Highlights of Seed Grants

KIND Gives Seed Grants to Young Women Leaders!

Perhaps the major difference between KIND's Leadership Program and other programs that are available for young women is that KIND commits resources that empower the young women to translate learning into action that makes a difference. Aside from the several courses offered during the training sessions, which equip the young women with the tools and the information they need to design, implement, and sustain effective projects in their communities, KIND gives seed grants to as many of the young women participants as possible to fund their projects. The selected young women receive grants ranging from N10, 000 and N50, 000.

The following are recipients of the 2003 YWL Grants:

Name: Wynyfred Achu
Grant Amount: N10,000
Proposed project: Conflict Resolution Workshop and Mentoring Programme for Secondary School Students in Calabar, Cross River State.

Wynyfred Achu is embarking on an anti-violence campaign in an attempt to check the rise in violence against and by youths in Cross River State. This project is Wynyfred's Individual Action Plan for the African Youth Parliament. She aims to raise awareness on the consequences of violence and how youths are being used to perpetrate violence in their communities. Her objectives include: to educate young people on ways to resolve and manage conflict when it arises, to increase their self esteem and instill in them the ability to say 'NO' to being used as thugs, and also to provide them with other young people who will act as mentors.

Name: Kelechi Ibidun Nwanosike
Grant Amount: N10, 000
Organization: Feed A Child Today (FACT)
Proposed project: To provide one balanced meal for two months to Child Rights Primary School, Ikot Ekpo, Cross River State.

Kelechi is driven by the sad fact that malnutrition is the cause of 52% of deaths in children and the provision of at least one nutritionally balanced meal a day is enough to ensure that the child develops resistance to major killer childhood diseases. FACT aims to supply these children, mostly refugees and/or orphans, with enough food to allow them to attend school and grow up healthy. Although more money is required to carry out this project, KIND has encouraged Kelechi and FACT to develop more sustainable methods for helping these children and their communities so that they can attain some level of self-sufficiency when it comes to food production.

Name: Finian Dibie
Grant Amount: N25, 000
Organization: Shelter in Empowerment and Lasting Democracy (SHIELD)
Proposed project: Creating Awareness on HIV/AIDS Pandemic among youths in Lagos.

Finian believes that SHIELD has been in the forefront of creating awareness about HIV/AIDS and also bridging the gap between the affected and the non-affected by enlightening them on how to accommodate and care for those living with the disease. She intends to invite 30 youths for a workshop and use IEC (Information, Education & Communication) materials such as posters, stickers, T-shirts etc for the purpose of information dissemination. Radio talk shows would also be used as a medium to get the message across and medical personnel from SHIELD will be involved. The overall objective of the project is to enlighten youths and preserve their futures by empowering them with useful and adequate information on prevention and the need for leading a healthy and responsible lifestyle.

Name: Victoria Upah
Grant Amount: N25, 000
Organization: Development Clinic International (DECI)
Proposed project: Leadership Development and Governance Programme for Young Women.

Victoria has worked with DECI, a development and peace service provider NGO in the northern state of Kaduna, for a long time. Her intention for this project is to train post primary and tertiary young women in basic development and governance skills aimed at enhancing their mental capacity, competence and productivity. The project curriculum will cover relevant areas such as effective leadership, reproductive health, and computer literacy and resource development.

Name: Pamela Braide
Grant Amount: N50, 000
Proposed project: Video Production: Highlighting Nigeria's Women Leaders.

Pamela has been involved in video and film production in the work she does with the Miss Cross River State pageant. Her project aims to produce a documentary highlighting Nigerian women who have been courageous and have been in positions of leadership in many different aspects of life be it political, social, economical. Pamela also intends to use the participants of the YWL program to generate ideas of what leadership means for young women in Nigeria and whom they regard as leaders in their lives.

Name: Vivian Efem
Grant Amount: N50, 000
Organization: NYAN-SSZ
Proposed project: Personal Development Training for the Young Achieve's Forum.

Inspired by KIND's YWL program, Vivian intends to inspire, nurture and promote in young people a definite belief in personal growth and ability to make a positive difference in other people's lives. Her objectives for this project include helping the young people to explore their dreams and to train them on setting goals and developing a course of action that will lead to the fulfillment of those dreams. Vivian believes that over the years youths have developed inappropriate behaviors and ineffective behavioral patterns, which inhibit the expression of their personal greatness. Through this project, she hopes to address these behaviors and redirect them through processes, which focus on the young person as a whole, his or her hopes, fears, strengths and weaknesses