INTRODUCTION:
GPI Calabar center embarked on a community social work\ intervention to Ayanganseh of Idundu clan of Akpabuyo Local Government of Cross River State
The objectives for this year social work\ intervention are as follows:
It serves as one of the criteria to be met by the GPI graduating girls
It also a platform were girls who have been in the organization for three years will give out information to the community members on issues covering sexual, reproductive health and right and also on family life on HIV and AIDS. Especially to community members (females) who have never had access to such vital information
It also serves as a platform where girls will exhibit their facilitations skills as peer educators and agent of positive change in the society
PROCESS:
In attendance, the social work\ intervention exercise attracted a total number of 196 participant, comprising of;
- 65 adult (35 males & 30 females
- 36 adolescent\youth (10 males & 26 females)
- 95 children (34 males & females)
- 5 GAA members.
The graduating girls comprise of 32 girls in damsels group & 24 girls in seeders group.
Team member from GPI Calabar as follows:
- Helen Kanu 11. Kennedy Archibong
- Margaret Udo 12. Abigail Anthony
- Sunday Omori 13. Gbenga Christopher
- Arit Bassey 14. Obo Archibong
- Margaret Afangideh
- Diane Janzen
- Julie Moore
- Glory Akpama
- Bliss Echip
- Anne Archibong
Highlight of the social work\community intervention were;
- Group sessions with the participants
- Songs and exercise
- Distribution of clothes, bags, and shoes made by GPI Calabar Entrepreneurial skills Centre girls to the participants present.
- Administration of vitamin A and deworming tablets to children from 6-59 month by the Edem’s Children Foundation [E.C.F] who partner with GPI as part of their contribution to the community members.
- Refreshment.
The methodologies used for intervention exercise were; group discussion, brainstorming and question and answer. The participants were divided into groups according to age and sex, and each of the groups were assigned some graduating girls alongside with GPI facilitators as support for the social work/intervention exercise .The groups were:
- Men
- Women
- Adolescent boys
- Adolescent girls
- Children aged 0-10 years
- Children aged10-17 years
OUTPUTS
The different groups had different topics to take into consideration as follows:
- Men group: The topics highlighted in this group were:
- Childs right
- Son preference
- Early marriage
- Teenage pregnancy
- F.G.M
- Communication skills
- Bride price
- Women’s group: The topics highlighted
- Menopause
- Menstruation
- Pregnancy and child birth
- Contraceptives
- Other health issues
- Adolescent boys: The topics highlighted in this group were:
- Violence against girls and women
- STIs/HIV AIDS
- Contraceptives
- Wife battery
- Son preference
- Adolescent girls: The topics highlighted in this group were:
- Pregnancy and child birth
- Menstruation
- Menopause
- Contraceptives
- Personal hygiene
- Children aged 10-17 years: The topics highlighted in this group were:
- Puberty
- Body image
- Communication skills
- Childs right
- Children aged 0-10 years: The topics highlighted in this group were:
- Personal hygiene
- Friendship and love
- Respect
- Childs right
- Other educative information[rhymes]
Some questions raised from the participants were:
- Why do women experience early menopause?
- If you send a child to school and a child gets pregnant, what will you do?
- What can you do to stop the girl child from having boyfriends?
- Why should we stop or lower bride price?
- What should we do to make our girl children closer to us?
- What if our children are stubborn, should we beat them?
- How should we treat our women in the community?
- What can a father do if his daughter that is below 18 sees a suitor and wants to get married?
- What is the reason for someone to have difficulties in defecating
- Do the graduating girls have boyfriends?
- What should you do if your partner refuses to use condom, and you were in the middle of having sex?
All the questions were responded to according, but categorically stated that, the G.P.I team were not medical personnel’s, thus all health issues they encounter should be referred to the hospital for proper medical check up
Challenges encountered
Challenges encountered included:
- Language barrier. This was overcame by some graduating girls who volunteered to interpret in their local language.
- Poor turn up by the community members. This was overcame by conducting a fresh mobilization by the graduating girls and members of the G.P.I team
- Technical error .Presentation could not be done using the projectors
- Lack of communication and public speaking skills on the part of the graduating girls.
- Inadequate partnership with other NGOs.
- Lack of time management on the part of the G.P.I team.
- Environmental hazard [sandflies].
- Inability to explore other methodologies for lesson delivery.
- Lack of instructional material for lesson delivery
- Limited number of gift items
Lesson learnt
Lesson learnt were:
- The social work/intervention for this year [2016] marked a significant improvement in terms of cooperation from the community member, as compared to previous ones.
- Members of the community were to some extend enlightened as most of them were against the practice of male child preference.
- Early marriage is prevalent in the community.
Recommendations
- The graduating girls should be grouped in a manner that some of them can speak the local language of the community members.
- The need to check with their audience to see if they all understood English/pidgin, in order to know how to interact with them.
- Orientation and simulation exercise should be organized for the graduating girls before embarking on the social work/ intervention exercise
- G.P.I should partner with more NGOs to enrich the package and make it more interesting for participants.[e.g. malaria testing]
- Time management should be seriously taken into consideration by the G.P.I team.
- Dress code should be taken into consideration due to environmental conditions [ e.g. wearing of trousers because of sandflies]
- Other methodologies should be explore to make the learning process more captivating.[ e.g. the use audio visuals drama etc.]
- Instructional materials should be made available.
- Increase in number of gift items.
- Report by Obo Archibong\ Glory Akpama
