It is with great delight that I present to you this annual report.
The year 2020 afforded us a unique opportunity to reach and touch the lives of young people across Nigeria and the continent, building resilience in a very difficult time when the world is ravaged by the global COVID pandemic.
The last 365 days have been very eventful for individuals, organisations and countries across the globe, for one thing- yet, for many reasons. First, for the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and for other reasons, including the effect of this on every facet of our lives. The phrase “new normal” gained wider recognition. “Pan-demic within the Pandemic” was widely used, referring to the sharp spike in the incidences of gender-based violence, including intimate partners abuse during the lockdown. Young people across the continent were inspired to take action once again, the #EndSars campaign in Nigeria drove through the backstage of dis cussions, the bias of local media and captured the attention of the global community, showing that young people could take the centre stage of sustainable development with the right environment.
Most importantly during the #EndSARS campaign, young women in Nigeria stood up to be counted; mobilis-ing resources, organising legal aid, providing food, leading and changing the campaign narrative.
Furthermore, the word “palliative” became a common word we could relate with. It has continued to reveal, months after months, the deficit of social safety net on which citizens across Africa can be supported and daily survival needs can be met. This highlighted the increasing urgency to improve governance at all levels.
As an organisation, the past year was quite tasking for us, however, it stretched our capacity, creativity and brought about extraordinary and innovative ideas, leveraging technological tools. Despite the difficulties, we maximised the opportunity to ask critical questions and sought relevant answers as well as innovate on the way we work. For instance, the high level of sexual violence, accusations and counter-accusations on social media and beyond, necessitated the commissioning of the survey on sexual consent which was followed by the Massive Online Open Course on Consent aimed at identifying gaps by the survey, and an awareness campaign using short films (Public Service Announcement) to sensitise young people and also facilitate conversations on Sexual consent. These were tremendous moments for us during 2020.
Young men across Nigeria supported the global call and campaign to end gender-based violence, marking the “solidarity week of action” which signalled the beginning of a new global onslaught on sexual and gender-based violence.
