THEMATIC FOCUS
HEALTH
PDA focuses on supporting resilient and functioning health systems, especially in disadvantaged areas. In addition, PDA works on health systems policy and advocacy to increase the effectiveness and reach of state-driven health provision.
To date, PDA has built 5 functional health centres across five communities in Abakaliki and Afikpo North LGAs (Agba-Amaeta, Amuro, Ephuenyim, Offia-Oji and Okpuitumo), helping the people to have easy access to health services and successfully advocated with government to provide personnel to these facilities. Complementing the efforts of PDA in the area of health is Ananda Marger Universal Relief Team (AMURT), providing medical equipment drugs and personnel for Ephuenyim, Offia-Oji and Okpuitumo health centres. AMURT also built staff quarters and boreholes fin these three health centres. In order to reduce the incidence of water-borne disease, PDA constructed a motorised bore-hole in Agba-Amaeta and 2 manual boreholes in Ovuoba and Agbaja communities.
The activities of PDA in the communities where we work have also attracted the State Government and other Civil Society Organisations to construct more bore-holes. In partnership with Society for Family Health (SFH), PDA has carried out free HIV testing and counselling in four of our communities.
We have organized several sensitisation/awareness creation meetings in the communities where we work on immunisation, health, WASH, and MNCH. In partnership with Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), PDA has carried out free medical outreaches in Obegu-Odada and Offia-Oji communities. Most recently, PDA has conducted sensitisation and awareness programmes and support on the COVID-19 pandemic, touching on issues of prevention, treatment, economic impacts and awareness around gender-based violence and human rights abuses during the lockdown
AgriculturE
PDA works on Agriculture policy frameworks and advocacy to increase both the resources available to rural farmers, especially women, and also engage in providing support that improves productivity and increases earnings for these groups.
To ease the processing of their farm produce, for example, PDA provided rice milling machines for Obeguu-Odada, Okpuitumo and Offia-Oji communities. This has reduced the stress and cost of transporting their farm produce to the State capital for milling, boosting trade and incomes. In Offia-Oji, for example, farmers have expanded trade with communities in neighbouring Cross River State. PDA also provided cassava grinding machine for Obegu-Odada community to help them process their cassava with ease; established piggery farms in Ephuenyim and Ovuoba communities. All the efforts were geared towards making our communities economically resilient. In an effort to build a strong network of small-holder women farmers across community and State levels that can have a voice in influencing agricultural policies and budgets, and also access their rights as farmers, PDA has formed, trained and registered over 48 small-scale women farmers corporative societies across the State.
PDA has conducted and presented research on agricultural extension services (to Ebonyi State Agricultural Development Programme – ADP) and budget advocacy (most recently in 2020) to the government and other stakeholders in Ebonyi State, advovating for increased resource allocation and better services to improve productivity and value-chains.
EDUCATION
PDA has worked relentlessly to help improve access to and quality of education in Ebonyi State. After a strong focus on service provision, our work will shift to increased advocacy for better and more accountable governance in the education sector, targeting efforts at the Ministry of Education and SUBEB at state level and supporting community governance systems (SBMCs) at school and LGA level.
To help create conducive learning environments in our community schools, PDA has constructed 4 blocks of 6 classrooms across four communities (Edda, Ephuenyim, Obegu-Odada and Ovuoba), built a school hall for Amikpo Community Primary School and constructed school toilets for Amikpo, Edda and Ovuoba Community Primary Schools, donated over 460 desks to 12 community schools. PDA has also constructed a modern classroom block for Ovuoba Community School, with store, head teacher’s office and toilet. The classroom also has a library well equipped with furniture and books. PDA donated recreational facilities 3 community schools. For effective management of the community schools, PDA established School Based Management Committees (SBMC) in 5 communities to help provide oversight functions in management of the schools.
GOVERNANCE
PDA has developed a strong governance and rights focus to its work in the thematic areas above – conducting research, developing policy documents and recommendations and joining forces with other like-minded organisations to provide constructive input to improve good governance in this state. This is a growing area of our work.
WOMEN'S RIGHT
Through campaigns and sensitizations, some harmful traditional practices are no longer upheld. For instance, in Amuro community, widows now have access to farmland, the result of so many campaigns and sensitizations.
This has been an age long practice; however, attention was drawn to the ills of such practice, when Amuro women used a role play to make their plight known during 2010 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration in Amuro community, resulting in access to land in 2012. This success has been replicated in Obegu-Odada, where women cannot access farmlands for cultivation of rice, a major cash crop; and the campaign against land denial has started yielding fruits. Using the IWD platform, PDA had launched many campaigns promoting the rights of women and girls.
Through Peer Education Programme (PEP) for women, PDA has empowered many women who dropped out of school to go back to school; many women have established their own businesses (for example, events-rental businesses in Ephuenyim, Obegu-Odada and Ovuoba – using the revenues for scholarships, revolving loans and school repairs) while some have delved into politics and are all doing well. PDA has also trained Oshiri women on alternative sources of income generation.
Many of the beneficiaries are now applying their newly acquired knowledge and now support their families with the income generated. The impacts of the work has resulted in improved self-esteem, confidence to speak out during meetings, increased hygiene level, women owning businesses, participation in decision making at family and community level.
YOUTH
A recent report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) fund that the number of young people out of employment, education or training (SDG target 8.6.1) has been increasing since 2017. The youth are the future of Nigeria and Ebonyi State. And PDA is now focusing on youth in order to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals of 2030 agenda. The programmes have covered leadership, education, skill enhancement and vocational studies.
At the higher education level (as part of Safe Cities programme supported by ActionAid), PDA worked with the Students Union Government (SUG) and University authorities on safe spaces for girls, especially linked with sexual and gender based violence and abuse. To enhance the skill of unemployed youths, PDA has run youth and computer training programmes to support them gain employment. Targeting the community youths, community activista groups were established at Obegu Odada, Ephuenyim and Ovuoba communities and PDA (with support from ActionAid) facilitated income generation activities that have supported young people go back to school.
PDA plans to expand its programme with Youth through the recently launched Individual Giving initiative. Please donate generously to enable this aspect of our work expand significantly.
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
According to The World Bank Group, one billion people, or 15% of the world population, experience some form of disability, and prevalence is higher in developing countries. In Nigeria, there are over 25 million persons with disability (PWD). In spite of the recently passed Disability Bill, much remains to be done and implementation in weak.
In 2018, PDA started working with PWDs – first mapping groups and supporting research into their issues and needs. The survey revealed that PWDs are largely stigmatised and that women and girls with disability are disproportionately disadvantaged, being less likely to go to school, have access to health services, find gainful employment or be integrated and accepted in the community. The State government provides some targeted welfare support through its social safety nets programme, but the legislative and policy space remains weak and support is ad-hoc and may not be sustained over time.
PDA has supported groups of PWDs to develop a charter of demands and engage in high level advocacy meetings with the Ministry of Women’s’ Affairs and Social Welfare as well as the Ebonyi State House of Assembly to advocate for laws and policies that protect and empower persons with disabilities, especially women and girls with disabilities.