Launch of Village Monitoring System Early Warning Early Response (EWER) Project

Oru Leonard

The CLEEN Foundation is set to launch an Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) Project in Nigeria with focus in sixteen (16) communities in four states of the Federation- Kaduna, Plateau, Zamfara and Taraba. The CLEEN Foundation in June, 2021 was awarded the grant technically known as the Village Monitoring System project.

CLEEN is collaborating with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Toronto by the United States Department of State.

In her Welcome remarks, the Acting Executive Director CLEEN Foundation,M  Ruth Olofin said the purpose of the National Project Launch is to formally present and launch the project to the project stakeholders at the federal/national level. The launch will also detail the project goals, objectives, activities and expected outcomes. The goal of the VMS-EWER is to contribute to the reduction of civilian attacks in sixteen communities in Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara states.

She noted that the project is designed to contribute to the mitigation and to bring to an end the frequent conflicts, disappearances and mass violence that is persistent in Northern Nigeria. This incidences are being driven by the effects of climate change; ethnic, religious and cultural tensions; weak response by security agencies. Collectively, in a bid to protect themselves, communities have resorted to self-help; self protection and a progress involvement of women through the empowerment of community members, including women, to serve as peace-builders. These will be trained in early detection and early response to conflicts.

According to her, “The specific objectives of the project are to:
* Strengthen understanding of regional conflicts and mitigation opportunities through stakeholder assessment and community engagement;
* Strengthen and expand linkages in sixteen (16) communities between early warning alerts of incidents and on-the-ground responders through communications and networking activities and to;
* Build the capacity of thirty-two (32) early responders to respond to conflict incidents and mitigate violence in sixteen (16) Northern Nigerian communities over a two-year period.
Consequently, the project is designed to respond to the need for improved civilian protection from the incessant attacks on various communities in the target states in Nigeria. This will be through the proactive deployment of new technology to aid early warning and capacitate the community members to utilize the early warning alerts and carry out early response to forestall the attack on the communities. The expected outcomes from the national launch include:
* Stakeholders buy-in for the project
* Commitment for cooperation and collaboration secured from USAID, ECOWARN Directorate of ECOWAS Commission, CAN, FORWAN, Religious & Traditional Leaders, CBOs and other stakeholders;
* An informed project learning process by stakeholders;
* Guidance and ideas harvested for better project implementation and results”.

She disclosed that the EWER project is supported by the United State Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations in partnership with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). It seeks to end the cycle of violent conflict in Northern Nigeria through the empowerment of community members, including women trained to serve as peacebuilders in early detection and early response to conflict, and through fostering their full participation as citizens in a more equitable economy and more tolerant religious and cultural landscape. It will be implemented over a two year period.
CLEEN Foundation is a non-governmental organization established in January 1998 with the mission of promoting public safety, security, and accessible justice through the strategies of empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programmes and publications, in partnership with government, civil society and the private sector. CLEEN Foundation has Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, New York. CLEEN is a recipient of several national awards since its establishment in 1998.