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| Training/Capacity Building Programs |
| CIRDDOC organises Train the Trainers Workshops on Leadership, Democracy and Governance, Gender and Development. The five-day workshops are structured that each of them has a one-day follow- up workshop at which the trainees serve as resource persons. After each of the program, the trainees formed a FORUM. CIRDDOC encourages the development because of the need to set up grassroots Human Rights structures on ground for implementation and continuity of CIRDDOC programs. |
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| The Media Project |
1. CIRDDOC has an annual Roundtable/Dialogue with representatives of the electronic and print media during which we run training workshops on Human Rights and Human Rights Reporting.
2. Radio and television have been identified as effective tools for mass dissemination of information. CIRDDOC makes effective use of them to sensitise citizens on issues of democracy, Governance, Human Rights, Gender, Women's Rights and Violence against women. CIRDDOC organises and participates in radio and TV phone-in programmes to address these issues.
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| The Democratic Institution Building Project |
| This is a program aimed at building the capacity of democratic institutions i.e. the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature. This involves capacity building training Workshops on democracy, law making, Leadership, Human Rights and gender for elected officials, Judiciary staff, legislative staff, Prisons Wardens, police, law officers, civil servants, professional bodies etc. CIRDDOC organises judicial colloquia for judges and magistrates on the domestic application of International Human Rights Norms. This project also includes building and strengthening the resource base of those institutions. |
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| Civic Education
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| This involves training of leaders of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), community and grassroots groups in citizenship, leadership and governance; democracy, and human rights. Preparatory to any transition to civil rule, CIRDDOC engages in an aggressive civic education program particularly for the rural/grassroots men and women and for schools to sensitise them on their civic duty to vote and participate in the transition program. Soon after elections, CIRDDOC organises civic education workshops for elected officials and citizens to keep them abreast of issues of governance and developments therein. |
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| Paralegal Scheme
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| This consists of a Paralegal training and the provision of legal aid services, including legal representation in court, to indigent persons. The paralegal training is a two-week residential training program to provide legal skills to non-lawyers to enable them to offer 'first aid' legal services to the indigent in the society. This project is to train selected members of the communities who enjoy the confidence of their communities and build their capacity in the law. They are able to offer legal advice and provide simple legal services such as drafting of affidavits, tenancy agreements and leases. They are available to provide bail services to the community and act as a check to police illegality. Apart from these tasks, paralegals are capable of working in law firms to assist lawyers. CIRDDOC legal aid clinics are located at Ajalli, Awka, Nri, Nteje and Nnewi in Anambra State, Akpofu, Ugwogo, Ehalumona, Enugu in Enugu state; Afikpo, Ezza, Amaezu, Abakaliki and Ikwo in Ebonyi State. |
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| Moot Court Competitions |
| Moot courts are mock trials or competitions organised for law students to debate legal issues. Under a project supported by Macarthur Foundation, the goal of which was to integrate reproductive health and rights into the curriculum of law schools, nine rounds of Moot courts were conducted in eight universities on reproductive health and rights. They generated comprehensive research by the students and lecturers leading to a deep knowledge and understanding of the issues and legal provisions in this area. One of the objectives of this program is to entrench the culture of moot court into the Faculties of Law. IIt was an effective means of creating awareness on reproductive rights as each competition attracted over 100 students and teachers. |
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| Budget Tracking |
The overall objective of this project is to enable the communities we are working in, to effectively participate in budget tracking and monitoring on government spending in education for the benefit of the poor and marginalised children to enable them enrol in and complete good quality primary education in the South-East Geopolitical zone of Nigeria.
Under the project, the communities are equipped with the knowledge and skills for budget tracking, budget monitoring and corruption monitoring in the education sector. The projects which are being implemented in Enugu and Rivers states are supported by Commonwealth Education Fund and USAID -ADVANCE.
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| Judicial Colloquium/Judges' Training |
| CIRDDOC has organised four Judicial colloquia in the past. In 2001, CIRDDOC, in collaboration with the Anambra State Judiciary organised a judicial colloquium on the domestic application of international human rights instruments and standards in Nigeria. In 2002, CIRDDOC in collaboration with Ebonyi state Judiciary held a judicial colloquium on the same theme at Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. In 2004, CIRDDOC in collaboration with LRRDC and WACOL organised a judicial colloquium on domestic application of Reproductive Rights and Health rights standards in Nigeria. In 2005, CIRDDOC in collaboration with Nigeria Coalition on International Criminal Court (NCICC) organised a judicial colloquium on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court at Enugu, Enugu State. |
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| Training of Peer Health Educators on Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS |
The objectives of the workshop to train peer educators and ensure that there is improved communication on sexuality and reproductive health issues and rights among adolescents. This will in effect reduce the consequences/risks associated with pre-marital sex.
CIRDDOC has organised several training programmes for in-school and out - of -school youths.
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| Community Information Centres |
| The objective is to provide access to information to community-based citizens who otherwise would not have had access. The Community Information centers are located in three senatorial zones each of the three states: Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi. In line with CIRDDOC's commitment to open up political spaces in the rural areas and encourage political participation among the marginalized groups, thirteen Community Information Centers have been put in place. This project is supported by the Henrich Boll Foundation of Germany. The five centres in Anambra State are located at Ajalli, Orumba North LGA, Awka, Awka South LGA, Nteje, Oyi LGA, Nri, Anaocha LGA, and Aguluzigo. In Ebonyi state, they are in Amaezu, Ishielu LGA, Ikwo, Ohaozara and Afikpo while in Enugu state they are in Ihealumona, Nsukka, Owelli, Ugwogo and Nara. |
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| Civic Forum |
Under this project, Civic educators and Development Information Officers were trained during the year under review, to run Community Development Centres (CDCs) and to serve as Development Information officers (DIOs) in their communities. Most of the trainees are retired civil servants and teachers because experience is needed to run the kind of institution we envisage. Each trained civic educator has returned to his/her community and has since organized community members into groups or linked up with existing groups who meet weekly during the duration of the project. Topics covered in the discussions are the Local Government structure, (now to include the reform that is presently going on) budget monitoring, gender and democracy. A glaring result of the Civic Forum Project has been the setting up of forums at the community level, which in turn has turned out to be a meeting point for the communities to discuss issues of governance. The people at that level are able to understand the issues and are now willing to put up a challenge to hold their elected representatives accountable in governance.
Under a grant from the PAS of the US Embassy, the civic forum project was extended to the 9 states of the old Eastern region
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| Monitoring and Evaluation |
During the year also, CIRDDOC set up a Monitoring and Evaluation team headed by the Programme Officer (Legal) for continuous and regular monitoring and evaluation of the projects particularly for the supervision of Development Information Officers (DIOs) who run the 13 Community Information Centres spread across three states; Civic Educators and Paralegals working in the field. Three evaluation workshops were held during the year for the evaluation of the Civic Forum, Paralegal and CDC projects.
CIRDDOC is a Coordinating Committee member of the Transition Monitoring Group, a coalition of Nigerian NGOs committed to the strengthening of Nigeria's nascent democracy. As part of the activities of the TMG, CIRDDOC trains electoral observers and through them, monitors elections.
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| Programme Beneficiaries |
| Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and groups, Community - Based Organisations (CBOs), Faith Based Organisations (FBOs), Government Agencies, Networks, grassroots men and women, professional organisations etc. |
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| Programme Focus Areas |
- Education and Empowerment
- Democracy and Governance
- Human Rights
- Gender
- Conflict Resolution
- Violence
- HIV/AIDS
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