Mary Slessor Foundation in Akpap Okoyong

The good thing about being a volunteer is that you have time to jump into small projects when you like. At least that is what I do ones and a while. It is interesting because you will be able to see and experience some new cultures and placements. Like last week I went to Akpap Okoyong in Cross River State, a small town just northwest of Callabar. I helped Christine out as she asked help from a teacher trainer to support her in developing a curriculum for the vocational training center of the Mary Slessor Foundation (MSF). Her placement is at MSF since she got replaced from Kaduna due to the violence and insecurity in the area. She just started figuring out what to do and wants to concentrate on developing the training center and support the other departments in management.

So after some time and some observations and chats she discovered that the trainers would like to get a bit more professional and Christine also thinks it is good if they could get more recognition if they get an accreditation on their vocational training. So for that they have to show they are serious.

Serious means the school needs to start working according to a plan, a curriculum. So that is where I come in. With small preparations in the last month Christine and I organized 4 small workshops for the trainers. Every afternoon they had to stay a bit longer to structure their current lessons into a big plan. It was hard work. Most of the trainers are no teachers and therefore not familiar with lesson planning, lets stand curriculum planning. They are good craft men and positive mentors to the students, but when it comes to strategic thinking and planning …..

So the first thing I did was getting them familiar with the term ‘curriculum’ and why it is important to have something like it. I also introduced a model that would suite MSF best considering all the information I got beforehand. I advised them to work with Modules because most of them work in small projects, these projects can be the basis for each module. As most of the trainers were students during the time VSO placed carpenters and welders in the training center to teach the trades, they have some background on rather structured lessons. They still use the notes given to them during that time. As I could see the logic in those notes, it was hard to let the trainers realize the same logic.

Most of the other days was about trying to get the trainers to structure the modules. Give names and topics for the modules so we could start building. Also a big part of the time was letting them realize they are already having a curriculum in their own way only not written down and that they are the experts that had to feed me with information. I remember asking some questions over and over again to make them realize all this. Questions like: Who do you decide that a student is allowed to start practical’s? Or what do you do when a student starts the first time? How do you teach a student to use a welding machine? And what does a student have to learn before he/she can sew a man’s shirt?

It was hard to get them think like that and it took a longtime to get a bit of an idea of the topics for the modules, but we got them! It also was hard to work on the performance criteria. Getting them to realize they have their criteria in their heads all the time I used the example of Christine learning to drive her bike. Afian, one of the trainers is teaching her how to drive, is really strict on the fact that is is not yet good enough to drive on her own. So I asked ‘what does Christine need to show so you allow her to drive on her own?’. An unexpected question. The answer ‘she need to be able to drive’ was not satisfying for me. When is she able to drive? So I let the group break that down into little bits. I think I had them in the right direction at that point.  So now Christine has to finish the discussions and I will support her from a distance. Even when I am in the Netherlands I will be able to help them out.

involvement of youth in global change

After a long process of writing, rewriting, adjusting and readjusting the country strategy plan one thing stayed the same. One focus area never changed: Nigerian Youth. This is not strange and surprising as in ‘People First’ VSO internationals new strategy youth also gets a big role to play in development.

The youth position paper ‘VSO and Youth’ is written in addition to the strategy to explain the important role youth fulfills in global development. According to the UN Population Division young people form the largest demographic group globally. Some figures to give an impression; in 2010 29% of the population in more developed was younger than 25 and this was 60% in least developed countries in the world. With these figures in the back of our minds VSO International recognises three core principles governing their work with young people. The first is applying an integrated approach to youth work. VSO recognises young people as actors, leaders and collaborators in development as well as targets or recipients of development programmes. Also participation of young people is essential, moving young people from targets to actors.  Involving and taking on greater responsibilities and agency in the designing, planning and implementation of development work. Final core principles of youth work, such as: learning by doing, supporting young people to be able to make the contributions they want and develop in ways they see as critical.

When you look around you in Nigeria, or maybe a bit broader West Africa, you see a huge group of young people; most of them un(der)employed or even unemployable. No wonder more and more funders are starting to focus on the youth as a tool to development. VSO Nigeria has now several programmes, in past and present, especially designed to involve Nigerian youth in community development. We have Nigerian Graduate Volunteering Programme (NGVP), to enable personal growth for young graduates by supporting rural communities as teachers in schools. We also have had experience with Global Xchange and Youth Action as programmes with the British Council. For these programmes young people (18 – 25) from the UK and Nigeria worked together in communities for 3 months in a row. As the name Global Xchange is already suggesting, the young Nigerians also went to the UK. The focus in all these programmes is on personal development and understanding of under-development of rural communities in all contexts.

Now VSO Nigeria renamed the Youth Action into VSO International Citizen Service (VSO ICS), this was in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID). Young Nigerians from all backgrounds will be recruited to work together in rural communities with similar UK youth. They will work in communities in Oyo, Kwara, Osun, Kaduna and Cross River State. The outcomes VSO Nigeria aims for with this programme are clear. First of all it aims for personal and social development for participating youth. Youth from all backgrounds are encouraged to take part in ICS, with this VSO Nigeria hopes to anticipate on interaction between different levels in society. As well as building confidence based on positive experience.  Secondly there is focus on community development. The groups will work closely together on projects within one community. This way VSO wants to make bigger impact in that community. The last, but not least, aim is to build a global network in which the youth will be acting as advocates for international development and agents for social change in their own communities and beyond.

As VSO ICS will start in July 2012, most partners came to Abuja for a participatory workshop on how to shape and build the programme for the different states we will be working with. Hope World Wide in Osun and Kwara state will kick off the programme. They did get a lot of support from all the other partners that will step in at a later date during 2012.

NYSC Reforms

Ever since the election violence there is the question should NYSC stay of should they stop the programme? Most votes now go for keep it but change it. Make it less military and more social and use it as a proper preparation for future work or business. So now there are reforms in the NYSC, The minister of Youth Development who is responsible for NYSC, as it is a parastatal of his Ministry, says it has to become more responsive to the national needs. He mentioned that all staff of NYSC needs to get on board of ‘the transformation train’ as it is now starting to move.

The reason why it was set up after the Biafran war was to create unity and understanding of all cultures in Nigeria and prevent any such thing as the Biafran war from happening again. The Corpers, the young graduates that are serving for the mandatory year, had to come to training camps where they got a introduction training, after the three weeks they are based at different organisations, their primary assignment, where they have to do some kind of internship. Most of these interships are not well organized and leave the corpers to do nothing, which results in corpers not showing up and wasting one year. Next to this primary assignment they have to do community development work and with this they can win awards, some of the awards give them employment, or a better chance to employment, straight after the NYSC-year. Some corpers belief in working hard for these awards others leave it like it is as they expect it to be a corruptive election anyway.

Now with the reforms the NYSC should become more dynamic, responsive and relevant to the nation and the future of the corpers. How they are going to arrange this is a big question mark. They did expand their administrative structure, they got more directors, but do they know what they have to do? Do they have a new strategic plan? How is this massive organization going to change? I think NYSC is one of the biggest employers in Nigeria. So many people are working in the headquarters and all state and local government offices. It is incredible. 

One thing I know and that is that VSO is now writing a plan to at least make a small difference on education and agriculture. The NGVP that I am working on will be different in the future, we are planning to implement it in the traditional service year. During the introduction the new Corpers are encouraged to attend one of the special schemes, one of those will be the NGVP scheme from October. We will recruit the best motivated and best skilled for our NGVP to support schools and communities in education and farming. As Bola and I are working on the proposal now it starts to look like a realistic scheme for which we should be able to get funds.

Only if not for the full harted ‘NO, we cannot work with VSO on NGVP’ from the Director General(DG) I would have full confident. The NO was to be clear for the NGVP post-NYSC as it is now. So for the current programme we have to find good funders quickly. However for the new NGVP as een in-service scheme in the mandatory NYSC year I still have hope. An not only I have hope also Mrs Awakasien, my counterpart within NYSC. After the meeting she got appointed as new assistant director for national volunteering, which give a bit of hope that the DG is willing to look into that. I guess he didn’t hear this part of Kenna’s story when she was introducing the reason for the meeting.

As it comes now to the end of my placement I hope it will all be okay next year, at least for the new NGVP. How it will all work out for the old one I don’t know as I have the idea that multitasking is not the best in this place.

getting started

Lots of things are going on lately. Finally my work is getting started now I get to the end of my placement. It is a strange feeling though getting to the end of my placement. I have mixed feelings about Naija, about my work, about the sustainability of the programme and about a lot more. 
Lately I have had some discussions with Yakiem about the NGVP and my role and responsibilities. I don't understand it anymore, at least if I have to describe my feelings about those discussions. I have to hand the NGVP over to partners but there are no partners and I also am not allowed to identify them and start the path to partnership with them, at the same time Yakiem provided me with all the information how to start a partnership. Then you have Yakiem, who is starting up new partnerships just on a hunch and in Kano (a city where we as international VSO’s are not allowed to go). We have had a meeting with Ladidi who came for this occasion to Abuja, she asked for help in teacher training for current teachers as only 25% of their teachers was qualified as teachers, but Yakiem is so focused on NGVP that he didn’t really listened to this and just started talking about how to implement the NGVP in the Kano State Senior Secondary School Management Board (KSSSSMB). Ladidi was a bit struck back because they have enough teachers, even a lot on a list to be employed.  
As second frustration, out of experience, I know that no Governmental organisation is willing to take responsibility as long as they sign something official. So I really try to get them involved, but Yakiem is questioning it all too much. I don't know if it is trust or anything but it is annoying as I see NGVP die if we don't start signing contracts of one sort or the other. 
But I just told him I will not take any decisions anymore, I will let him decide what is needed, I am almost leaving and shouldn't stress myself too much. With this in the back of your head the next part of this blog will sound strange and dubious, because I still try to get organisations on board to carry on this NGVP. Last week for example I have had a wonderful first meeting with the Ministry of Science and Technology in Lafia. It was a advocacy visit for NGVP and VSO, to see if we can become partners in improving science education. They looked like a quite well organized small Ministry with a lot of good ideas. They have a resource development department in which they develop teaching aids for science and vocational training. They showed me around after we have had a small chat about their wishes and our opportunities. They also took me to one of the four vocational training centers they have in Nassarawa. Really nice! They are really trying to give school drop-outs and unemployable youth a change to start their own business. After each course a participant is entitled to get some materials to really start of a business. No money but materials, which I think is good. There are two different programmes one for children that don’t have their WAEC or NECO or any other exam-certificate, and one for young adults and women who need to generate their own income and want to do this through a trade. At the surface it all look quite well organized, but to get a real impression VSO needs to do a OrgScan or Organsation assessment. Together with the first impressions I gave this advice to Yakiem as a conclusion of my visit.
Somehow I sometimes think I am doing the right thing although it isn’t always what Yakiem wants or expects. At least I know I am appreciated by the people I work with and the organisations I start talking to. Appreciation that is shown in different ways, like getting a big heap of yams and a ride home by a private driver ;-)

strategic thinking is hard

This week I was for one week in Ilorin to start a strategic planning process with the Ministry of Education and the stakeholders of the Nigerian Graduate Volunteering Programme.

The first day was all about the Memorandum of Understanding that VSO has to sign with the Ministry, so for this day I only invited Ministry staff. I had hoped all directors would be there and the Permanent Secretary would take part in some sessions, but it was a bit too much to ask. The Honorable Commissioner did do the opening and that meant a lot to the staff. They felt supported by this gesture, which made them more open en free in their plans.

I tried to make it as participatory as I could without leading them to much in certain ways. During the first activity, a small discussion about the partnership principles, I understood that you will have to structure the discussions otherwise they will go nowhere or anywhere. I also noticed that the discussion culture here was different then in the Northern states, where hierarchical systems are more important; a normal staff there will never openly disagree with a senior. Here it was totally open and they were even looking a bit funny when I told them that I wished for a discussion without hierarchical limitations. It was a nice feeling. I know I steered the discussion a little bit too much into the ‘ownership’ question, as this is most often the hinder for an equal partnership. The participants, as I expected, saw ownership as a financial commitment and said that for that I only could go to the Honorable’s office. So I had to encourage them thinking about ownership in different ways. Was hard but we got some good imput.

The second activity was the SWOT-analysis on the functional and organizational activities in the Ministry as well as to reflect on relations with other stakeholders. This was interesting; we worked in groups of 5 to get the first information on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. So much came out of this; almost every group had their own unique input when we were collecting the information on central charts. Then the difficult questions started, questions that Nigerians in general don’t ask. You could notice they had problems linking the four categories from the first part of the exercise to answer the analytical questions. It was hard to organize this discussion and to keep the participants focused on each question at the time. During the writing of the report that evening I discovered that I had answers to questions I thought I forgot to ask. I was lucky, by the way, that a Corper was writing the note during the whole meeting. Although she did a bit chaotic and I was really happy with my good memory, whitout her help I wouldn’t be able to get these answers al sorted out.

After the lunch only half of the group turned up for the final part, this happens more often in Nigeria; lunch is seen as a last activity. After lunch also light stayed away what made it really hard for the participants to respond adequate on the questions and to get them involved in writing objectives for the Memorandum of Understanding. So I speeded through this and left it for the MoU-committee to finish.

Day 2 was with all stakeholders in NGVP; this was a bigger meeting with 30 participants at the prime time. The introduction on VSO and NGVP took only little time after which the first activity, stakeholder analysis, started with a thought shower. Who are the stakeholders in the NGVP? We came down with a list of 18 stakeholders of which MoE and NYSC were seen as major ones, but also the schools, media, communities and philanthropist were seen as important stakeholders. It was funny that only one person mentioned VSO;-).

The rest of the day was about the future planning; what do we need to do to make it work? I short we can say ….. this will depend on the committee that will be working on de framework and plans …. And ofcourse finance! Money is so important. There needs to be a big stakeholder who is willing to lobby for this programme to get the money from other stakeholders or investors.  This because the Ministry is most likely not willing to pay for the whole amount of the allowance and getting the allowance from different places will ask to much organization. I at least have a lot of input from this meeting and a committee who will work on writing a plan for NGVP Kwara.