As part of efforts to promote and protect the rights of Women and Girls in Nigeria, Women Information Network (WINET), with support from ActionAid Nigeria through the Women’s Voice and Leadership Nigeria Project, announces the commencement of a five-year Project in Enugu State with focus on Sustained Enlightenment Campaign to end Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Violence Against Women and Girls with a view to achieving increased enjoyment of human rights by women and girls and the advancement of gender equality in Nigeria. This project is funded by Global Affairs Canada #NigerianWomenMatter

With support from AmplifyChange, WINET is carrying out a two-year project (February 2019 – January 2021) titled Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights Education and Counselling Services for Girls and Women with Disabilities in Enugu State, Nigeria. The objective is to provide Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights information and counselling services to young girls and women with disabilities in order to fulfil the rights.

WINET has commenced a 12- month (May 2019 – April 2020) project to end community acceptance and practice of girl child and forced marriages in Ebenebe community in Anambra State, Nigeria. It is supported by Mundo Cooperante of Madrid Spain, within the framework of the call named “THE RIGHT TO BE A GIRL” - Projects to end Girl Child Marriages.

WINET is a data collector in the CLEEN Foundation MacArthur project “Promoting Transparency and Accountability in the Administration of Criminal Justice Sector” within the framework of compliance with provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015) in Enugu State, Nigeria. (2018 – 2020)

Government School for the Deaf, Ogbete is located in Enugu, the Enugu State, Nigeria. It has the Secondary and primary sections. With support from the U. S Consulate General Lagos, WINET is teaching over two hundred students fundamental human rights.

The project: “Empowering Deaf Youths with Information on their Fundamental Human Rights as A Step towards Actualizing them” is a 12 month project from October 2016 –August 2017. A handbook on Democracy and Fundamental Human Rights for Youths” was produced to serve as the training manual.  For sustainability, a Human Rights Club will be formed by the students to share information on human rights in the school, thereby passing on the knowledge to new students. The project goal is that deaf youths in Enugu State know their fundamental human rights as a step to actualize them.

The Global Fund for Women (GFW) provided a travel grant for  two staff of WINET, Miriam Menkiti, the Executive Director and Senior Programme Officer, Ijeoma Obinna-Onwuka to participate in the  18^thInternational Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2015), held in Harare, Zimbabwe from 29^thNovember to 4th December 2015. Their joint poster presentation was entitled “Community Response to Prevent New HIV Infection in Four Communities in Enugu State, Nigeria”. The participants included Persons Living with HIV and AIDS, organizations and groups working in the area of HIV and AIDS, STIs, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission, treatment care and Support for Persons Living with HIV and AIDS and the key populations.

Women Information Network (WINET) is one of the members of the Civil Society for HIV and AIDS (CiSHAN) Enugu State Chapter that carried out the World Bank Assisted HIV Programme Development Project (HPDP 11) in Enugu state, Nigeria. WINET worked in four communities in the project entitled Preventing New HIV Infection among Men and Women of Reproductive Age using the Minimum Prevention Package Intervention (MPPI) methodology. The four communities are Mbu Agudene, Mbu-Amonu, Emeora Neke and Ogor-Ikem in Isi-Uzo local government area. The project was to scale up HIV prevention intervention among High Risk Men (HRM) and High Risk Women (HRW) of reproductive age in the area. Three components of MPPI used in project execution are structural, behavioral and biomedical. The project brought about change and created demand for HIV Counseling and Testing in the communities. The 12-month project was from January to December 2015.

WINET is using community dialogues in creating awareness on girls and women’s SRHR in 4 communities in Enugu State under a project known as ‘Promoting Girls and Women’s  SRHR in Four Communities in Enugu State’. The project is funded by the Global Fund for Women (GFW). A training manual entitled Community Dialogue for Girl’s and Women’s Sexual, Reproductive health and Rights was published to guide the discussions. Other activities in the project include radio phone in programmes, training of peer health educators from project communities and SRHR dialogues for women and girls. The project is from August 2015 – April 2016.

Building the Capacity of People with Disabilities (PWDs) in Enugu state to Access Justice through the Courts’ is a project designed by WINET following a research it carried out on People with Disabilities and Access to Justice in Enugu State, Nigeria in 2014. It is a 12month (July 2015–June 2016) project, funded by Justice for All (J4A) Nigeria programme/Department for International Development (DFID). J4A is working towards ensuring that PWDs in Enugu State have access to justice and in keeping with this, very recently renovated a court complex in Enugu to include ramps for wheel chair accessibility. WINET is working with the Deaf, Physically challenged and the Blind in Enugu State.

Two training manuals, ‘Justice Options through the Courts: A Guide for Persons with Disabilities’ and ’Procedure for Commencing Cases in Customary Courts in Enugu State (2^nd Edition) have been published for PWDs to understand how the judicial system operates for access to justice through the courts. Activities under the project include, advocacy visits to policy makers for the provision of Sign Language Interpreters (SLI) in courts in Enugu state, Capacity Building workshops as well as a 26-episode Radio talk show entitled Usoro Ulo Ikpe to guide PWDs and listeners on how to take matters to court. The expected goal of the project is that people with disabilities in Enugu State have equal access to the judicial system.

Women Information Network (WINET) is one of the member organizations of the Civil Society for HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (CiSHAN) Enugu State Chapter executing the project entitled “Preventing new HIV infection among men and women of Reproductive age and pregnant women using the minimum prevention package intervention methodology”.

The project is for 12 months, January 2015 to December 2015. WINET is working in four communities in Isi-Uzo local government area of Enugu State and they are: Ogor Ikem, Mbu Amonu, Emeora Neke and Mbu Agudene to scale up HIV prevention among men and women of reproductive age and pregnant women.

Women Information Network (WINET) has mobilized the women of Enugu State, Nigeria for safe motherhood. For one year, May 2012 –June 2013, WINET with support from Global Fund for Women (GFW) carried out activities using the media to give information on Safe Motherhood to women and radio listeners.

For 26 weeks, WINET broadcast a radio talk show entitled ‘Ndu Ndi Nne’ (translated The Life of Women) on Radio Nigeria Coal City FM 92.8 Enugu. Each week a resource person spoke on various issues including Basic facts about Safe Motherhood, Danger signs in pregnancy, HIV and AIDS and Safe Motherhood, Maternal Mortality, Causes and Prevention, Family Planning and Safe Motherhood, STIs and Safe Motherhood, Female Genital Cutting and Safe Motherhood, Community Involvement in Safe Motherhood, Fibroid in Pregnancy, Sex Preferences,  High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy and Safe Motherhood, The Role of Ante-Natal Care in Safe Motherhood, Reproductive Health/Rights and Safe Motherhood. Some editions were dedicated to responding to questions from listeners and the radio listening clubs. The language of broadcast was Igbo (the local language of the area). Listeners and the two radio listening clubs in Umuike-Owo Obe and Ogwulu Emene sent feedback and questions through phone calls and text messages.

Other activities included two radio live interactive programmes that discussed the State of Women’s Maternal Health in Enugu State and What a pregnant woman should know as well as a Stakeholders forum on Maternal Health in Enugu State.

Success Stories: During the evaluation of the project, a female listener said “Still on female genital cutting, I used to believe that the wayward girls usually seen around hotels and streets looking for sex partners are people whose genital areas were not cut. But this programme has changed that negative impression of mine”.

Another woman said, “I have learnt about the need to regularly visit the hospital whenever a woman is pregnant. When I was of child bearing age, I gave birth to most of my children in places other than the hospital; So, I have learnt that this is a very bad practice. I have also imparted this knowledge to my daughters and my daughters- in- law”.

Yet another said, “Since I started listening to this programme, I have become more careful with my sexual habits, and I have also come to know that HIV/ AIDs is not only transmitted through sexual intercourse. One has to be careful with the use of sharp objects”.

The project achieved its goal of disseminating information to promote safe motherhood and reduce maternal mortality Enugu State, Nigeria

Justice for All Nigeria (J4A) Programme / Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting Women Information Network (WINET) to mobilize people of five communities in Enugu State, Nigeria to adequately utilize customary courts that are available in the areas. The communities are Ogui-Nike, Nike Uno, Ozalla, Maryland and Obioma. 

Though men and women in these areas have matters to resolve, they are not adequately approaching the customary court for the purpose because they do not understand the workings of the courts. It is against this background that the project entitled ‘Raising Awareness for Utilization of Customary Courts in Five Communities in Enugu State was designed by WINET.

The project is in progress. The training manual, ‘Procedure for Commencing Cases in Customary Courts in Enugu State has been published. Other activities under the project include radio phone in programmes, media round table for journalists and advocacy visits

Baseline Survey to generate information on the Reproductive Rights Concerns of Women in Enugu State (August - December 2005), as part of a larger project entitled; Media Advocacy Campaign on Women's Reproductive Rights in Enugu State (2005-2008) being funded by the European Union (EU).