The Story of Unsung Heroes

Group Photograph of the Executive Director, Dr. Stanley Ilechukwu, Principal of Government Technical College, Akpuoga Nike and some teachers.

Mar. 05, 2020

The impact of teachers in the world over cannot be overemphasized. For starters, they are the nurturers that build values in children who grow up to be world-changers. Aside parents, they have the largest influence on young minds. Which so many would argue and say that their influence rivals that of parents. This is often attributed to the fact that they have access to the child during their most productive part of the day as well as their formative years.

On this day in the world, especially this week, we take out time to celebrate teachers and
their impact on our communities. The theme of this year’s celebration, Leading in Crisis, Reimagining the Future is geared at raising the awareness of teachers this period to more innovative ways of teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. Especially technology-driven models that would enable them better prepared to handle the crisis.

At South Saharan Social Development Organization (SSDO), we recognize that teachers are pivotal and a key proponent if development must happen. Hence the need to ensure that they are well equipped to impart children. Seeing that SSDO’s work revolves around women, youth, and children. And if development is to happen, it must start at the grassroots, right? For us at SSDO, we are not just celebrating teachers, but walking the talk by adding value.

Ray Of Hope in the Pandemic

The scourge of the Covid-19 has been felt by all sectors and Education hasn’t been left out. Schools in the country have been shut for about 6 months thus crumpling the learning system, altering the calendar, and causing a delay in the graduation time of students. Final year students in secondary school were preparing for their external examinations when the pandemic hit home. Thankfully, schools have resumed and these students need to be up and about their preparation for their exams.

However, the pandemic caused a financial crisis that crippled the economy and as well affected the ability of parents to muster resources to aid this preparation. This is where SSDO comes in. The organization in partnership with the Development Research and Projects Center (DRPC) is making an education grant available to cushion the effect of the pandemic.

Value Adding

DRPC, who is focused on social sector development particularly the educational sector is making grants available to selected technical and vocational schools nationwide in preparation for the
NABTEB examinations. And as such have partnered with SSDO, as their link-up partner for Enugu state. The selected school for Enugu is Government Technical College, Akpuoga Nike, located in Enugu East LGA.

The funding is targeted at helping the school make extra lessons available, procuring past questions, and textbooks to aid studying and improve the overall performance of the students in the examination. Also, the funds will be targeted at getting resources for the practical sessions of the examinations. Furthermore, the funds will also be channeled towards ensuring that PPEs such as face masks and sanitizers are acquired to ensure that the safety of the students is guaranteed during the examination period.

File Image: The Executive Director and the Principal formalizing the details

confirmed

The award was presented on the 14^th of September by the Executive Director of SSDO, Dr. Stanley Ilechukwu on behalf of DRPC. Dr. Stanley said, “One of SSDO’s mantras is making quality education accessible to communities across the South Eastern landscape. This birth the partnership with DRPC to identify the most deserving technical school in the state.” The NABTEB examination is slated to run from the 21^st of Sept to the 15^thof Oct 2020.

Sustainable Growth

We are not just concerned about momentary significance but long-term impact. This has led us to develop a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) conference themed “Leveraging the Strengths of Formal and Informal TVET to Improve Competencies of Nigerian Youth for Productive Employment” after the NABTEB examination aimed at bridging
the gap between fresh graduates and the working sector.

This conference would help the students understand the requirements needed to effectively transition from the educational environment to the working sphere.

By Oduguwa Olusomi

August 7, 2020November 2, 2023

Water of Life Project

Introduction

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Water is essential for life. The amount of fresh water on earth is limited, and its quantity is under constant pressure. Preserving the quality of freshwater is important for the drinking-water supply, food production, and recreational water use. Water is critical to life, but it is also a limited resource and several interrelated factors are decreasing its availability. South Saharan Social Development Organization embarked on The Water of Life (WOL) project due to the integral role water access, plays in several human development spheres including education, nutrition, food security, housing and urban planning, good health, and women’s empowerment. The Project provided safe drinking water to over one million inhabitants of local communities within Abia, Rivers, Lagos, Ogun, Niger, Nasarawa, Edo, Benue, Oyo, Delta, Imo, Oyo, Ondo, Enugu, Ekiti, Kwara, and Anambra states, utilizing a methodology that prioritized community ownership in a bid to foster sustainability. The challenges of the project remain the sustainability of the water source and this is further hindered by a poor maintenance and management culture of the host communities. This culture has led neglect of the water sources and their subsequent fall to ruin. To forestall this scenario, the project decided to support the institution of a functional Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Committee whose deliverable is to ensure that the water infrastructure is continually maintained post-rehabilitation and can serve its function of providing safe, quality water to the inhabitants of the community for a very long time. For the success of the project, SSDO conducted advocacy to gatekeepers and stakeholders in each community. This activity was done to obtain permission for entry and also to identify and select community members to be trained as the WASH committee. Also, five (5) members of each intervention community were selected and trained on best practices to manage the facilities to ensure sustainability. The trained members were inaugurated as the WASH committee members for the facilities. Some training sessions were also conducted where WASHCOM members and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) team were trained for each of the facilities. This was done to ensure proper operation and maintenance of the facilities and also to ensure the sustainability of the project.

Boreholes

Lagos State

Onibaba Ajegunle Community Borehole – (GPS Coordinates – 6.456653, 3.342979)

Status: Completed

Located at No. 3 Ago Hausa Street – Beside African Primary School, Ajegunle, Lagos state.

The borehole was serviced and re-developed to open the pores of the aquifer for optimum performance

Refurbishment: The borehole was further refurbished to enhance the aesthetics. This also has been completed and the borehole opened to the community for use.

Isolo – Mafoluku Community Borehole. (GPS Coordinates – 6.55870, 3.33430)

Status: Completed

The borehole is located at 1st Corner of Ansar-ud-Deen, Avenue and Makinde Street, Lagos State. The borehole was serviced and re-developed to open the pores of the aquifer for optimum performance

Refurbishment: The borehole was further refurbished to enhance the aesthetics. This also has been completed and the borehole opened to the community for use.

Noforija1 hand pump borehole. (GPS Coordinates – 6.629500, 3.984820)

Status: Completed

The borehole is located at Noforija1 in Eredo LCDA, Epe LGA, Lagos State.

Ajegbende 1 hand pump borehole. (GPS Coordinates – 6.62035, 4.04805)

Status: Completed

The borehole is located at Ajegbende1 in Eredo LCDA, Epe LGA, Lagos State.

Igbonla hand pump borehole. (GPS Coordinates – 6.67133, 4.00275)

Status: Completed

The borehole is located at Igbonla primary school in Eredo LCDA, Epe LGA, Lagos State.

The UPE primary school Ilara hand pump borehole

A complete set of Indian Mark III and its accessories were procured and installed at Noforija1 according to the specifications of the Bill of Quantities (BOQ). Riser pipes were subsequently installed to ensure optimal functionality and the borehole opened to the public thereafter

Niger State

Rafin Sanyi – (GPS Coordinates – 9.146562, 7.197912)

Status: Completed

The borehole is located at Rafin Sanyi Area Bakin-Iku (Central Mosque) Suleja LGA, Niger state.

The existing borehole in the facility was located in an area with low water yields and this prompted the need for a geophysical survey to identify a new high yield location after which a new borehole was sunk. The overhead tank was reconstructed and the damaged perimeter fencing was repaired. An 11,000 KVA generator set was installed. All other materials for electromechanical repairs were procured and installed while the damaged taps were also replaced. The borehole opened to the community for use.

Handover: The borehole facility was handed over to the community on 14th August 2019 during a handover ceremony.

Fangamu – Suleja, Niger state – (GPS Coordinates – 9.183082, 7.168575)

Status: Completed

The borehole at IQBE Centre, Old Kpata was initially slated to rehabilitated but it was discovered that the state government took up the facility for repairs. In view of this, the facility at Fangamu located at Gangarin Fangamu, Gangarin Fangamu Road, Suleja, Niger state under the WOL scheme was selected as a replacement. Due to low water yield from the existing borehole, a geophysical survey was conducted to identify an area of high yield and a new hole was drilled. The overhead tank was reconstructed and also the damaged perimeter fencing was repaired. The borehole opened to the community for use.

Handover: The borehole facility was handed over to the community on 14th August 2019 during a handover ceremony.

Nasarawa State

Angwan Albarka – (GPS Coordinates – 9.007626, 7.594590)

The borehole is located behind Central Mosque, Uke, Karu LGA, Nasarawa state.

Status: Completed

The borehole in the facility was flushed and the overhead tank was reconstructed and also the damaged perimeter fencing was repaired. The roof and doors of the generator building was repaired and an 11,000 KVA generator set was installed. All other materials for electromechanical repairs were procured and installed while the damaged taps were also replaced. The borehole opened to the community for use.

Handover: The borehole facility was handed over to the community on 20th August 2019 during a handover ceremony.

July 13, 2020March 15, 2022

Seeing the Need, Taking the Lead: The Soap Drive Initiative

The world as we know it changed forever from December 2019 when the novel COVID-19 virus was first discovered in China. The modus operandi of the world immediately came to a halt and a new approach to life had to be invented in other for mankind to do what it knows best, survive. And the best way identified by world governing bodies to halt the rapid spread was a temporary lockdown that lasted over three months.

One reality that whether liked or not must be confronted is the economic disruption that the lockdown has caused. A good number of organizations could not cope with incurring expenses and not having incomes, and then the sinking began.

Nigeria, specifically, which is our geographic location and as such our main focus, saw an oil price drop to a record low as it was sold for under $20 per barrel, the worst in the past 15 years. Making it thus difficult for the federal government to raise funds, and to add salt to the injury importation and exportation was put on hold, even making it more difficult for the product to be sold. With oil being our main source of income, there was indeed going to be a problem.

Beyond the impact on the federal government, the private sector also couldn’t keep paying while they couldn’t be productive, and the retrenchment commenced, and for others, they didn’t pay their staff anymore. People now had to live on their savings, and for those who didn’t have, oh well… But the real unasked question remained, which will kill people more? The virus? Or hunger? The government responded to this question by introducing palliative measures which helped to some extent solve the hunger part.

Understanding the Need

Now, to the virus part. How will people who haven’t met their basic physiological needs think of higher needs such as safety? This is where we at South Saharan Social Development Organization come in. Having identified a gap, especially among some identified vulnerable households in Enugu, Nigeria, we took the lead by creating the soap drive initiative. The soap drive came off a burning desire to help families and households keep in line with world accepted safety measures as recommended by W.H.O to wash hands regularly as this helps curb the possibility of the virus getting into the human system.

The soap drive is an initiative aimed at getting to various parts of Enugu state while creating awareness on COVID-19 as well as making provisions available for families that cannot afford soap. Albeit small, the lack is a reality, thus helping them free up funds that can be channeled to other areas. In the words of the organization’s Program Manager, Udochukwu Egwim. “Our goal is to help people cultivate healthy practices that would in the long run result in habits that are sustainable even beyond the pandemic.”

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ground Covered, Impact Made

With this initiative, we have successfully distributed 10,000 soap bars to over 1400 households in Enugu, with Enugu South, Nkanu West, and Nkanu East LGAs being key target areas. This we successfully achieved by tapping into our huge network of volunteers spread out all across the state. At this point, it is important to note that it has been proven scientifically and also backed up psychologically that it takes 21 days to cultivate a habit. With this in mind, each household was given 6 tablets of soap with the intention to see them consistently wash their hands for over a month and hence cultivate the habit.

The soap drive also afforded a unique opportunity to educate the beneficiaries on the importance of wash and personal hygiene, health education, as well as the recommended W.H.O hand washing procedure, which included a seven-step and 20 seconds procedure. Beyond hygiene, it was also a time to equip the beneficiaries with the right information on COVID-19, which includes understanding the pandemic and necessary safety measures.

“You could literally see their faces come alive when they were presented with the soaps, and they were more than willing to learn more on how to protect their families from the pandemic.” – Okereke Grace, one of the volunteers said.

The soap drive spanned the first two weeks in May and members of the public equally bought in the idea as they willingly contributed soaps to the endeavor. Showing that as a people we can be stronger together once we set our hearts on a course.

June 29, 2020March 15, 2022

COVID-19: Emotions as NGO give palliatives to homeless triplet-nursing mother, 253 vulnerable

SYMPATHY went high in Enugu, yesterday, when a Non-Governmental Organization, South Saharan Social Development Organization, SSDO, in partnership with Nigeria Foundation for the Support of Victims of Terrorism (Victims Support Fund) distributed palliatives to 254 indigent citizens of Enugu state, whose income were affected by the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.

The distribution exercise which took place in the month of June had other vulnerable persons that benefited from the palliatives were a blind woman at Ogui-Eke and a crippled man who lives in a zinc corrugated house in Oma-Eke, both in Udi local government area of Enugu state. Anosike, the nursing mother of triplets and four other children, who squat in school premises, having no apartment of hers, in an emotional speech said: “You don’t know what this means to me, ever since my husband realized that I was pregnant with triplets, even more, so that we have four children already, he left us and never came back.”

The elated blind woman danced around when she was informed of what the team brought to her.

The palliatives consisted of food items, sanitizers and facemasks, to meet the physiological and safety needs of the people.

Speaking at the event flag-off, Executive Director of SSDO, Dr Stanley Ilechukwu regretted that the Covid-19 inspired lockdown has presented a stark choice to families, to risk death or disability due to the virus or hunger and starvation from loss of income.

“South Saharan would support you to ensure you are not placed in a situation where you have to choose either. This exercise is being carried out successfully with a working database of vulnerable households in the state. “The project is ongoing and SSDO is calling out to both individuals and groups whose interest has been kindled and would like to donate to help,” Ilechukwu said.

The palliatives which focused on widows, orphans, and people living with disabilities, PLWD, were distributed across Enugu East, Enugu South, Nkanu East, and Udi local government areas of Enugu state.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/06/covid-19-emotions-as-ngo-give-palliatives-to-homeless-triplet-nursing-mother-253-vulnerable/

May 28, 2020November 2, 2023

Enugu State COVID-19 Emergency Response, WaterAid/SSDO

As part of the efforts to respond to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Enugu State, WaterAid in partnership with South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) has installed contactless permanent handwashing facilities in ten different locations in the state, including the three COVID-19 Isolation centres across the State.

Speaking at the Launch of the Facilities which took place at the Ultra-Modern Diagnostic Centre, GRA, Enugu on 28th May, 2020, the Executive Director SSDO, Dr. Stanley Ilechukwu, appreciated the government of Enugu State for its continued support and stated that SSDO is working to ensure that the state is COVID-19 free.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ike Obi who wwas present at the launch stated that the project was a welcomed development and the ministry is open for more collaboration.

The contactless permanent handwashing facilities are currently installed at;

Ultra-Modern Diagnostic centre, GRA, Enugu
ESUT Specialist and Isolation Center, GRA, Enugu
Nsukka Isolation and Treatment Center
Nsukka General Hospital
Ogbete Main Market
New Market, Enugu
Gariki Main Market
Orba Main Market
Ogige Main Market
9th Mile Shuttle Park

The occassion was graced by the presence of the Commissioner for Health – Associate Prof. Emmanuel Ikechukwu Obi, Special Adviser to the Governor, Ministry of Water Resources – Hon. Dubem Onyia, Permanent Secretary, Min. of Water Resources – Mrs. Cordelia Ada Nwonye, MD, Enugu State Water Corporation – Eze Chidozie, and Coordinator – Small Town Units, Min of Water Resources – Christopher Ogbu.

Also present at the launch were representatives of both print and electronic media organizations.