IVY is a 69 page illustrated story of a 16-year-old girl who was forced out of school by her father and traded into marriage to an old local chief. The book explores her journey as a child bride who suffered incessant sexual abuse, and childbirth complication. Her escape and quest for education and how investment in education became a sustainable development for her and her community. The project uses the illustrated story and a short film adaptation of it as we know the power of art to remain in the minds of people. We also know how colorful pictures captures the attention of people and we strategically translates the dialogues into indigenous languages for easier understanding by stakeholders. The stakeholders are inclusive in the project through role playing and interactive dialogue held where solutions are discussed and harnessed through training of local volunteers and teachers to continue the project. The project aims to reduce child marriage and servitude in rural communities, promote qualitative and inclusive learning among children and train teachers on how to use alternative methods to deliver practical education to students.
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The IVY project was piloted in 18 communities in Benue, Nigeria between December 2018 and March 2019. Before this period, a lot of communities had problems understanding interventions and ended up not engaging or taking ownership of the projects which hindered effectiveness of the interventions in rural communities. This was due to communication and language barriers and conflict of culture. Within the short time, we developed our project, a lot of village chiefs have made progress in communities taking ownership of the project and two schools have been renovated without external support from the government due to the project. We also reached 57,600 people in rural communities; village chiefs, state legislators, schools and beneficiaries. Other nonprofit also have purchased our IVY illustrated book to educate school children on the effects of teenage pregnancies and child marriage in Lagos and Abuja of Nigeria. We have received 1030 text books in donation to start a reading space for children in low-income communities. Our short film adaptation titled IVY was selected for the Inshort International Film Festival in Lagos, Nigeria and aired on the 27th December 2018.
Yes. Two schools in Agbangwe village in Okpokwu local government and Mbahilan in Ushongo have the books as an educational guide. The Save the Needy nonprofit has purchased 800 copies for distribution to schools in low income communities in Benue, Nigeria. We have tested the innovation in 18 communities of 6 local governments in Benue, Nigeria.