The Sister Guardian Initiative (SGI) is a South Saharan Social Development Organization’s flagship on reducing violence against women at the community level. The Sister Guardian Initiative, which is currently implemented in 19 communities in Enugu and Anambra State, taps into existing community-based women groups to identify women, referred to as Sister Guardians (SG), who are willing to stand in the gap and advocate for other women facing different kinds of abuse. They are majorly drawn from the circle of influential women in the community for instance: the Traditional rulers wives, Political women leaders, Religious women leaders, Umuada women leaders, Market women leaders
The initiative provides immediate support to female victims of violence – safety, counseling, and mediation with the husband and family members and when it is necessary for the cases to be referred to the police and other relevant agencies for the women, they support the women in prosecuting their case either at the community level with the extended family and village authorities, or the police and courts as the case may be, ensuring the women are never alone. In addition, they advocate against violence against women (VAW) at the community level and also educate women and the community at large on their civic responsibilities.
It also advocates against violence against women at the community level and educates women and the community on their civic rights and responsibilities.
Beyond this, the initiative also helps with conflict resolution among community members. In September, the SGI Project lead mediated between a contractor and Orokoro community over equipment supply. Ultimately, an agreement was brokered on the way forward between both parties.
The project lead had a series of meetings with the contractor and community separately and then organized a meeting between both parties to reach a truce and proffer a solution that would lead to the electrification of the community.
The community engaged a contractor to help as an expert to liaise with EEDC on how to power Orokoro community. The contractor was paid and was not heard from for a long time. During this period, the community assumed that the contractor had eloped with their money. And sought the help of the Sister Guardian Initiative.
After a series of inquiries, the project lead reached the contractor and met with him to find out his side of the story. He stated he has been executing the task for which he was paid. Having heard his side of the story, the project lead arranged a meeting with the community members and the Igwe to resolve the issue and broker a way forward peacefully.
The contractor showed documents of payment to the EEDC and explained how far he had gone with the job. He promised to complete the job in a few weeks and deliver on the agreement with the community.
The community members were happy with the outcome of the meeting, and a member of the community echoed this. “I am happy that Sister Guardian was able to intervene. Because for a long time we didn’t hear from him and it seemed like we had been cheated. SSDO, through the Sister Guardian, was able to arrange a meeting and help us know what was happening to the project.”
