in Nigeria.

Table 0.1. 

LGAs specific participants were 138 while 48 participants were not project-specific communities but distributed across other indirect project beneficiaries being WRAPA field staff, Consultants and experts, goods and service vendors, MDAs from Katsina State and other community structure participants particularly leaders of faith and culture, youth and women’s groups and UNICEF staff.

Table 0.2. 

LGAs-specific participants were 693 while 179 participants were not project-specific communities but distributed, online, WRAPA staff, Consultants and experts, MDAs from Katsina States and other community structure participants, particularly leaders of faith and culture, youth and women’s groups and UNICEF staff.

Table 0.3. 

QUARTER THREE DISAGGREGATED DATA 

Table 0. 3.1 

ONLINE  (Social Media) DISAGGREGATED DATA

• Introduction: 

Nigeria faces the third-highest global burden of child brides, trailing behind India and Bangladesh, with nearly 22 million girls married or in union before turning 18. This alarming prevalence contributes significantly to socio-economic challenges in northern Nigeria, manifesting in school dropouts, adolescent pregnancies, high maternal mortality, and malnutrition. Although there has been a 14%-point decrease in child marriage prevalence over the past five years, the recent MICS 2021 reveals a persistent concern. Katsina State, in Northwest Nigeria, stands out with a high prevalence, emphasising the urgency of addressing the legal gap in the state’s Child Protection Law, which currently lacks a prescribed legal age for marriage. Despite Nigeria’s commitment to ending child marriage by 2030, challenges persist, necessitating a closer examination of legal frameworks and cultural sensitivities surrounding this complex issue.

It is against this background that WRAPA supported by UNICEF has over seven months (June to December 2023), implemented a project titled Connecting Voices Against Child Marriage in Nigeria, supported by UNICEF in three Local Government Areas (LGAs), namely; Batagarawa, Charanchi and Kankia and covering; Ajiwa, Dandangoro; Koda, Kuraye;  Rimaye and Tafashiya communities in the three LGAs of Katsina State, Nigeria.

The project’s main objective was to amplify and address the pressing issues of the impact of child marriage, gender-based violence (GBV), and harmful practices. This was conducted through a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach that included deliberate recruitment and training of thirty-six (36), eighteen (18) female and eighteen (18) male Youth Champions in advocacy, social media sensitization, and reporting. The project empowered community stakeholders, engaged key influencers, and improved awareness that has fostered positive shifts and changes in attitudes and behaviours related to these issues. Additionally, WRAPA End to Child Marriage activities have strengthened linkages between existing partners and established new community institutional mechanisms, especially among youth groups, scaling up numbers and scope of collaborative actions and voices against child marriage, GBV, violence against women and children (VAWC), as well as harmful practices in the targeted project communities.

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Final WRAPA-UNICEF CONNECTING VOICES AGAINST CHILD MARRIAGE PROJECT 2023.docx