We have succeeded in our negotiation to Patner with MTN Foundation to train 45 disadvantaged youths from the spresd of six Geopolitical Zones in Nigeria. The prject took off on the 1 st. of June 2009 when the Agreement was signed.MTN is the largest Telecommunication in Nigeria helping to reach out to the world.
All our training machines that are not functioning are to be replaced and focus skills areas are in Welding, Tailoring and fashion design, Shoe making. Information Technology, Poultry and Fishery are included in the training for knowledge and sustainability of the project as a whole.
NAFDAC, the Food and Drug packaging regulator has taken our water for final anlysis for us to get Identity to proceed packaging for sales.
Each student is to receive N8,000 ( eight thousand Naira only) as the training goes on. The students could not hide their feelings and have expressed in many ways their joy to be selected for the training." I will have my own shop?. " Am lucky" These are some of their expressions as they were told that they would be helped to settle in a business when they finish.
We are grateful to Globalgiving and their supporters who are also our Donors for taking us this far. We will not disappoint you.
Thanks a lot. Let us know what you will like to ask about us.
Thanks again.

The training to give skills and jobs to 425 disabled in Nigeria is yeilding dividend and we are seeing the end of the tunnel.At the end of the target project, the training continues for it is a continous process so long as there are disabled youths still roaming the streets for livelihood.Those we trained are recruiting others for training in the Centre and those trained in Computer are being employed by other business Centres.
The capacity of the Centre is being enhanced by the aquisition of new machines and equipment to replace the aged ones. There is a recruitment exercise now to train another barge of forty five disabled with the promise to give them equipment and tools at the end of their training. The satchet water production will also aid us to do that amist other helps.
The borehole for the satchet water now provides water to the Centre and so the students have no need to go out for drinking water. In a couple of months, the packaging will take off when NAFDAC must have given us number. We are working to make up the requirement of the Nation's food processing demand before we take off.
We are grateful for the support of Globalgiving to showcase our project and more grateful to our donors who have sustained us this far. we are ready to go on and to bring the desired change with further support.

The satchet water project is almost taking off. The registration with the relevant body according to Government requirement is still on and is the only factor to delay. The vahicle , the van for distribution of the water is avaliable. The training for the operation and packaging will start as quickly as the papers are ready.The disabled boys will man it and both boys and girls will work there.When it takes off, the economic and social life of those engaged will improve for the better.

The Machines for the production of the sartchet came behind schedule and we are happy to say that it is with us at last. The pictures enclosed show the connections to the production machine and the machine itself.
The important thing here is the fact that we are at a point we can view reduction and less dependence on external funding. Income from the production will help us solve some of our problems which heretherto would be delayed or not take off atall until donation comes. The disadvantaged and disabled will work there to earn income. It will attract more less previleged youths to hook on.
Our Advocacy on ramps is yeilding dividend as His Eminence, Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie has joined us to appeal to all Priests in Lagos Archdioses to BUild Ramps at the entrance of the churches.
We are also hopeful that Sign Laguage Club will be entrenched in the primary and secondary schools in Nigeria as we have pushed our advocacy very far in the Corridors of power ib Nigeria.

Pictures:

• The pACKAGING mACHINE (JPG)
• tHE PURIFICATION mEDIUM CONNECTED TO THE WATER TANKS (JPG)

We want to share the progress made in our efforts to implement the New Policy in Education which is in favour of Inclusive Education.
We have proposed to the Federal Ministry of Education for Sign Language Clubs to be formed in Primary and secondary schools to help in learning sign language by non- hearing impaired children. The Hon Minister is in favour of it and we are waiting for his final action on it.
Part of the Machines for the water business has been paid for and we are hopeful that the machines would be fixed before Christmas and business start in January 2008.
We had successful sales of our products in Shell's compound in early September and have gotten the invitation for Christmas sales on December 18th 2007.
Our students and beneficieries are hopeful of job come January when the Water business starts.
We need money to complete what remains and to take off.

Our work progresses and we would like to share the highlights of some visits to the Centre with you.

Our efforts to create jobs for the disabled youths received a boost when Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) visited us the last week of July and donated to a vehicle that would carry around and market the satchet water. In addition they are organising Exhibition Sales in their office premises for the products of the Centre on the 5th of Sept 2007. This too encourages training and learning for both the trainers and trainees and showcases the value of skill acquisition.

The Self Help Project Officer, Staphanie, from the American Embassy also visited in July and the impression she had has led to her suggesting to the Consulate to organise Exhibition Sales for the work of disabled youths.

The Archbishop of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Olubumi Okogie, visited on the 3rd of August and promised to highlight our products and activities. He also has approved the building of RAMPS IN SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES and the Forming of Sign Language Clubs in schools under him to facilitate communication between children with and without speech and hearing impairment.

Our joy is in the fact that we have gotten the vehicle for the sale of satchet water, have a place to sell our products and that our advocacy is receiving positive attention all through visits of benefactors.

Recently, Nigeria has changed her Policy of educating and training disabled person from exclusive treatment to Inclusive setting through the Education Reforms of the Mrs Oby Ezekwesili who has been now appointed the Vice Chairman of the World Bank.
Friends of the dISABLED HAS BEEN ADVOCATING FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION since 2005 through National media, personal approach, lobbing, seminars and Workshops.By 2006, we wrote to the Hon. Minister, with imput from the parents of hearing and Speech impaired students in our Centre, asking that her planned reforms in Education should carry along the disabled people's education. WE ASKED AND RECOMMENDED THAT CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES GO TO THE SAME SCHOOL, private or public, inorder to manage and finally eradicate discrimination which has been the major problem facing people with disabilities. The reponse was positive and Iwas invited as a Stakeholder to serve in Equity Team to sell and push my new idea. This I did along side with people who advocate for a change.At the end, other Stakeholders and Policy Makers saw the need to bring childern together from the primary to the secondary levels as their Human Rights and to get their peers get used to them from the beginning inorder to provide for their needs later.
In Nigeria now there is A Ten - Year Plan/ Education reforms which has as its policy, the training of both the disabled and the non- disabled providing each child what he/she needs to learn effectively.There is the understanding that disability is a difference and those who have, should be provided with what they need to belong eg. Braille machines will be provided for those with visual impairement, Sign Language teachers be provided for those with hearing and speech impairment while ramps are built for those on wheel chairs. Cases that are beyond management in inclusive setting should still be treated in exclusion with the techniques to bring them together as much as possible.
We have achived a Policy Change through our Advocacy. We are now faced with the challanges of implementation. A policy can be made but if not implemented is as bad as the originalsituation.
If implemented, discrimination will phase off or at least be minimised; every child in school both primary and secondary will gradually and with time learn sign language and this in turn will phase off the hearing and sppech impairment as every body would be able to communicate with those who have it. Both disabled and the non-disabled would work in the same office without isolation.
More reports on this will come with time.

There is scarcity of water in our area and water sells well for those who can afford it.We embark on pure water project to creat jobs for disabled youths and to sustain both the Centre and to exchange begging and idleness with sustainable activities. Education Tax Fun Nigeria(ETF) HAS HELPED US PUT UP THIS STRUCTURE AND Rotary Club Lagos central has given us one borehole and a tank we need one more borehole and three water tanks, water purifying medium and packaging machine to take off. Be part of the change, Join us keep disabled youths reasonably busy.

We have scalled up the training in ICT for speech and hearing impaired youths mostly females so that they can communicate effectively with their environment and the world through the Internet with out discrimination. Could you part of training them?
We have mounted a campaign for Sign Language for the Primary and SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA FOR iNCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR THIS GROUP.

We have included 50 hearing and speech impaired youths in our ICT Training. It is not easy to discover that they are disabled and they suffer in silence. With ICT training, they can chat, send e-mails and communicate with non-disabled and the disabled in the society.
On our 10th year Anniversary of training in Lagos only, 28th of September 2006,the British High Commissioner, His Excellency, Richard Gozney, Commissioned 10 New Compuiters with one Internet Connection Service donated by the High Commission in Nigeria.
We also celebrated the progress/success of one of the beggers we picked on the road in 1993, trained in primary and Secondary school now in Bayero University Kano. One of our beneficiaries in 1998 now works with the First Bank PLC.
Our project is in the rural grassroot and it is difficult to get electricity for our ICT and other works and so we depend more on generator and it is very expensive. We have a line up of income generating projects that can give income to the less privileged; Pure water processing and snailery. We need encouragement to continue to train and put into good use.

We have started a Small Scale Business Centre in the Obowo Local Government of Imo State.
Direct beneficiaries:10. Indirect beneficiaries; 100. It will train 200 persons.

This is the first time income generating activities have been set up for disabled in the area. People are not only happy but are surprised that they can live on their handiwork and not begging. We are constrained by finances to provide other things needed there. We want to reach other Local Govt. Areas in the Esst.
We held a workshop for 100 trainees in Lagos on, "The business of the skill learnt" Pictures are enclosed.Others will follow.