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Strengthening Enugu State’s Legal Response to Gender-Based Violence

South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) supports legal and institutional reform in Enugu State.

This work includes efforts to strengthen responses to gender-based violence and improve access to justice.

Effective protection requires laws that reflect survivors’ realities. It also requires institutions that can implement those laws effectively.

In Enugu State, the review of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law identified areas that required further attention.

These areas included survivor protection, institutional coordination, accountability, and access to justice.

Reviewing the Enugu State VAPP Law

The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law provides a legal framework for preventing and responding to violence.

However, laws must remain responsive to emerging challenges and practical realities.

For this reason, the review process examined provisions of the Enugu State VAPP Law and identified areas for improvement.

The review also considered how the legal framework can better support survivors and relevant institutions.

In addition, the process examined provisions linked to coordination and accountability.

SSDO’s Role in the Review Process

SSDO provided technical support to the Technical Review Committee throughout the review process.

The organisation supported the documentation, consolidation, and refinement of proposed revisions.

SSDO also contributed to preparing the reviewed draft for presentation to relevant state authorities.

Through this support, SSDO contributed technical input to an ongoing effort to strengthen the state’s legal response to gender-based violence.

The process also created an opportunity to bring different considerations into the review of the existing framework.

Presenting the Reviewed Draft

The Technical Review Committee has now completed the reviewed draft.

The draft was presented to Hon. Osinachi Austin Nnajieze (Esq), Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Enugu State.

The presentation marks a step in the ongoing process of strengthening the state’s legal framework.

It also provides a basis for further consideration of the proposed revisions by relevant authorities.

The next stages will determine how the reviewed provisions progress through the state’s legal and legislative processes.

Strengthening Protection Through Legal Reform

A strong legal response requires more than legislation alone.

Survivors also need accessible pathways to justice and effective institutional support.

At the same time, relevant institutions need clear responsibilities and mechanisms for coordination and accountability.

Therefore, strengthening the Enugu State VAPP Law can contribute to a stronger foundation for these responses.

SSDO’s technical contribution forms part of broader efforts to connect legal reform with the realities faced by survivors.

As the review process progresses, continued attention to implementation will remain important.

A stronger legal framework can support more coordinated institutional action and improve the systems available to people affected by gender-based violence.

SSDO continues to support reforms that strengthen protection, accountability, and access to justice within Enugu State’s legal and institutional systems.

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Enugu Youth Climate Action Forum Connects Young People to Green Opportunities

Young people across Enugu State are experiencing the effects of climate change while seeking practical opportunities to build sustainable livelihoods.

South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO), in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria under the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA II) Project, is supporting young people to participate in climate action and explore emerging opportunities in the green economy.

To commemorate International Youth Day 2026, SSDO convened the Enugu Youth Climate Action Forum to connect young people with stakeholders working across climate action, skills development, and green   employment.

Connecting Young People to the Green Economy

Climate action is creating new opportunities across sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, waste management, and climate technology.

For young people to benefit from these opportunities, they need access to relevant skills, information, networks, and pathways into employment or enterprise.

The Enugu Youth Climate Action Forum brought together young people, government representatives, private sector organisations, training institutions, development partners, and practitioners working across these areas.

The discussions focused on practical entry points into the green economy rather than climate change as a standalone issue.

Participants explored the skills required for emerging green jobs and considered practical steps they could take towards building careers and livelihoods in these sectors.

Exploring Green Jobs and Livelihood Opportunities

The forum highlighted several areas with potential for youth participation in Enugu’s growing green economy.

Renewable energy offers opportunities for young people to develop technical skills and build enterprises around clean energy solutions.

Sustainable agriculture provides another pathway, particularly as climate change continues to affect food production and rural livelihoods.

Participants also examined opportunities in waste management, the circular economy, and climate technology.

These conversations helped connect broad discussions about climate action with specific sectors where young people can develop skills, businesses, and careers.

Connecting Climate Conversations to Real Opportunities

A practical example emerged through the recognition of a young entrepreneur using green energy in her business.

The Enugu State SME agency awarded her ₦100,000 to support her enterprise in recognition of her work.

The award demonstrated how support for green businesses can translate climate conversations into tangible opportunities for young entrepreneurs.

It also gave participants a concrete example of how innovation, enterprise development, and climate action can intersect.

Giving Young People a Voice in Climate Action

The Enugu Youth Climate Action Forum also created space for young people to contribute their perspectives to climate and employment discussions in the state.

Their participation brought community experiences and youth priorities into conversations with institutions working across government, business, skills development, and development programming.

This engagement is important as climate policies and economic transitions increasingly shape the opportunities available to young people.

Meaningful youth participation requires more than inviting young people into conversations. It requires creating opportunities for them to contribute ideas, build relevant skills, and engage with decision-makers.

Supporting Youth Participation in a Greener Economy

The Enugu Youth Climate Action Forum forms part of ongoing work under SPA II to support young people to build resilience, participate in decision-making, and contribute to greener and more inclusive communities.

By connecting young people with stakeholders across the green economy, the forum created a practical space for knowledge exchange, skills exploration, and career development.

For SSDO, this work reflects a broader approach to youth engagement that connects participation with practical opportunities and community-level action.

As Enugu responds to the changing climate and the opportunities emerging from the green economy, young people have an important role in shaping the transition and contributing to more resilient communities.

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Youth Monitoring of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025: From Evidence to Stakeholder Action

South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO), in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria, strengthens youth participation in public policy monitoring across Enugu State.

Through youth-led monitoring of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, SSDO supported young people to examine how citizens understand and experience the new tax framework.

The findings provided evidence for a stakeholder engagement focused on taxpayer rights, transparency, multiple taxation, and public understanding of the new tax system.

Taking Youth Monitoring Beyond Awareness

Understanding a new law is only one part of meaningful public participation.

Citizens also need opportunities to examine how policies are implemented and how those policies affect their daily experiences.

Through this initiative, 51 youth monitors were trained and deployed across all 17 Local Government Areas in Enugu State.

They engaged traders, artisans, small business owners, and other citizens to document experiences around taxation.

The monitors gathered information on public awareness of the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, the taxes and levies people encountered, and their experiences with tax collection.

This process moved youth engagement beyond policy awareness towards evidence-based monitoring of implementation.

What the Youth Monitoring Found

The monitoring revealed gaps between the provisions of the new law and what citizens understand or experience in their communities.

These gaps matter because limited understanding can make it difficult for taxpayers to recognise their rights and obligations.

The findings also raised questions around transparency in revenue collection and the continued experience of multiple taxation.

Rather than treating these findings as an endpoint, SSDO used the evidence to create space for dialogue with relevant stakeholders.

Bringing Evidence Into the Stakeholder Conversation

SSDO convened tax authorities, government representatives, civil society organisations, youth representatives, and other stakeholders to examine the findings.

The stakeholder engagement provided an opportunity to discuss the issues identified through the youth monitoring process.

Discussions focused on taxpayer rights, transparency in revenue collection, multiple taxation, and how citizens can better understand the new tax system.

The engagement also created space for stakeholders to consider how evidence from communities can inform ongoing conversations about tax implementation.

For young monitors, the process connected the evidence they gathered with direct engagement with institutions responsible for policy implementation.

Building a Continued Youth Monitoring Process

The stakeholder engagement marks the beginning of a more structured phase of youth-led monitoring.

Youth monitors will continue documenting experiences in their communities and following up on issues identified through the monitoring process.

They will also track stakeholder commitments and use evidence to engage duty bearers on implementation concerns.

This creates a feedback process between citizens, young monitors, and institutions responsible for public policy and revenue administration.

Strengthening Youth Participation in Public Policy

Youth participation in policy processes becomes more meaningful when young people have opportunities to generate evidence and engage decision-makers.

The Nigeria Tax Act 2025 monitoring process provides one example of how young people can contribute to understanding policy implementation at community level.

Through this work, SSDO is supporting young people to move from receiving information about public policies to examining how those policies are experienced by citizens.

The approach also strengthens the role of community-level evidence in conversations around transparency, accountability, and responsive public administration.

SSDO continues to support mechanisms that connect citizens, evidence, and public institutions in ways that strengthen accountability and meaningful participation in governance.

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Young People, Shared Learning and Cross-Cultural Exchange at SSDO

South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) creates opportunities for young people to engage with community development and social change in Nigeria.

Through partnerships such as the AIESEC Global Volunteer Programme, these opportunities also create space for cross-cultural learning and exchange.

In 2026, Paul Neumeister from Germany joined SSDO as a volunteer through the programme, bringing a new perspective to the organisation’s work.

Learning Through Exposure to Community Development

Paul’s time with SSDO provided practical exposure to different areas of community development and social change.

He engaged with SSDO’s work across governance, gender equality, youth engagement, health, and community development.

This exposure gave him an opportunity to better understand how social impact work operates within the Nigerian context.

It also created opportunities for conversations within the SSDO team around different approaches, experiences, and perspectives.

For organisations working across complex social issues, these exchanges can strengthen learning beyond formal training and professional experience.

Creating Space for Cross-Cultural Exchange

The value of the AIESEC Global Volunteer Programme extends beyond the individual volunteer experience.

When young people work in unfamiliar contexts, they encounter different ways of understanding communities, institutions, and social challenges.

The exchange also works in both directions.

SSDO team members had opportunities to engage with Paul’s experiences and perspectives from Germany while sharing their own understanding of development work in Nigeria.

This creates a space for mutual learning rather than a one-way exchange of knowledge.

Building on Previous Volunteer Experiences

Paul’s experience was also part of a wider pattern of cross-cultural engagement at SSDO.

The organisation had previously hosted Brenda from Benin Republic through the AIESEC Global Volunteer Programme.

Her participation created another opportunity for young people from different backgrounds to engage with SSDO’s work and learn from the communities and contexts in which it operates.

Together, these experiences demonstrate how international youth exchanges can create opportunities for learning across different social and cultural contexts.

The Value of Youth Exchange in Social Impact Work

Young people bring different experiences, ideas, and perspectives to the spaces they enter.

Creating opportunities for them to contribute to social impact work can therefore strengthen both individual learning and organisational exchange.

For SSDO, these engagements provide opportunities to share its experience in community development while learning from young people who bring perspectives shaped by different contexts.

The AIESEC Global Volunteer Programme has provided a platform for these exchanges, connecting young people with practical experiences while creating opportunities for mutual learning.

As SSDO continues to engage young people through partnerships and community-based work, cross-cultural exchange remains an important part of creating spaces for learning, contribution, and shared understanding.

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Expanding the Sister Guardian Initiative Through Training and Peer Learning

South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) strengthens community protection systems through the Sister Guardian Initiative (SGI) in Enugu State.

The model supports women to prevent and respond to gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices within their communities.

As SGI expands into new communities, SSDO is strengthening both the capacity of implementing partners and the practical knowledge needed to sustain the model.

Strengthening the Sister Guardian Initiative

The Sister Guardian Initiative was developed to place women at the centre of community responses to issues affecting women and girls.

Through SGI, respected women become Sister Guardians who provide support, make referrals, engage community and traditional leaders, and advocate for the rights and wellbeing of women and girls.

The initiative has grown from 19 pioneer communities to 34 communities in Enugu State.

SGI III is building on this experience by supporting six new implementing partners to establish and implement the model in additional communities.

This next phase requires partners to understand not only the structure of SGI, but also the practical realities of implementing a community-led approach.

Training New Partners to Implement the Model

As part of SGI III, SSDO conducted a five-day training for six new implementing partners.

The partners included Women Empowerment Education and Peace Building Initiative, Ada Ojiriver, Cassidy and Theresa Foundation, Bridge D Gap Initiative, Women’s Rights and Health Project, and Girl Child Education and Women Health Development Foundation.

The Sister Guardian Initiative training focused on the SGI Implementation Toolkit and Facilitator’s Training Manual.

Partners were introduced to the practical processes required to establish SGI chapters within their communities.

The sessions covered community mobilisation, communication, facilitation, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and documentation.

The training provided partners with a common foundation for understanding how the model is structured and implemented.

It also equipped them with practical knowledge to support women to take leadership in addressing issues within their communitie

Peer Learning From Women With Experience

A separate peer-learning component provided an opportunity for experience to be shared across the SGI network.

Experienced Sister Guardians and women from newer SGI communities came together to reflect on their journeys and lessons from implementation.

Their conversations explored what has worked, the challenges they have encountered, and the approaches that have helped them build support within their communities.

Participants also discussed engagement with traditional and community leaders, responding to sensitive issues, and strengthening local ownership.

The new implementing partners joined these conversations and gained practical insights from women who have already worked within the SGI model.

These experiences offered lessons that cannot be fully captured in a training manual.

They also helped the incoming partners better understand the realities they may encounter when establishing SGI in their own communities.

For experienced Sister Guardians, the exchange provided an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and pass practical lessons to others

Connecting Training With Practical Experience

The partner training and peer-learning exchange served different purposes within the five-day activity.

The training provided the structure, tools, and technical knowledge required for implementation.

The peer-learning exchange provided practical experiences from women who have already navigated different community contexts.

Together, they give new partners both a structured framework and a clearer understanding of how the model works in practice.

This approach also creates opportunities for SSDO to document lessons from implementation and use them to strengthen the model as SGI continues to grow.

Building the Next Phase of SGI

Expanding a community-led model requires consistency while allowing room for different community realities.

The SGI Implementation Toolkit and Facilitator’s Training Manual provide a shared structure for new partners.

Peer learning adds the practical knowledge needed to adapt that structure to different communities.

This combination strengthens the foundation for establishing new SGI chapters while maintaining the principles that have shaped the initiative over the years.

As SGI III progresses, SSDO will continue working with its partners to strengthen community-based protection mechanisms for women and girls.

The expansion of the Sister Guardian Initiative reflects SSDO’s commitment to strengthening women-led approaches that improve community responses to gender-based violence, harmful traditional practices, and other issues affecting women and girls.