International Christian Centre Home For The Needy

Prime Initiative

(Non-Governmental Organisation)

Name of Organisation

Prime Initiative

Motto

Shaping Tomorrow, Starting Today

ADDRESS

No. 3 Kano Road, Samaru – Kataf,

Zangon – Kataf, Kaduna State, Nigeria

VISION

Communities with competent and capable youth with the capacity to create sustainable change and development for the betterment of themselves, their families, communities and nation

MISSION

Strengthening the initiative of youth and creating

opportunities at community level

PRINCIPLES

ALTRUISM: PI holds a firm conviction that it is good to act for the benefit of others. Where possible, those who will be affected by any actions initiated by PI MUST be consulted and involved in those actions or activities.

TRANSPARENCY: PI believes in being transparent in all our actions and operations. This is foundational to all activities that PI may be involved.

ACCOUNTABILITY: PI stands to be held accountable for all actions initiated and authorised by the organisation and for the utilisation of all resources at is disposal.

EXCELLENCE: PI is committed to pursuing excellent standards in its operations.

ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT: PI is committed to continually developing its organisational and management capacity to the highest achievable levels.

PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: PI is committed to partnership development in all its operations and shall seek to establish or join relevant coalitions and networks for the purpose of furthering its operations and enhancing its capacity, sharing and exchanging ideas/programmes with the overall aim of enhancing all youth development and organising efforts.

POLICIES: PI is committed to operating the following policies to engender non-discrimination, participation and involvement of all stakeholders:

Ø  GENDER POLICY – to ensure gender equity and mainstreaming in all its operations and structures.

Ø  HEALTH AND SOCIAL POLICY – to protect persons with health issues (HIV/AIDS etc), disabilities against exclusion, harassment and to protect those working with or around them.

Ø  CHILD PROTECTION POLICY – to protect children against all forms of harassment and improper behaviour.

Ø  YOUTH INVOLVEMENT AND PARTICIPATION POLICY – to engender youth participation and involvement in all activities.

STRATEGY

(PI adopts the Tutor – Mentor Strategy from Cabrini Connections and Tutor – Mentor Connections, Chicago, USA).

This strategy provides for adult – youth partnerships in all activities that will provide opportunities for tutoring and mentoring of youth by adults or persons that are more experienced who are able to provide youth with knowledge, skills and attitude development and job/career opportunities. The strategy also affords greater opportunities for community interaction and participation for both adults and youth thus building community cohesion and bridging intergenerational links.

AIM OF THE INITIATIVE

To build the capacity of the child and youth from rural and poor communities, with a view to integrating her/him into modern society and giving her/him the necessary skills to function adequately in the Millennium Terrain while being sensitive to his/her peculiar needs and situations.

FOCUS

Youth organising and community development

GOALS OF THE INITIATIVE

• Prime Initiative aims, among other areas of focus:

• ü  To create a high level of awareness among Nigerians and humanity in general about the plight of youth from rural and poor communities as an educationally disadvantaged persons; and emphasising the uniqueness and potential of the child as being fundamental to any development efforts of the individual person and people – in the case of communities and nations;

• ü  Creating awareness centres for easy access to Nigerians for necessary exposure to instructional, information and communication technologies, especially the computer being a universal machine, where learning can take place in an informal manner but with an impact to the education of the individual for the sole purpose of developing the people and their communities.

• ü  To have a strong instructional, information and communication technology (ICT) – sensitive network of individuals and groups.

• ü  To seek ways to broaden the perspective of the rural child through active civic education and by presenting him with a worldview.

• ü  To Stimulate Government awareness towards the youth from rural and poor communities as a special group of Nigerians who suffer in silence.

• ü  To help the less privileged rural and educationally disadvantaged youth from rural and poor communities source very important skills, functional knowledge and exposure as being necessary to her/his development with a view to impacting national manpower development efforts (employment).

• ü  To seek ways to eradicate examinations malpractice, a practice that is inimical to functional education and people development.

• ü  To seek ways to assist children in distressed circumstances (e.g. orphans, estranged children due to crises situations, children in poverty situations and poor academic backgrounds, children with health syndromes and peculiar illnesses etc) with a view to alleviating their difficult situations.

• ü  To continually seek opportunities to pursue ‘best practice’ and information sharing in the context of child development and, including any areas of relevance to meeting the goals of the INITIATIVE, policies and practices of child development in other communities and countries so as to enhance effective and efficient service delivery and to broaden our perspective and understanding of child development.

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ACTIVITIES

1.   Saturday Meetings in communities: Children meet during weekends to interact and learn computer skills especially in game settings.

2.   School Sensitisation: PI visits rural primary schools and junior secondary schools to sensitise them to computer-based activity and the world of ICT.

3.   Number Play: PI has adopted an Oriental number game called “Sudoku” to help children strengthen their numeric skills and logic with a view to eradicating the aversion to mathematics that most children have.

4.   Word Play: Word games that help strengthen English Language skills and comprehension.

5.   Prime Academy: This periodic event exposes children to vital skills and careers scaled down to the level of the children’s understanding (social skills e.g. Junior Parliament, mechanical, electrical devices, art and craft etc.;

6.   Annual Convention: affords the Initiative the opportunity to interact with the community and share perspectives.

7.   Civic Education programmes for youth in communities

8.   Patrician Guild: PI’s entrepreneurship training programme for youth.

9.   R.A.C.E. (Real Action Community Engagement): This programme seeks to mobilise and organise youth to engage with real issues in their community.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Prime Initiative has a 7 man Board of Trustees:

1.   Mr. Amana Wyasi                         - Board Chair

2.   Mr. Stephen H. Akut                      - Member

3.   Mrs. Martha Kude                  - Member

4.   Mrs. Victoria R. Kajang                   - Member

5.   Mr. Micah K. Jaga                  - Member

6.   Barrister Ephraim Kaboshio            - Legal Adviser

7.   Mr. Abdiel Kude                           - Board Secretary/Founder

LEGAL STATUS

PI is registered with Zangon – Kataf Local Government Area, Kaduna State Government and the following Federal and State Establishments:

1.   Ministry of Youth and Sports Development

2.   Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development

3.   Ministry of Employment, Labour & Productivity

4.   Ministry of Foreign Affairs

5.   Ministry of Information & Communication

6.   Ministry of Justice

7.   Ministry of Health

8.   National Centre for Women Development

9.   Nigeria Police Force

PARTNERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS

PI is currently a member of

1.   National Council of Child Rights Advocates of Nigeria (NACCRAN)

2.   Association of OVC NGOs in Nigeria, Kaduna State Chapter

3.   Pro Community Alliance

4.   Federation of Southern Kaduna NGOs

FUNDING

PI is currently funded mainly from token registration of members who pay N300/annual fee, donations and contributions from individuals and the community.