L-PRES: OYSADA Commences GBV/SEAH Sensitization Workshop For Project Implementation Unit Staff
•By Admin
IBADAN – In it’s drive to ensure smooth running and successful implementation of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) for the beneficiaries in Oyo state, the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) has commenced a Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual Exploitation Assault and Harassment (SEAH) sensitization workshop for all the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) Staff.
The sensitization workshop titled, “Stepdown Training For Oyo State PIU Staff On Gender Based Violence/Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment,” held at the OYSADA headquarters located in Total Garden Ibadan was an in-house interactive session between the GBV expert and the PIU staff.
The training was an eye opener for the PIU staff that will be going from one community to the others meeting with the beneficiaries of the project thereby ensuring hitch-free exercise of the project.
L-PRES is a 6 Year Project with Development Objective (PDO) to improve livestock productivity, resilience and commercialization of selected value chains and to strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to an eligible crisis or emergency. It’s a world Bank supported program which Oyo State is one of the beneficiary states.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the first session of the training, Mr Kola Kazeem the state Project Coordinator noted that the training is very crucial for the Project Implementation Unit Staff to ensure hitch-free exercise during the implementation proper on the field.
Mr Kola Kazeem who spoke on behalf of the Director General of OYSADA, Dr Debo Akande, who also doubles as the Chairman Oyo L-PRES project steering Committee maintained that the PIU staff are the ambassador of the L-PRES project in the state, therefore they need to be well trained on issues related to Gender Based Violence and Sexual Exploitation Assault and Harassment so they won’t commit the crime unknowingly while carrying out their duties in their various communities while on field. He also noted that the development is to further ensure the smooth running of L-PRES project in the state.
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While answering questions on relevancy of Gender Based Violence and Sexual Exploitation Assault and Harassment in enhancement of livestock farmers and it’s production, Mr Kola said, “since the Gender Based Violence and Sexual Exploitation Assault and Harassment are issues that affected both genders,.which includes male, female, young boys and girls, it is very important to note that the Project Implementation Unit Staff have adequate skill about the GBV and SEAH so they can carry out their jobs effectively while on field as majority of the beneficiaries are women.
“Women and youths contributes a lot to agricultural production because statistics showed that women contribute 70 percent of the workforce while they are also involved in the food production, we also understand that women especially in the rural areas are involved in both crops and livestock farming, they also contribute a lot to food processing and it’s value addition and that is the more reason why under L-PRES project we are working at improving the productivity of livestock farmers in which women play a key role.”
“Women group are termed to be more vulnerable and they are to be well taken care of under this project, and that is the reason why there is a special requirement for women under this project and this requires that all the interventions.that the project will undertake at least 30% of the beneficiaries should be women, and this is a clear directive form the World Bank.
“At this stage I will like to state that L-PRES is being supported by the world Bank and the World Bank has identified that this Gender Based Violence issue which is the topic we are treating today poses a lot of challenges which can be economical or social affect the effectiveness of the project. So having consider all these factors, you we see that GBV had to be understood by the PIU staff and that is what we are doing today.
“This is an in-house interactive discussion which will be escalated to the larger society as we move on in the implementation of the project in Oyo State. Our PIU staff need to understand the GBV and SEAH related issues because they are our ambassadors, they will be the face of the project when we go out to intervene with the various value chains were working on, in Oyo State, L-PRES is working cattle production and it’s value chain, this comprises the Dairy production, we are also working on Sheep and Goats and it’s value chain (meat Production) we are also working on piggery and poultry and their value chains and you can see that in all these production activities women play an important roles and without them we can’t achieve the desired results, so we must be well equipped on how to approach them, how to relate with them and how to talk to them without insulting them, violate their sexual rights or hurt their sensibilities.
“We have an expert in the house that have been lecturing us about GBV and SEAH issues, and the workshop has been very active, the discussion was very engaging and am very optimistic that we are going to have an hitch-free L-PRES project in Oyo state. Kola Kazeem said.
In his contribution Mrs Bolanle Olorode, the Gender Based Violence officer under the Oyo State L-PRES Project stressed the importance of the step down training Gender Based Violence for the Project Implementation Unit Staff.
She said, “PIU staff are the ones that would be going to the field to start implementing the project, it is very important for them to be well equipped with the right skills in being able to identify GBv risks when they to their various communities they are going to be engaging the beneficiaries, so if our PIU staff are well equipped with this knowledge they will be able to implement the project reducing to the nearest minimum tye risk of GBV and SEAH.
In his contribution, one of the participants of the training, Engr Peter Kolawole, who is one of the Project Engineers for the L-PRES project in Oyo State, said, “we are now fully aware that any forms of sexual violations can render this project null and void.
“We must ensure the smooth running on the project, so this GBV training is a very vital one for us, and I can say we’ve learned a lot in this training.”
Highlights of the training also include signing of the code of conduct declaration and next steps.