NIF Nigeria INGO Forum Coordination for better delivery FORUM POST CONTENTS NIF Members Seating in Humanitarian Coordination Platforms North-East Nigeria Setting the Standards for Common Terminology for Lake Chad Basin A RACE AGAINST CHILD MORTALITY: How ALIMA is Fighting Malnutrition in Muna Garage The INGO Forum Leading Voice against the NGO Bill 73 Frontline Aid Workers Trained in 10 Locations in Borno State CHRISTIAN AID: Partnering with WFP in Food Assistance HRP 2018 in Figures Promoting Collective Engagement with Key Actors in Borno State MORE THAN A TEACHER - Education in the midst of chaos: The Inspiring Story of Hassan LOCAL RESPONDER CAPACITY STRENGTHENING: Outcomes and Lessons Learnt from Past Local Responder Capacity Building Initiatives of the Dutch-Funded Nigeria Joint Response (NJR) Inside the INGO Forum Humanitarian Resources NIF/Moshood Raimi
LIST OF NIF MEMBERS 1 Action Aid 2 Action Against Hunger 3 Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development 4 International Alert 5 Alliance for International Medical Action 6 Catholic Agency For Overseas Development 7 Christian Aid 8 Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere 9 Centre for Civilians in Conflict 10 Cooperazione Internazionale 11 Catholic Relief Services 12 Danish Refugee Council 13 ehealth Africa 14 FHI 360 15 Center for Humanitarian Dialogue 16 International Medical Corps 17 International NGO Safety Organization 18 INTERSOS 19 International Rescue Committee 20 Mines Advisory Group 21 Malteser International 22 Mercy Corps 23 Medecin Du Monde 24 Norwegian Refugee Council 25 Oxfam International 26 Plan International 27 Premiere Urgence Internationale 28 Save the Children 29 Search for Common Ground 30 Secours Islamique France 31 Solidarites International 32 SOS Children's Villages 33 Street Child 34 Voluntary Services Overseas 35 WaterAid 36 ZOA International AA AAH/ACF ACTED Alert ALIMA CAFOD CAID CARE CIVIC COOPI CRS DRC ehealth FHI 360 HD IMC INSO INTERSOS IRC MAG Malteser MC MDM NRC Oxfam Plan PUI SC SFCG SIF Solidarites SOS Street VSO WaterAid ZOA NIF MEMBERS SEATING IN HUMANITARIAN COORDINATION PLATFORMS Coordination Platform No. Members Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) 6 ACF, IRC, MC, NRC, SC, NIF Operational Humanitarian Country Team (OHCT) 7 ACF, DRC, INSO, IRC, Oxfam, SC, NIF Inter-Sector Working Group (ISWG) 7 ACF, DRC, IRC, NRC, Oxfam, SC, NIF Inter-Agency Taskforce on Returns 4 IRC, NRC, Oxfam, NIF Civil Military Coordination (CMCoord) Forum 3 ACF, DRC, INSO Humanitarian Hubs Taskforce 2 MDM, Oxfam Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) 2 ACF, MC Access Working Group (AWG) 4 ACF, DRC, INSO, Oxfam, NIF (co-chair) 2
NORTH EAST NIGERIA SETTING THE STANDARDS FOR COMMON TERMINOLOGY FOR LAKE CHAD BASIN Recognising the need to strengthen a principled response and following a direct recommendation from the Peer to Peer Mission in July 2017, the Nigeria INGO Forum (NIF) in collaboration with the Access Working Group (WG) developed a Common Terminology Document setting out key language 'do's and don'ts' that was subsequently endorsed at the HCT level. Visible usage of this common terminology and pressure from donors resulted in other countries in the Lake Chad Basin following lead with Niger recently adopting their own Common Terminology document. INGOs are encouraged to distribute this document within your organisation, specifically with frontline staff to ensure we are all using the same terminology. THE INGO FORUM LEADING VOICE AGAINST THE NGO BILL DiPGEI A cross section of civil society representatives during the public hearing of the NGO bill in the National Assembly NIF allied with leading national actors has been at the forefront of advocating against the passing of the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Regulatory Commission (Establishment) Bill (2016). The Bill which was introduced in the House of Representatives on June 2, 2016 by the Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Umar Buba Jibril, from Kogi state and provides for the supervision, coordination and monitoring of non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and so on, in Nigeria and for related matters. NIF echoing the concerns of all civil society was concerned about the heavy regulations, power for refusal of registration and general over-scrutinising of projects and potential criminalisation of lack of disclosure of source of funds that the Bill would allow for. On 31 October 2017, NIF organised a roundtable with donors and representatives from the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) to discuss main concerns and strategize on best way to approach the Public Hearing. NIF submitted a memorandum to the House of Representatives Committee on Civil Society and Development Partners outlining the major concerns. In addition, on December 13 2017, the Director of NIF, Jennifer Jalovec added her voice to over 300 members of civil society and public opposing the Bill citing the detrimental effects it would have on both CSOs and INGOs operating in Nigeria, in particular humanitarian operations in the north-east. Following the Public hearing, the Bill returned to the committee stage where the House Committee on Civil Society and Development are deliberating on submissions made during the Public hearing. Next steps are still unknown and the INGO Forum is following the status closely. 3
Highlighting Member's Achievements NIF / Moshood Raimi A RACE AGAINST CHILD MORTALITY: How ALIMA is Fighting Malnutrition in Muna Garage The Problem The magnitude of the humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria has driven 1.7 million people away from their homes to camps and host communities, where those without relatives resort to using twigs and grasses to m a k e a d h o c s h e l t e r s o u t s i d e t h e communities or in some cases, within host communities. The nearly decade-long crisis is characterised by massive destruction of social amenities and public structures including health centres, schools, water points, banks, and so on. About a third of 743 health facilities identified in Borno state have been completely destroyed. Of the 481 health facilities that have not been destroyed, 31% of them are not functioning, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Difficult terrain, insecurity, inadequate staffing and insufficient supplies and equipment significantly hinder access to basic, lifesaving health care by IDPs and local populations in the North-east. Dr. Baweye, Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) Coordinator. The disruption of local economy and farming for a while now has led to massive hunger, leading to high prevalence of acute malnutrition and other related diseases such as diarrhoea. According to WHO, the overall nutrition situation in Borno state is very alarming. "Undernutrition is one of the major threat to life of mothers and children under age 5 in IDP camps and local communities of Borno state", he further said. 4
What We Are Doing ALIMA runs an extensive health clinic in one of the largest IDP camp in Borno state, sited in Muna Garage on the outskirt of Maiduguri. The health centre provides free primary health care to children under the age of 5, with focus on undernutrition treatment, reproductive health care for pregnant women as well as outpatient treatment. A total of 28,067 patients benefitted from at least one of these services since April 2017 with an average of 65 patients accessing the clinic per day. Dr. Baweye explained that "even though the health centre is sited in the camp to target the IDPs, more locals from far and near are accessing the facility than IDPs". As part of the diagnostic process, patients wash their hands with chlorinated water immediately after triage to improve hygiene and minimise contamination. In July 2017, 8,879 children under 5 years came for consultation with 1,517 of them treated for undernutrition in Muna Garage clinic with a 95% success rate. Such are the volume of cases of malnutrition ALIMA handles almost every month. Aside treatment of malnutrition, children also undergo check-ups and immunization s e r v i c e s f o r f a t a l d i s e a s e s. T h e i r accompanying parents' who are mostly mothers knowledge on best hygiene practices and feeding are improved. Mothers are trained on how to screen their children for malnutrition using the MUAC bracelet. A study 1 conducted by ALIMA in Niger Republic reveals that this approach is more effective in upscaling nutrition intervention than relying on trained health workers. A dedicated unit in the clinic also takes care of pregnant women and women and girls who have suffered medical complications from sexual abuse. ALIMA is one of the few humanitarian organizations who significantly contributed to the efforts that halted Cholera Epidemic in Muna Garage in October 2017. More than 590 infected patients were treated in the clinic, while 257 advanced cases were referred to other treatment centres in Maiduguri with 32.7% of them being children under 5 years. Concurrently, ALIMA is supporting a 30-bed Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ITFC) within the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) with personnel, medical supplies and capacity building. The centre is equipped to care for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) with complications and other child and maternal related diseases. With a plan to commence outpatient treatment in 2018, the centre hopes for more space within the institution to expand the bed space to 50. The ITFC is the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. ALIMA provides free feeding and ambulance service throughout the treatment period of every patient in the Muna Garage's clinic and those referred to the ITFC or any other treatment centre. "Sometimes, chances of survival of these children depend on how early they are received in the clinic. Some of these children are even brought to the clinic without eating for days as a result of hunger." NIF / Moshood Raimi Dr. Jeremy, ALIMA. Screening of a child for malnutrition using MUAC bracelet 1 Families screening for malnutrition by MUAC and edema, ALIMA, April 2017. 5
In a bid to ensure the sustainability of malnutrition treatment in Borno state, ALIMA recruited and stationed health practitioners who are mostly Nigerians in the ITFC to support and build capacities of the UMTH staff working in the centre. Intensive trainings are from time-to-time organized by UNICEF to teach staff from the state Ministry of Health on how to manage SAM in children as well as related medical complications. According to Professor Jose Ambe, ITFC, "this centre is an example of a partnership at its best and my dream is for it to eventually become an Institute of Child and Adolescent Medicine, a leading centre in terms of research and trainings on child and adolescent related diseases". With widespread hunger among vulnerable families leading to alarming rates of malnutrition cases in Muna Garage and surrounding communities, more is needed to be done to combat child and maternal mortality. Story From A Beneficiary Hannatu I Had to Express my Gratitude: She was rushed down to ALIMA's clinic in Muna Garage in critical condition after she fell sick while working in her groundnut farm. The medical team slowed down her deteriorating health condition and then she was transferred to the ITFC. Hannatu was eventually transfused with three bags of blood. I was admitted and treated for free by ALIMA. I have never received free service in the past and after I successfully delivered my twins, I had to look for the phone number of the nurse who took care of me to express my gratitude. NIF / Moshood Raimi Hannatu Amos, an IDP displaced from Chibok. Hannatu, her daughter and the newly born twins in ALIMA clinic, Muna Garage For more information, contact: Dr. Baweye ( maiduguri.pc@nigeria.alima.ngo) 6
73 FRONTLINE AID WORKERS TRAINED IN 10 LOCATIONS IN BORNO STATE NIF/Andrew Saman Staff of INGOs and NNGOs with their certificates after undergoing SPHERE minimum standards training organised by NIF In collaboration with United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), NIF is training frontline humanitarian actors in ten deep field locations in Borno state. Through interactive group work, scenario building and presentations, participants are exposed to global policies and best practices in order to build a common understanding of humanitarian principles and increase their capacity to deliver a more effective and principled response. So far, trainings have taken place in 3 locations with a total of 73 participants trained; Ngala 26, Gwoza 30 and Monguno 17 from INGOs, NNGOs and UN Agencies. Trainings in the remaining 7 locations will be conducted in Dikwa, Bama, Pulka, Banki, Damboa, Damasak, and Rann from January 22 February 17, 2018. 7
Highlighting Member's Achievements CAID/Chuba Ezeigwe Christian Aid s food distribution in Dikwa CHRISTIAN AID: Partnering With WFP In Food Assistance Mai Bunu Mustapha was once a beans trader who had about 40 apprentices under his supervision. He had big clients in Lagos and other parts of the country. The 60-year-old Bolori resident is one of the recipients of food items under the WFP funded food security intervention. He says his standard of living has greatly improved since the intervention of Christian Aid. My clients were very active, purchasing tonnes of beans frequently. I could afford anything I wanted. I had a car and a comfortable home. The poor security situation in Borno is the reason behind the winding up of my business. Our farmlands were not safe anymore and life became unbearable. I could barely provide for my family. I have ten children, including my wife and I, making us 12. We were in a terrible state but all that changed when Christian Aid came here. They brought us aid and restored our laughter. They have done well for us. We have received rice, beans, vegetable oil, salt and corn soya blend. The corn soya blend was new to us. We even gave it a local name Garriposo. We were sceptical about it in the beginning but now, it is one of our favourite food items because of its high nutritional value for children. My life has improved tremendously. Not only me but that of my children and the Bolori community. We are all happy. I am grateful to Christian Aid, they have indeed improved our food security. Christian Aid (CA) is a UK-based international NGO, partnering with the United Nations and bilateral donors to end poverty in Africa. At the heart of this vision is the transformation of the lives of people who live in poverty, empowering them to have a brighter future. An ongoing CA Nigeria humanitarian response programme funded by the World Food Programme (WFP) has reached more than 200,000 people affected by the continued conflict in Borno State - Nigeria. Food Security and Nutrition are the response areas which targeted the most vulnerable persons among the affected population. For more information, contact: David Habba ( DHabba@christian-aid.org) 8
KEY FIGURES NIF NIF 36 NIF Members 34 NIF Members in NE 22 LGAs present in Borno 10 LGAs present in Adamawa 14 LGAs present in Yobe HRP 2018 IN FIGURES 7.7m People in Need (in Borno, Adamawa & Yobe): 6.1m People Targeted 1.05B Fund Required SECTOR Food Security Child Protection Protection GBV Health Nutrition Shelter and NFIs Education WASH Logistics Early Recovery DMS (CCCM) Coordination ETS OVERALL PEOPLE IN NEED (in million) 3.7 5.8 2.9 2.4 5.4 3.5 2.1 2.8 2.9-5.5 1.0 - - 7.7 TOTAL PEOPLE TARGETED 3.7 2.7 1.0 1.5 5.1 2.7 1.3 2.2 2.1-2.7 0.9 - - 6.1 REQUIRED FUNDS (in million) 435.1 113.7 39.7 40.3 109.6 107.1 67.4 60.9 48.7 33.5 30.7 18.5 18.2 4.4 1.05 Billion For more information, visit Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) 2018 9
PROMOTING COLLECTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH KEY ACTORS NIF / Ballama Mustapha INGO Forum community engagement visit to the Shehu of Dikwa. The INGO Forum continues to foster relationships and collaboration between its members and Nigerian government agencies and structures in both the State and Federal levels. Collective engagement on regulatory challenges including registration, immigration and importations has made some steps forward in easing the burden on INGOs. Further, NIF has been tackling the negative perceptions of INGOs through dialogue and engagement. With the hiring of our senior liaison advisor, NIF has already organised meetings with key stakeholders to discuss who INGOs are, mandates and the challenges INGOs are facing. Meetings held include but are not limited to: Governor Shettima of Borno State, The Shehu of Borno, Emirs and traditional leaders. Highlighting Member's Achievements Plan / Rachael Lumley MORE THAN A TEACHER Education in the midst of chaos: The Inspiring Story of Hassan There is tension in the air and people are restless. There are rumours that something is going to happen so the school is closed early. As Hassan Modu steps out of his school to begin his journey home, there is an explosion. Although Hassan escapes unharmed, two of his colleagues are killed in the blast. Hassan Modu (53) is the principal at Mashamari Primary School. He was posted here four months ago. Despite working for more than 20 years at his previous school he feels more at home in this school. Hassan has a passion for teaching and talks of it as both an act of love and sacrifice. 10
Teaching is my life, not just a career. Although I am a principal, I still like to teach and I lead classes on civic education. Hassan Modu Principal, Mashamari Primary School Hassan takes his profession seriously. He discourages punishment in the school and spends time with his teachers, guiding them on the principles of positive discipline. He believes children should be placed at the centre of teaching practices. It is clear Hassan cares deeply about the students and teachers. He even describes how he gave a struggling teacher new clothes so he would feel proud when he taught in the school. Safety is a priority for Hassan, and as he sits in the shade of the tree in the middle of the school yard, he points reassuringly to the watchmen that close the gates at night and protect the grounds during the day. Before the insurgency, there was no perimeter fence and the grounds were often used as a thoroughfare connecting the community with the main road. The school was exposed and, as a result, attacked several times. Although Hassan was not the principal of the school at this time, he has heard the stories. Hassan is glad to see recent improvements made by the state; a high wall mounted with barbed wire now encloses the school campus. The wall was built recently by the government as part of efforts to better protect schools from attack. "As a signatory to the Safe Schools Declaration, the Nigerian government is working to improve the safety of schools across Northeast Nigeria. However, there is still a long way to go and many other schools remain without fencing and safety improvement, or risk reduction plans." Hassan knows well the importance of establishing a safe learning environment. He has witnessed violent attacks and been threatened on several occasions. During the insurgency he received text messages warning him not to continue teaching and had a letter posted on the front of his door threatening harm. Fearful of the consequences, his wife pleaded with Hassan to stop teaching but Hassan was determined to continue. Eventually he was forced to go into hiding for six months because the insurgents began pursuing him and he feared for his life. Hassan is thankful that he was not hurt during the insurgency and that the security situation is improving. However, he still carries painful memories of colleagues who were harmed. The insurgency has had an impact on everyone in Northeast Nigeria and, in schools, both teachers and students often need psychosocial support. I was glad to join the training offered by Plan International to develop skills in psychosocial support and I hope to cascade the training to teachers in my school. I recognise the need for practical skills to support the healing process. Hassan speaks enthusiastically about the training, describing it as comprehensive. He is using his new skills already, to make his classes more practical and inclusive, and to support teachers. He knows many challenges lie ahead and believes the training is helping his school to be better prepared to support 11
those affected by the insurgency. Hassan is also resolute that the training offers more than just practical skills. He believes the training is important for teachers because it lifts their spirits and reminds them that their efforts are not forgotten, that people recognise how difficult it is to be a teacher in this context and that they want to offer support. Plan International Ireland has been working in in Borno State, in Northeast Nigeria, since 2014. The organisation is supporting people who have been affected by Boko Haram with teachers like Hassan with education in emergencies and child protection programmes. For more information, contact: Katharina Witkowski ( Katharina.Witkowski@plan-international.org ) Highlighting Member's Achievements LOCAL RESPONDER CAPACITY STRENGTHENING: Prioritized Training Areas from Past Local Responder Capacity Building Initiatives of the Dutch-Funded Nigeria Joint Response (NJR) The Nigeria Joint Response (NJR) is one of several Joint Responses (JR) the Dutch government funds through the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) in countries with acute and protracted humanitarian crises. In Nigeria, Save the Children (SC), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Oxfam, Christian Aid (CAID), TearFund and ZOA are part of the NJR. As a consortium, these INGOs federate their strengths to reach collaboratively as well as in a more coordinated and timely manner, beneficiaries in need. To localize aid provided (one of the tenets of the Grand Bargain for Aid efficiency), as well as promote ownership and sustainability of programme gains, NJR member INGOs partner with local responders especially local NGOs and civil-society organizations (CSOs). In the past phases of the NJR, series of joint local responder capacity building training were organised for over 115 nominated staff Participants at a NJR Joint Training on Financial Management facilitated by MANGO/Humentum of about 13 local partners including NGOs, CSOs as well as SEMAs (state emergency management agencies) from the three mostaffected north-east states (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe) where NJR was implemented. Participants were trained on the following capacity needs: SC/Odeh Friday 2 In Nigeria, Save the Children, IRC, Oxfam, Christian Aid, TearFund and ZOA are part of the NJR 12
Phase of NJR NJR 2 Prioritized Areas Safe Programming Programme Operations Key Topics Personal safety and security Dealing with aggression Security and crises management Grant management (''keeping your donor happy!'') Financial management Procurement, assets management and warehousing Humanitarian standards Humanitarian principles and Standards including Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) and SPHERE NJR 3 Cross-cutting areas of programming Mental Health & Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Gender Equality & Mainstreaming The past partner capacity building initiatives serve as an important learning curve for the NJR consortium. Key learning points were made which included the need for continuous local responder capacity building and this should be demonstrated by the donor and grant recipients by allocating dedicated amount in their budget. Also, beyond requiring trainees to step down training to their peers, capacity building plans should include arrangements for post-training cuesto-action such as internships, shadow deployments at partner INGOs, mentoring and coaching, to name a few. Below are some quotes from the participants who benefited from the capacity building trainings: Through the financial management training, I learnt about the different types of financial documents and instruments, how they are elaborated, and how they should be interpreted and used for reporting. In addition to improving my reporting and accountability skills, the budgeting and grant management aspects of the trainings, gave me insights on how to draft budgets for donors as well as how to engage and negotiate with donors. Workshop participant, NJR2 Financial Management Training The security and crises management, as well as the personal safety and security trainings, helped CRUDAN develop and update security SoPs, and close gaps in existing securityrelated policies. Workshop participant, NJR2 Security trainings The NJR plans to pursue local responder capacity building during future phases (including the current phase 4). For more information about the NJR and its local responder capacity building initiative, contact the following persons: Joel Onyeke ( joel.onyeke@savethechildren.org); Eta Mbong Ngole ( eta.mbongngole@savethechildren.org) Follow us on our Twitter handle (@NJRConsortium) for regular updates on NJR. 13
INSIDE THE FORUM The Nigeria INGO Forum has undergone significant change in the last quarter of 2017. Staff capacity was increased from four to nine and the leadership repositioned from a coordinator to a director. Jennifer Jalovec joined the forum as Director in October while the deputy director, based in Maiduguri will be the new operational lead for the forum and will be joining the forum in January 2018.Four other positions which include Field Support Manager, Senior Liaison Advisor, Cash Programming Advisor and Advocacy Advisor are based in Maiduguri to support operations and humanitarian advocacy. The Advocacy Advisor will commence work in February 2018. 14
HUMANITARIAN RESOURCES The power of speech: A Translators without Borders project highlighting language barrier for internally displaced people (IDPs) in north-east Nigeria ( https://goo.gl/us4izr) North East Joint Livelihoods and Market recovery assessment (LMRA) ( https://goo.gl/rjrgpq ) Improving Peace and Security of women in areas affected by Boko Haram ( https://goo.gl/jpjhpx ) 2017 Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF) Year-End Summary ( https://goo.gl/6fmqlj) Humanitarian Access Reporting Tool ( https://goo.gl/quatwk) Tom Saater / Mercy Corps The INGO Forum publishes its newsletter on quarterly basis. If you want to feature your programmes or achievements in the January March, 2018 edition, contact Moshood Raimi (mraimi@ingoforum.ng) for further details. 15
NIF Nigeria INGO Forum Coordination for better delivery NIF/Moshood Raimi Office Address: 35 Patrick Bokkor Crescent, Off Ebitu Ukiwe Street, Jabi, Abuja Tel: +234 908 737 4910 Email: info@ingoforum.ng Website: www.ingoforum.ng Facebook: www.facebook.com/ngoforum.ng Twitter: @INGOforum_ng A Nigeria INGO Forum Publication January 2018 Funded By: European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid