The 5-day Capacity Building Bootcamp Training organised by Africa Caribbean Heritage Alliance and sponsored by Voice Nigeria/Oxfam has finally come to an end.

It was a 5-day innovative bootcamp training that had NGOs, CBOs and other organizations in attendance.

The participants were taught presentations and how to present pitches lesser time duration by facilitators, including national and international experts from CAPIO, SPF, DWAI, CTP, NDIS, OXFAM, VOICE and of course ACHA.

The Nigeria VOICE Coordinator of Voice, Ijeoma Okwor, said 100 participants were shortlisted nationwide but 10 Rightholders made it to the finals.

When asked if it would be difficult picking winner, she said: “I am surprised with the turnout, this are well selected organisations, it will be competitive but we’ll get our winners.

Ijeoma expressed her excitement, commending ACHA for a job well-done in ensuring the success of the Bootcamp, saying it was beyond her expectation.

Below are the 10 organisations represented at the just concluded Bootcamp training:

Hope Behind Bars Africa: Niger State

Stand with the girl child initiative: FCT Abuja

Etrash to cash: Bauchi State

Enugu Youth Enterprenuership Network (EYEN): Enugu State

Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria (COSROPIN) / HORDINT Network: FCT Abuja

Royal School of Education Therapy: FCT Abuja

Motherhen for Art and Cultural Development: Gombe State

Gender Mobile Initiative: FCT Abuja

Pietan Mission For the Poor: Enugu State

Special Needs lnitiative for Growth: Lagos State

The facilitators were taught on how to make presentations, the theories and practicals on how to present a Pitch in 5 minutes and many more.

After the theory and practical Pitch training sessions, All 10 organisations presented their Pitch to the judges in 5mints each.

The Rightholders had a chit-chat with our reporter disclosing how they couldn’t sleep a night to the pitching day and how nervous they’ve been.

Friday, the last day of the training, while awaiting the result of their Thursday pitching presentation, The Rightholders engaged in curricular activities, e.g. cultural display, dancing, games, karaoke, etc.

To ease the tension in the hall as they anticipate the announcement of results and winners, ACHA programs manager, Mrs Ramya Abubakar announced that the winners of the NowUs Award Grant competition will receive an email from the organization, as the winners won’t be announced at the gathering.

In a closing remark, Amb. Okama Ekpe Brook, ACHA Founder & Executive Director of the Now Us Award thanked her whole team, facilitating partner COGNITO & NINE, the donor VOICE and the event host Top Rank hotel for an excellent team work in celebration of diversity and inclusion. Nothing About Us Without Us.

The Rightholders disclosed that the Bootcamp was a good platform to network with other organisations. They praised ACHA for hosting a wonderful Bootcamp.

The Now-Us Award is partnered between Partos, Spindle and the Voice Team to celebrate inclusion as part of the Annual Partos Innovation Festival.

This project aims to promote inclusive initiatives, triggering empowerment of excluded groups which are often the hardest to reach in our society. Therefore, innovative approaches to strengthening their capacity to lobby and build advocacy as well as their empowerment processes are essential through linking and learning platforms.
Such platforms encourage the sharing of lessons learnt and provided for grantees to tap into and gain mutual understanding and empowerment of the most marginalised and discriminated groups.

This project is implemented in Nigeria by the Africa Caribbean Heritage Alliance, ACHA through Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Non-Profit Organizations (NGOs) and Community Based Organizations, (CBOs) as a means through which the voices of the marginalized are heard and inclusion of all thematic areas accepted at all levels. The target groups usually referred as rightsholders include: Vulnerable, Elderly and Youth

Indigenous People and Ethnic Minorities

Women facing exploitation abuse and or violence

People with Disabilities

Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders and Intersex (LGBTI) people.

The goal of this bootcamp is to create an enabling environment, encourage conversations in safe and secure spaces where participants will understand the “Now Us Award” concept, overall project framework and consolidate their collective voices in celebration of unsung heroes and heroines. These efforts help to take our communities one step closer to a responsive and inclusive society.