Archives for September 2017

QUICK ACCESS TO KIND’S PROFILE

09.26.17

About KIND

Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) is a non-governmental organization founded by Hafsat Abiola-Costello in 1997. KIND was launched in the USA, in January 1998, where it joined other organizations in the Nigerian pro-democracy movement to end military rule in Nigeria. Following the end of military rule in May 1999, the organization was launched in Nigeria.

Our mission is to empower democracy and development in Africa by strengthening organizations and creating initiatives dedicated to the advancement of women. Its vision is an Africa where women are full participants in the continent’s social, economic and political development.

KIND’S Work

In the last twelve years, KIND has carried out many different activities under its three areas of intervention. The areas of intervention are grouped into leadership development; Creating Opportunities; and Working Collaboratively with other organizations, agencies and individuals.

Leadership Development

Kudra & Junior Kudra Leadership Programmes are the major avenues through which KIND equips women and girls with information, tools and skills they need to participate as service leaders at all levels in society. Kudra is offered to young women in Universities while Junior Kudra is offered to adolescent girls in secondary schools.

KIND offers Kudra to young women in University of Lagos; Lagos State Polytechnic; Redeemer’s University, Ogun State; Cross River State University of Technology; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State; University of Jos, Plateau State; and University of Maiduguri, Borno State. Junior Kudra is currently offered to students in Ifako Comprehensive Senior High School, Lanre Awolokun Senior High and Gbagada Senior Grammar and Angus Memorial High School, all in Lagos State.

Past and current donors for the Kudra & Junior Kudra programmes include DFID (V4C) CORDAID; EU Delegation in Nigeria; EMpower; Global Fund for Children (GFC); and Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) ; Japanese Embassy in Nigeria; UN Women ;World Bank; OSIWA

Creating Opportunities

Bridge is the major avenue through which KIND provides opportunities for its beneficiaries. As the name suggests, the programme provides a bridge for Kudra and Junior Kudra alumni to enter and strive for leadership positions in public spaces by cultivating opportunities like mentoring, internships, providing micro-credit, additional training and platforms for young women and girls to influence government on public policy matters. Through Bridge, KIND has provided internship spaces for 4 young women in 2009; 10 in 2010 and 15 in 2011; provided micro-credits to three young women, to enable them expand and improve their businesses; provided 38 adolescent girls with video capturing & editing; and photo editing skills from 2009 till date; and provided opportunities for 20 young women to act as mentors to 20 adolescent girls.

Past and present donors for Bridge include EMpower and Global Fund for Children (GFC)

Collaborative Efforts

Interlink is the major avenue through which KIND works with other organizations and individuals with similar vision. The program promotes joint action between international and local organizations on projects aimed at fostering a public environment that enables women’s public participation. The program uses cultural expressions and other means to cause a shift in attitudes and practices that work against women’s participation in society. In the last three years, KIND’s main activities under Interlink are:

30 by 15 (formerly 30 by 11) Campaign to secure favourable rules for women’s political participation. Through the campaign, KIND conducted capacity training for 90 established female politicians and 90 aspiring women politicians in Lagos, Cross River and Borno States.

Make Women Safe Campaign to promote women’s safety in society by creating awareness about violence against women and lobbying for legislation and regulations to criminalize it in Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial centre and second largest state. Through this campaign, KIND worked with four other organizations to stage V Monologues: The Nigerian Story in 2008; staged V Monologues in 2009; and worked with Jason Vision to stage V Monologues vs. Tarzan Monologues in 2010.

Past and current donors for Interlink programmes include UN Women; CORDAID; Lagos State Government; Fetzer; MacArthur Foundation and Omidiyar Network

Contact Details

Address

42/46, Moshood Abiola Crescent,

Off Toyin Street,

Ikeja, Lagos,

Nigeria.

Email Address: kindnigeria@yahoo.com,

INSTAGRAM: @Kindnigeria

TWITTER: @kind_nigeria

FACEBOOK fan page: @Kind Nigeria

Telephone: 07012225175, 08056974793, 08033652200.

KIND Implimenting Project for Enhancement of Cassava Processing in Yewa North Local Government Area in Ogun State

09.15.17

KIND-Japanese Cassava Processing factory project in Yewa North Local Government Area in Ogun State.

In 2017 KINDs objective was to help the rural women of Owode-ketu community to improve on the processing of their cassava produce by empowering them with modern machineries for processing of cassava into fine and sand-free gari produce across the cassava to gari spectrum of the value chain. In preparation of this project, the organization’s staff has met with the women resident farmers in the community who described their urgent need for cassava processing machines to meet market demand, to achieve high quality production/processing and improve their labor productivity.

This Project involves mainly the small-scale cassava farmers to improve on their postharvest farm handling which is mainly of the women section of making gari. There is lack of Gari (cassava) processing machinery in Owode-Ketu in Yewa north local government area. The project is related to procurement of cassava machineries for high quality and large quantity gari to enhance the contribution of cassava production and processing technologies to sustainable improvement in terms of food security in Ogun State, income and livelihood of the women farmers of Owode-ketu community across the cassava sector markers and processors.

FUNDRAISING FOR THE PROJECT TO INCREASE FOOD PRODUCTION AND WOMEM FARMERS’ INCOME THROUGH IMPROVED CASSAVA FARMING AND PROCESSING IN OGUN STATE

The Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) is a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) in Lagos State whose mission is to strengthen organizations and create initiatives dedicated to the advancement of women and girls in Nigeria. KIND was founded in 1996 and our target community is primarily women, a vast majority of who are between the ages of 13 – 60 years of age. KIND’s long term objectives are to foster a public environment that enables women’s public participation and also build and promote a community of women and girls with a service orientation to leadership.

KIND has worked extensively on various projects in Ogun State amongst which are:

A Community Engagement and Public Participation Project titled Bridging the Gap between governance and citizens. The project was funded by the Social Development of Civil Society Fund of the World Bank.
The construction of a block of 6 classrooms with 4 toilets, 2 project signboard, 150 set of desks and benches for pupils and 7 tables and 8 chairs for teachers for LGEA primary school at Imoro Ogijo in Shagamu local Government area in Ogun State. The project was executed with support from Japanese Embassy and the Adebutu Foundation in 2016.

KIND’s CURRENT MISSION IN OGUN STATE

KIND seeks to improve the cassava production of the small-scale women farmers in Ogun State by empowering them with modern types of machinery for processing of cassava products across the entire value chain and to reduce post-harvest losses by linking small holder farmers to the processing centre.

To achieve this, in 2017, KIND obtained a N23.8 million grant from the Japanese Embassy in Nigeria and embarked on the construction of cassava processing factory in Aiyetoro Local Government Area. The factory is sited in Erinpa village. It has the capacity to produce 50 bags of processed gari in a day and the by-products could be used for fufu flour and animal feed. While the profit expected is solely for the benefit of women farmers to improve their general finances and create for them an endowment.

Pamela-Braide-a-director-of-KIND-receiving-the-Project-Contract-from-Head-of-Japanese-Embassy.

Picture-taken-on-at-the-signing-ceremony.

KIND-Head-of-operations-addressing-the-meeting.

Erinpa Owode-Ketu Women Association at the meeting

Meeting after the signing ceremony to inform the Yewa North LGA of the starting of the project.

ODA signboard

Foundation construction

Front view of the building

Back view of the Building and septic tank

Vibrating sifter machine

Garri presser machine.

Cassava stainless grating machine.

Gari Frying machine

KIND marches with the Movement Against Corruption in Lagos (photos)

09.05.17

At the press conference held at the KIND office by the Movement Against Corruption (MAC) it was explained that it is a coalition of over 35 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Activists in Nigeria, established with a clear mandate to develop and execute practical strategies geared towards the prevention and eradication of all forms of corrupt practices and abuse of power, in both the public and private sectors of our country.

In achieving this patriotic objective, the MAC is determined to sensitize Nigerians on the immediate need to possess ownership of the war against corruption in the country, by getting involved in its advocacy, and educate each other on the cancerous effect of corruption on our polity.

In actualizing our ambition of leading this crusade against corruption in our country, we have resolved to reject any form of policy or legislation from any tier or arm of the government, aimed at encouraging acts of corruption, particularly those designed to shield corrupt elements, and giving amnesty to those indicted for corrupt practices.

We are also determined to mobilise Nigerians to demand judicial accountability by campaigning against the increasingly slow pace of action of the judiciary in the prosecution of corruption related cases, across various courts in Nigeria.

MAC, as part of its effort, shall encourage the sponsorship of legislations that will strengthen the various anti-corruption agencies in the country, while also rejecting any attempt, particularly from the National Assembly, at foot-dragging in making legislations aimed at strengthening the fight against corruption. We shall be giving specifics on these legislative manoeuvres subsequently.

We therefore wish to state, that as child of necessity, MAC will galvanise the Nigerian people towards an efficient anti-corruption campaign through rallies, protests, sensitisation, workshops and other forms of civic and democratic engagement.

This Movement is birthed in response to the imperative for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the Nigerian people, to have a common, formidable and organised platform through which they can frontally confront the cancer of corruption which has bedevilled Nigeria for decades.

We hereby want to intimate the general public that as

part of our action plans, we shall be holding a march against corruption with the theme ‘’RED CARD AGAINST CORRUPTION’’ on the 30th day of August ,2017 in Lagos and Abuja. And today, marks the beginning of our 10day- countdown, to this historic march against corruption in our country.The countdown period shall be used to sensitize Nigerians ahead of the scheduled August 30th date, of the rallies in Lagos and Abuja.

The Lagos rally shall take-off from Ikeja under bridge by 7.30am while that of Abuja shall take – off from Unity Fountain simultaneously. This shall be followed by similar marches across cities in the country, at later dates, to be announced soon by MAC.

Below are pictures from the march: